Sikeston Standard Democrat: Local News: Obama gives school speech (09/09/09)

Susan Werner, social studies and fifth grade teacher at St. Francis Xavier School, views President Barack Obama's school speech on Tuesday afternoon. For the most part, area schools let teachers choose whether to show the video in the classroom, with some schools, such as St. Francis, choosing to tape the speech, view it, and then show all or parts of the address later in the week. Michelle Felter, Staff

SIKESTON -- President Barack Obama steered clear of politics in his school speech on Tuesday, despite controversy and concerns it was an attempt to sell his political agenda.

''Every single one of you has something that you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer,'' Obama told students at Wakefield High School in suburban Arlington, Va., and children watching his speech on television in schools across the country. ''And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.''

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