LYNCHBURG, Va. – Watching the inauguration with their family, 2nd grader Dayquan Jones and 3rd grader Symphony Green had their eyes glued to the television, soaking in every detail they could.
“We saw Biden. We saw Lady Gaga,” said Jones.
“It had the flags, and then there were people all up and down the building,” said Green.
Regardless of what grabbed their attention, the ceremony was a history lesson for many Lynchburg City students.
Damon Jones, a 6th grader at Langhorne Middle School, says he became more familiar with his new president.
“I learned about the 46th President Joe Biden. I learned about the oath he had to take,” said Jones.
E.C. Glass High School worked the inauguration into their curriculum.
Krista Rawls-Fanning, the school’s social studies chairperson, says seniors in AP government will have to write a summary later in the week — but what’s more important is to just watch the ceremony, regardless of political affiliation.
“Whether you’re for or against either side, it’s still a historic day; and it’s something that we have to honor and still have to understand who those leaders are,” said Rawls-Fanning.
It’s a lesson Kailyn Snyder, a sophomore at Heritage High School, is trying to live by.
“I hope that we can get the pandemic under control. I hope that our country can be, kind of like Biden said, united and just care for each other and be considerate,” Snyder said.