Obama speech resonates at Iowa City High

Although some schools across the nation opted not to show President Barack Obama's speech to students on Tuesday, those at City High could choose whether to watch the broadcast.

Senior David Koehnke, who was among those watching the speech - encouraging students to pay attention, work hard and stay in school - said he found it inspiring, adding that he thought not showing the address would be “ignorant.”

“I liked how he said that if you try everything, you'll be bound to find something,” the 17-year-old said.

Koehnke watched the speech in his local government class, where teacher Jeanine Redlinger said she thought it was important to share with students.

“I have a difficult time thinking that someone wouldn't want their children to hear about education,” Redlinger said.

Senior Diedra Williams, 16, said that when the president spoke about personal responsibility and hard work, it struck a chord with her.

“He said the choices you make are going to follow you,” she said, “He reiterated what we had already heard in school.”

But hearing it from the president instead of only teachers might resonate more with the younger crowd, she speculated.

One student said she'd expected something more. from Obama's presentation.

Senior Sophia Metzler, 17, said she though it was too individualistic and not as traditional as she had hoped.

“I liked it. But it was a little disappointing,” she said. “He was tailoring to a certain crowd - only the ones not doing well.”

The president drew from his own experiences, as well as examples from the lives of athlete Michael Jordan and author J.K. Rowling to stress the importance of an education and to dismiss the idea of a free ride.

For senior Willie Fergurson, 18, those stories were just the encouragement he was looking for: “It made me think and focus more - to be something better than nothing.”