Obama Surprises Colorado Students In Washington
WASHINGTON (CBS4) - About 50 Longmont students got a big surprise on Monday at the White House when President Barack Obama strode out and greeted them while they were posing for a photograph.
Obama mentioned the situation for students at Altona Middle School during his televised speech Friday night after the the government shutdown was officially averted.
The students had been planning for about nine months to go to Washington for a school trip but it would have been seriously hampered had government offices closed.
During his speech Friday Obama talked about an email from Shalini Schane, a mother of one of the Altona students. Schane was hoping the shutdown wouldn't happen.
"A few days ago, I received a letter from a mother in Longmont, Colorado," he said. "Over the year, her son's eighth grade class saved up money and worked on projects so that next week they could take a class trip to Washington, DC. ... The mother wrote that for the last few days the kids in her son's class have been worried and upset that they might have to cancel their trip because of the shutdown."
On Monday afternoon the students were posing at the White House for a group photo. Then, to their deep surprise, the president strode up and had a short chat with them. He then posed for a photo with the students all around.
While he was with the group he acknowledged Schane and said he was there in part because "she wrote this wonderful letter."
"Now that things worked out, we'd figure we'd give you a little bonus," he said.
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