News & Events 2008-2009

In the Moment, on the Mall
Students Share Inauguration Experience

As the Blair community watched history in the making on TVs around campus, five Blair students – Jenna Catalano ’10, Kate Coffey ’10, Raleigh Dierlam ’09, Patrick Maillet ’10 and Roileigh Ollson ’09 – watched President Barack Obama take his oath “live” in Washington, D.C. Among the millions who journeyed there on January 20, each would tell you they will never forget the moment.

Three of those present, Jenna, Raleigh and Patrick, wrote of what it was like to be there that day. [Note that Jenna and Raleigh attended as participants in the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference.]

Five Unforgettable Days
Inauguration Week 2009
We arrived at my hotel assignment on Saturday, January 17; the energy felt by everyone was already very apparent. All 8,000 of us (PYIC attendees) were taken to the University of Maryland that first night; together with the middle school and university program participants, there Goodwin were 15,000 of us seated in the basketball stadium to listen to two keynote speakers. The first was Doris Kearns, political historian and former intern to President Johnson. She was extremely knowledgeable about Abraham Lincoln and had many funny anecdotes, which connected her to the crowd. Then we listened to esteemed journalist Lisa Ling, who spread the message that traveling is the best education anyone can get, and that you will have so many opportunities if you are an informed citizen. Read entire essay.
– Jenna Catalano ’10


A New Era of American Politics: President Obama’s Inauguration
Have you ever been anywhere with 100,000 people? How about 500,000? Well, what about 2,000,000 people all sharing the same excitement and passion as you? This is the feeling that Jenna Catalano, Raleigh Dierlam, Kate Coffey and I all shared on January 20, 2009. We all had the unbelievable and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness history in the making: the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. Regardless of what political views you hold, it is impossible to not be astounded at the progress of our nation. Considering that America is now the first major western power to elect a black man to office, it is hard to not feel extremely proud at the colossal steps our nation has taken towards realizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. As our 44th President has so recently stated in his inaugural address, messages echoed from The Lincoln Memorial 46 years ago have finally reached the walls of the Capitol Building. Read entire essay.
– Patrick Maillet ’10

A Five-Mile Walk for Most Emotional 18 Minutes Ever
This past week, my fellow classmate Jenna Catalano and I broke our daily routine of classes and swim practices to take time to witness history first-hand. Both Jenna and I received invitations to attend the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States this summer from a youth leadership group entitled Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference (PYIC). We, as well as 15,000 other scholars from all around the world, attended the conference from the Saturday before the Inauguration to the Wednesday morning after. Read entire essay.
– Raleigh Dierlam ’09

Click on images to view larger.

Pat Maillet and Kate Coffey	Raleigh and Jenna at National’s Ballpark for a reception after the ceremony on Inauguration Day.

Updated 1/26/09

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