Photo by Skip Lawrence St. John Regional Catholic School eighth grade students Garrett Martin, left, and Nicole Bruno react to watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama on T.V. in social studies teacher Ethel Brauer’s class Tuesday.
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As students filed into the room to witness the ceremony, she brought them up-to-date with the broadcast.

“The former presidents have been seated, the first ladies have been seated, just about everyone is in except the president and the president-elect,” she said.

When “Hail to the Chief” was played for the final time for outgoing President George W. Bush, Brauer told the group that the song was played just for the sitting president, and after Obama was sworn in, the song would be played for the first time for him.

“It’s ritual, it’s music for the office, no matter who occupies it,” Brauer said.

The students, aware of the historic significance of what they were watching, were at times attentive and at times giggly and talkative.

They burst into spontaneous applause on several occasions, and recited the Lord’s Prayer with the Rev. Rick Warren when the California minister delivered the invocation.

Giggles erupted in response to Warren’s dramatic pronunciations of Malia and Sasha Obama’s first names.

After the pomp and circumstance was nearly complete — and lunch beckoned the eighth-graders — student Nicole Bruno said witnessing the event gave her “the best feeling in the world.” “Being black, it really means a lot to me to see a black man become president,” she said. “I think Obama gives people hope.” She believes the new chief executive sends the message that it doesn’t matter what color a person is, just that they work hard to achieve their dreams.

Bruno said her parents never expected to see a black man elected president in their lifetimes and it’s been a topic of great discussion at home.

“And my grandmother said it will be great to see those two little girls grow up in a house built by their ancestors,” Nicole said. Nick Leggit, 13, called the inauguration “a major moment in our history.”

He believes that Obama is opening doors and championing change for the better.

“I think he’s an inspiration to everyone,” Leggit said. “He’s talking to all of us, no matter what age we are, no matter what color we are — we can all work to make change, even those of us who aren’t old enough to vote.”

Garrett Martin, 13, said he was glad to witness such an important occasion.

“There’s no doubt it’s history,” he said. “It’s interesting to see history in the making.”

The televised inauguration served as the culmination of social studies units on civics, government and the presidency, Brauer said.

And she believes that ascension of a black man to the presidency doesn’t hit her students’ generation as much as it does her own. “I think this generation is much more colorblind than mine,” she said. “I think they expected to see this happen; we weren’t sure we’d live to see it.

“These students see a new president who’s young, charismatic, handsome, smart and talented, someone who will bring change, someone who will help an ailing nation,” she said. “They don’t see a black man.”