First lady writes to SV 6th grader
EVANS CITY — When campaigning alongside her husband during the last two presidential elections, Laura Bush chose education as her main platform. One Seneca Valley student found out recently that the first lady really meant it.
Brittany Huff, the daughter of Lisa and Richard Huff of Harmony, received an extensive package of material from Bush last month as part of a language arts project at Evans City Middle School.
The assignment, said sixth-grade teacher Jason Keffel, was for students in his language arts class to write different types of letters, including a business letter. Keffel said students could write to whomever they wished as long as they requested some type of information from the recipient.
So Brittany wrote to Bush, asking her if she gets nervous prior to a speech, what exactly her job is and what she is doing to help Hurricane Katrina victims, among other queries. Bush not only replied, she answered all of Brittany's questions and included several glossy photos of the Bushes with their dog. Bush also recommended more than 30 book titles to Brittany.
"I was in shock," Keffel said. "Of all the letters that went out, I thought that one had the least chance of getting a response. We teachers were just as excited as Brittany was."
Brittany said she decided to write to the first lady because she wants to be a mayor or a governor someday and because so many of her classmates wrote to sports stars and video game companies for the project.
"I wanted to send it to someone who has power," said Brittany.
Although it took Bush 10 weeks to reply to Brittany's letter, the youngster didn't mind the wait. One of the first things she noticed about the return letter was Bush's authentic signature in ink.
"When it came I'm like, 'I'm dreaming,'" recalled Brittany. "All my friends said it was really cool and they're like, 'Can I see it? Can I see it?' I mean, I'm a kid and I have no say in anything, and I get a letter from the first lady."
Brittany brought the package in for faculty and staff perusal, then returned it to its dresser drawer in her bedroom for safekeeping.
