UPDATER Wednesday, November 3, 2009 -- 5:15 p.m.
By Barclay Pollak

The President's message went over well today with students. But, they admit they were a little more interested in meeting the President and finding out about him than they were in his new program.

Many students were just happy that President Obama came to their school.

They say it shows that he really cares about their education. The "Race to the Top" program was just an added bonus.

The kids NBC15 spoke with say their emotions ranged from excited, to nervous to inspired.

Some of them even say today was like a dream come true and that being in the same room as the President was the opportunity of a lifetime.

And for at least one student I spoke with it...it gave her something to talk about with her brother.

Terrianna Roberson says, " One of my family members...my brother he met the President before and he was amazed and he would not trade it for anything in the world and I wouldn't either."

Monica Chang says, " I never seen a President before...like in person...I mean on T.V. yeah. But not in person."

Mathias Lemos says, " It was pretty cool because I saw a very important man here and he was telling us about what we can do when we grow up...like how our education is so important to us."

During his question and answer session with students before the speech, the President revealed that when he was their age he didn't get the best grades in school.

Some of the kids say that really motivated them. Because if he can be President so can they.

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UPDATED Tuesday, November 3, 2009 --- 9:45 p.m.
By Barclay Pollak

We've all said the "Pledge of Allegiance" before, but most of us haven't said it in front of all our peers, friends, teachers, several media outlets and he President of the United States.

That's what Ari Davis will be doing. But before he does, he's spending the night rehearsing.

"Mr. President, Secretary Duncan, distinguished guests..."

Ari Davis has rehearsed his lines a few dozen times. But no matter how much he goes over them, he still gets a little nervous.

"Yes, I do feel a little nervous. But I'm confident. "

Confident... because this won't be his first time meeting President Obama. About five years ago while in D.C. with his family, Davis met then-Senator Obama and took this picture with him.

Davis says he didn't know what to think about Obama then, but a lot has changed in five years.

"He was a Senator then and now he's the President."

Two days ago, Davis found out that he'd be reading an intro to the President and reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance."

He says when he first heard the news, he had mixed feelings. He was nervous and excited at the same time. His parents say they're just proud.

Ari's mother, Andreal Davis, "It seems like a moment that every parent hopes for when you birth your child."

Ari's father, Arlington Davis says, "I was a little jealous because my wife found out first. But I was very, very excited."

For Davis there is still a lot to do before his big moment in front of the Commander-in-Chief tomorrow. He's busy laying out his suit and deciding what tie he should wear. Davis says he's really hoping the President will notice his suit and give him his approval.

It wasn't just speakers, but singers had prepare for the President, too.

Some of the Wright Middle School students will get the chance to sing the National Anthem on Wednesday - and they were just informed by teachers this week.

"She was like, 'Do you want to sing for Barack Obama.' And I was like, 'Oh yeah. Definitely. I definitely want to do that,'" said 8th grader Miko Jobst. "I couldn't pass on it at all."

"I haven't really sang in front of, by myself, well, not by myself but with so many people," said 7th grader Laura Sumi. "And yeah, I'm really nervous."

They practiced Tuesday night but we weren't allowed to be there. The area inside the school was off limits to our cameras before Wednesday's event.

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UPDATE Posted Monday, November 2, 2009 -- 5:17pm
By Zac Schultz

Madison: News of President Obama's visit to Wright Middle School leaked last Thursday, but it's still sinking in for most of the students.

"I didn't believe it at first," says 8th grader Dwy'quan Morris.

"I didn't believe it. I thought it was fake," agrees classmate Deion Ford.

"I couldn't believe it until the principal announced it, and then still after that I couldn't believe it," says 8th grader Selina Armenta.

Even the teachers are excited. "Excitement. Absolute excitement," says Becky Peterson, an 8th grade social studies teacher.

Now the challenge is to keep the kids focused until Wednesday afternoon.

"It's been tricky to focus, but it's still cool because everyone's just excited," says 8th grader Celia Lohr.

"It motivates you to do your work. But also you don't want to, because you just want it to be Wednesday," says Ford.

Peterson says one way to keep the kids on task is to incorporate the vist into the lesson plan. "I explain to them, I usually tell you what happens when the President comes, but you get to live it. There's no better teacher than experience."

The Secret Service has already taken over the school gym, which doubles as the school cafeteria, which means lunch Wednesday will be served in the classroom. A small price to pay for a Presidential visit.

"It seems more real with the secret service people walking around everywhere, and them taking over our gym," says Armenta.

It appears Obama has motivated the kids, even before his speech.

"I think it would definitely motivate our school to have a better performance instead of slacking off," says 8th grader Kevin Xiong. "This is a very big honor for our school."

"We try to act even better than we would, try to look smarter," says Morris.

So how did James C. Wright Middle School get chosen to host the President? The answer is no one at the Madison School District knows.

Principal Nancy Evans says she was contacted last week by the White House and when they told her they were coming she was too excited to ask why. But she says the answer is likely due to the make up of their students. "We are a charter school, that is one thing a lot of people don't realize. Our numbers show we have a lot of students who are students of color. We have a large percentage of our students are what some would call-they live in poverty."

Wright is made up of just 250 students, many of which were chosen in a lottery to attend the charter school.

If you will be out and about on Wednesday you may be impacted by the President's visit. Madison Police will be blocking off roads for the President's motorcade from the airport and police will be closing down roads near Wright Middle School during the event.

That means if you use Fish Hatchery Road you may want to plan an alternative route.