Only three students in Cynthia Walters' all-boys third-grade class want to be president when they grow up.
But all 17 of them want to see President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration.
"Every night, most of us, we're praying we can go," said 10-year-old Jessie McCann.
"I did," said Tarion Henry, 8.
"I did," said Shaviaea Williams, 8.
"I did - two times," said Ryan Chapman, 8.
Like many of their classmates at Ingleside Elementary, the boys paid close attention to this year's election. At school, they discussed the candidates and voted in a mock election. At home, they watched the news - three hours a day, according to Tarion.
The boys say they are excited about Obama because he's making history, but their teacher thinks it's more than that.
"They can actually look at him and relate to him: 'Oh, he's like me.' 'Oh, wow, if he can do that, so can I,' " Walters said.
Attending the inauguration would be life-changing for her students, Walters knows, so she looked for ways to get them there.
After she read recently about a Virginia businessman who plans to pay the way for some economically disadvantaged people to attend, she told her class to take out their pencils.
"This is our best shot," Walters said, "because he's doing it for the right reasons."
In their letters, the boys introduced themselves to Earl Stafford, founder of a Centreville technology company, assuring him that they are "very smart and cool." Tarion drew a full-page portrait of Obama, and Joshua Wright sketched a picture of the inauguration.
"Tyshon!" Jessie said as he reviewed his friend's letter. "You forgot to put your last name! He'll think it's some other Tyshon!"
Jessie looks forward to hearing Obama's "finest speech" at the inauguration, though 9-year-old Tyshon Artybridge worries that a crowd of thousands might make him faint.
The boys are honest about how they'll feel if they can't go.
"When I go home," Ryan said, "I'm going to cry in my bed all day."
Would that change their views about the 44th president? Not at all. "I'll still like him!" they said in unison.
"He inspires me a lot," Tarion said.
Shavaiea has decided he might want to be president some day, after all.
"I want to be part of history. It might be the fifth or sixth African American president."
Amy Jeter, (757) 446-2730, amy.jeter@pilotonline.com
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