Madison elementary school tunes in to historic inauguration

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - As history unfolded on the U.S. Capitol steps and the Biden Administration officially began, the next generation of leaders were watching.

At One City Elementary School in Madison, a 4k-2nd grade public charter school, all classes tuned in and watched the historic inauguration ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

The lead teacher in the first-grade classroom, Sophie Diers, said the students have been learning about the election cycle throughout the process.

“I hope that they can see who is President and Vice President, see that that can be them in the future and see someone who looks like them,” Diers said.

Diers said the day marked a season of learning coming full circle. In November, the school held a mock election that allowed the students to register and cast a ballot.

“Afterwards, we found out who won for our school, which was Biden, same as the country, which the kids were very excited about,” she said.

Diers said she hopes witnessing the transfer of power inspires them to one day be a part of the process.

“I hope they will also feel like their voice matters- that we have this election at our school and even though it wasn’t real, it still felt like they had a say,” she said.

With Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president in the nation’s history, Diers said she hopes seeing representation in leadership roles inspires her students.

“That can give them hope and think they can be important in the future, and Our government is actually starting to resemble them and reflect who they are,” Diers said.

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