Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Friday, September 05, 2008
Doyle visits Southern Bluffs Elementary
 Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle plays a good morning game with Southern Bluff second grader Megan Hefti during a visit to the school to welcome students back for another year of school. Dick Riniker photo |
Dustin Arentz wants to be governor when he grows up.
Classmate Connor Miller would like to be president.
Political fever swept through Shelly Long’s second grade classroom at Southern Bluffs Elementary School on Thursday when Gov. Jim Doyle arrived.
Doyle visited with students and talked about career goals.
The room was filled with future artists, teachers and politicians.
And despite being governor, Doyle told the kids he wants to be a “good grandparent.”
During his first visit to the school at 4010 Sunnyside Drive, Doyle also read “I Can Share!” to children in Gerianne Wettstein’s kindergarten class and talked about the importance of the upcoming election with Susan Houlihan’s fifth-graders.
This is an interesting year, with a lot happening in the country, Doyle told the older students.
He encouraged them to familiarize themselves with the presidential candidates and listen to a speech by Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.
“As fifth-graders, you are old enough to sit and listen ... and try to decide for yourself who might be the best president,” Doyle said. “I really encourage fifth-graders to start having their own opinions and start drawing their own conclusions.”
Since being elected governor in 2002, Doyle said he has tried to visit Wisconsin schools when classes resume in the fall to see the excitement and acknowledge the staff’s fine performance.
“A lot of people work hard to make sure Wisconsin has great schools,” he said.
All stories copyright 2000 - 2006 La Crosse Tribune and other attributed sources.