"Bring the White House to Our House!"

Our motto at Sojourner Truth Academy is "where the only thing going on is learning," and now that includes during lunch!

When our 2009-2010 Lutheran Volunteer Corps fellow, Mary Eileen Gallagher aka Ms. G., arrived at Sojourner Truth in August she was assigned to monitor the lunchroom as part of her responsibilities. Unsettled by students fighting, crying, throwing food, and complaining about being bored during their 20 minute lunch period, she took our school motto to heart, drew upon her childhood experiences, and created a program called “Bring the White House to Our House!”

Ms. G. recalled how she learned manners as a child. During family dinners, her mother would say, tapping her finger: “Elbows off the table and chew with your mouth closed, or you will not be invited to the White House!” Ms. G.'s mother insisted on good behavior and respect “just in case,” she said, “the President of the United States ever invited us to the White House for dinner.” Ms. G. decided to use the same idea at Sojourner Truth Academy, but with a twist! We would invite the White House to OUR House for lunch.

In preparation for hosting President Obama, our students are hard at work transforming the cafeteria and themselves. The theme is "Lunchtime at Sojourner Truth Academy is Like Dining at the White House." The basement lunchroom is now a White House-esque “Banquet Hall” with a decorative chandelier, wall sconces, college posters, student art, faux windows, educational placemats, and pencil bouquets. Students are also practicing manners, discipline, and social etiquette. On Manners Monday in the Banquet Hall they learn a mini-manners lesson, such as “Say YES the First Time, Not the Last Time,” “Please and Thank You,” “The Lunch Table is Not a Park Bench,” “The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword,” and “The Shake It, Don’t Break It Handshake.” These life lessons are empowering our students to make good choices, allowing them to become leaders among their peers, and strengthening their self-esteem.

When the students finish eating they are encouraged to use the remaining time to write letters to President Obama and other government officials. Through this experience our students are finding their voice and learning to exercise their power as young citizens in this country. They are writing about issues that are important to them—family life, immigration, gang violence, lunch food, and self-improvement. They are inquiring about life in the White House, presidential duties, and the lives of Malia and Sasha Obama. They are asking President Obama if he can help a grandma without health insurance, give every family a home, end the war the war in Iraq, and “keep school cool.” Ultimately, the letters all end with the same desire: “President Obama, will you please come to lunch at our school?”

By focusing on respect and civic participation, “Bring the White House to Our House!” brings structure to lunchtime, learning to the "Banquet Hall", and unites our students around a common goal: to host a lunch for President Barack Obama at Sojourner Truth Academy.

Our students are passionately writing 30-80 letters a day! For each letter a student completes, he or she earns a "Ticket to the White House." A raffle in March will decide which student(s) will travel to Washington D.C., tour the White House, and deliver a special lunch invitation from Sojourner Truth Academy to President Obama. Our fundraising dollars will determine the number of students we are able to take to the White House. The approximate cost to send one student is $700.00. Our goal is to send 10 students and 5 chaperones to Washington D.C. on March 19, 2010. We need to raise $10,500.