President Obama's visit to James Wright Middle School, Madison, WI in photos

November 5, 8:54 PMMadison Political Buzz ExaminerPeggy Williams

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President Obama speaking at Wright Middle School in Madison, WI
AP/PabloMartinezMonsivais

President Barack Obama met with students, staff, parents and local and state political leaders at James C. Wright Middle School in Madison, WI Wednesday, November 4, 2009.

The President used his visit as a backdrop to announce his new education initiative, called "Race To The Top" in which he plans to make more than $4 billion dollars available to states who meet specific educational criteria. In a speech that lasted 31 minutes, Obama said that “the currency of today’s economy is knowledge.” An estimated 600 people attended the speech in the school’s gymnasium.

On a more personal note, and in an effort to motivate the largely African-American and Latino student body at Wright School, Obama described his own experiences in school, as well as that of his daughters, Malia and Sasha.

Prior to the main speech, the President had met with forty students in a private session – a portion of which was closed to the media – in the school library. He told the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders that there is nothing more important than what they are doing right now in school. He also told them, “Wright has a great reputation. This school is improving all the time, but ultimately how good a school is depends on how well you guys are doing.” [Quote reported in the Wisconsin State Journal by reporter Gayle Worland.]

The visit by President Obama also marks the one year anniversary of his election to office.
 

Check out the photos of President Obama's visit to Madison and James C. Wright Middle School in the slide show below.