Winners of White House's 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge got surprise of their lives at graduation ceremony.
By James Montgomery
President Obama meets with Booker T. Washington students Cassandra and Christopher
Photo: Andrew Huang / MTV News & Docs
Four years ago, Cassandra Henderson didn't want to attend Booker T. Washington High School because, as she put it, "I thought the same as everyone else: that it was a bad school with nothing but bad people in it." Now? Well, let's just say she's changed her opinion.
That's because, thanks to the commitment of Principal Alisha Kiner, the faculty and the students, not only has Booker T. Washington changed public opinion (posting math scores that are 20 percent higher and a 30 percent increase in graduation tends to do that), it has earned the attention of the nation, too, as the winner of the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge, a competition sponsored by Viacom, the Get Schooled Foundation and, oh yeah, the White House.
Booker T. Washington students created a video that showed not only school pride, but the resiliency its students possess in the face of overwhelming odds. Booker T. Washington HS is not only located in Memphis, one of the nation's poorest cities, but South Memphis has the 14th-highest crime rate in the country. And earlier this year, 20 percent of the school's students' homes were demolished in a citywide renewal plan. Still, in spite of all that, the school's successes speak for themselves ... which not only won them the nationwide competition, but meant that President Barack Obama would be coming to town to deliver the commencement speech at Booker T. Washington's graduation ceremony on Monday (May 16).
And understandably, students like Henderson were glad they stuck it out, not to mention proud of their school's accomplishments.
"It felt great," she beamed. "For him to come to Booker T. Washington, this school people thought was terrible; for him to come to our graduation was a great honor and it brings hope to the school, it brings more students to the school, it changes the way people think about the school. Now they know what we're all about here at BTW."
And as was the case last year, when Michigan's Kalamazoo Central High School won the Race to the Top Challenge, Obama arrived in Memphis and was greeted by a select group of students — a group that included Henderson — who met him as he landed in Air Force One and rode in a 30-plus vehicle motorcade to the school's graduation ceremony ... a ride they'll never forget.
"We got to the airport and we got checked, then we waited for the airplane to land, and we watched Air Force One land, and the ladder came down, and Obama came out. Oh my gosh, I didn't even cry — most people cry when they see him — I was just like, 'Oh, wow!' " Henderson laughed. "And then we rode in his motorcade, and it was like we were the bosses. We were running the streets, nobody was getting past us. We were all saying, 'We're rolling with Obama!' "
Also along for the ride was graduating senior Christopher Dean, who starred in Booker T. Washington's winning video ("I tried to introduce myself, and he said 'Stop, I know who you are! You're Christopher Dean, I love your video!" Dean laughed). And once they arrived at graduation, Obama spoke to both students privately — and helped Dean straighten his tie — before surprising the rest of the student body before the ceremony took place. And he had Dean help him out in the surprise.
"Our principal was giving [the graduating students] this speech, 'This is how everyone needs to be,' like she was going to be hard on them," Dean explained. "Then I walked in and the president was behind me, and they went wild. When I brought him into the room, there were tears."
Dean then introduced Obama at the ceremony — but not before Obama gave him a little help. "Before I gave my speech, he could tell I was nervous, so he looked at me and was like, 'You know what? You got it. Do it for me,' Dean said. "And I knew I couldn't mess up. These words were going to flow like water in the Mississippi River!"
And for the students at Booker T. Washington, Obama's surprise appearance was not only an added bonus to an already thrilling day, but it served as inspiration for a city that's been down on its luck for a while now. And, hopefully, using Booker T. Washington High as an example, it can strive to be just a little bit better from now on.
"I'm proud of my school and happy for my city. It was easy to play a role [in the winning video] once you've got peers like I have, and friends like I have ... these are great people, and they deserve to have the President come here," Dean said. "This city needed the help that he brings. What better place to come than Memphis? I love my school, I love my friends; we deserve it."
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