HONORARY FIRST SCHOOL

The Web of Dreams was officially launched as Legacy Project Chair Susan V. Bosak personally visited the Honorary First School to meet with students and teachers. The location of the school is significant. Indiana was the last stop on Barack Obama's campaign trail. He voted in his home state of Illinois in the morning of November 4, and then traveled to the Indianapolis area to meet voters. Indiana voters were very evenly split between the two candidates running for President. Barack Obama narrowly won the state 50% to 49%. But as Barack Obama has said, "This isn't about blue states or red states, but about the United States of America." The Web of Dreams is about coming together and recognizing that the difficult decisions ahead will greatly affect not only the families of today but also the dreams and future of young people across the US. We need to listen to their voices and remember the responsibility we hold for the legacy we leave them.

St. Monica School is located in Indianapolis and has students from kindergarten through eighth grade. With nearly 500 students, the school has proudly served a diverse student body for more than forty years. St. Monica School was recently named a Blue Ribbon School. The award is the highest honor a school can receive from the US Department of Education. 250 public and private K-12 schools have been recognized for helping close the achievement gap and for their students who achieve at very high levels.

The visit to the school started as Legacy Project Chair Susan Bosak did a special reading of her book Dream to the kindergarten to grade 4 students, followed by the grade 5 to 8 students. "It was exciting for the students to meet a real author," says Principal Tim Weaver. "Susan helped our students think about the history that came before them, and what they can achieve in the future. We are honored to be the first school in the Web of Dreams."

Students at St. Monica created 488 Dream Stars. Seven students were chosen to represent the group and share their Dream Stars aloud. There were personal dreams like becoming a chef or a builder or a veterinarian, along with dreams for America. Several students tied their dreams to St. Monica's theme for this school year: "Teamwork Makes The Dream Work." For example, Sophia VanderKooy said, "My dream for America is that we all work together to make our country a better place to live."

Students had followed the election with a lot of interest. "It was cool!" said one. They offered their advice to President Barack Obama. He should definitely work on the economy. He should also reach out to the kids because "we're the ones who will be doing important things later. We're part of America, too." They want him to make sure he listens to the people, as he promised he would during the campaign. And finally, "do your best."


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