Few Corbin students watch Obama speech live

The President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, had a message to deliver Tuesday promoting education and the importance of it in today’s society to students across the country.

Despite a few questions and limited controversy surrounding the speech, at least one class at Corbin Intermediate School heard the message loud and clear, and also live.

Jonathan Eppley’s Social Studies class was the only class in the school to watch the speech live via streaming internet. Corbin Intermediate Principal Bill Jones said Eppley had read the transcript of the speech over the weekend and had deemed it acceptable for his class to see and had a lesson plan based on the content. Students were given the option of watching the speech or bringing a note from their parents requesting they not view it.

Jones said his school received just as much negative reaction to the event as it did positive. Jones also said he felt the message was a positive one and really wasn’t anything he or any of his school staff haven’t been promoting on a daily basis.

"I personally spoke to one parent, but our secretary Anna McHargue had two parents call and ask if we had the transcript," Jones said. "Those that were opposed were asked to call back and they didn’t, so I assume they were okay with the transcript. We also had some parents call to make sure we were allowing the kids to watch it.

"I think any time the President speaks to us, especially on a topic like he did today where it’s just common sense things that any of us, whether you’re democrat or republican, can agree on it’s important," Jones said. "The message was to do your best in everything you do and that’s what we talk about here every day, so I think it was important."

As for the younger students at Corbin Primary, Principal Travis Wilder said the event would not be shown live, but like much of Corbin Intermediate, would be recorded and reviewed by teachers. If the teachers deem it necessary to show the students and can make a lesson out of the content, he said the students would be allowed to view it.

"If the teachers see that there is a lesson in the speech, they will be allowed to show it to those who choose to view it," Wilder said. "We have gotten just a few calls on the matter, so it really isn’t a big issue.

"We are following curriculum guidelines just like we do for every other lesson, so if it’s determined that it would be a good lesson then that’s okay," he added. "If there are parents that do not want their children to see it, we will have alternative activities for them as well."