Canal Point Elementary Watches Inauguration

The students at Canal Point Elementary have a unique connection to the events going on in Washington.
They'll never forget watching history as Barack Obama was sworn in as President.
The entire 5th grade gathered to watch the event Tuesday in the school's media center at Kathryn E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary.  Several televisions were set up.
One of their classmates, 10 year old Damon Weaver, was somewhere in that crowd covering the inauguration as a student journalist.
They did not actually get to see him on television. But they know he's there, covering the developments in Washington in person. For the kids back here at the school it's a very special day.
"It means a lot to me. Now that we have Obama a lot of things have changed," said Lashawn Lang, a fifth grader at Canal Point Elementary.
"It's good, because he gonna change the world around. He gonna open some doors for us," said Jim-Travis Gray, also a fifth grader.
"I'm very happy we got an African-American president. It was like a dream to me to see the inauguration," said Tenecia Nobles, another fifth grader.
The children broke into applause after Obama was sworn in. Before sending them to lunch, the principal at Canal Point told them it's been a historic day for their school and for the country.
One of Damon Weaver's goals is to interview Obama one-on-one.
His classmates have their fingers crossed, hoping Damon will get that chance.
Now that an African-American is leading the nation, what impact will it have on the students?
"We've come a mighty long way. You can be whatever you choose to be if you work hard and stay focused.  I think they see that through our president," said LaVoise Smith, the school's principal.  She says about 70% of the school's 498 students are African-American.