Pictures: (Top) David Perelmuter holds the letter he received from the White House. Pictured with David are his parents, school principal Christie Forshey and his grandmother. (Bottom) Students participate in a Korean bowing ceremony lead by parent Lori Eurich. Photos courtesy of Mark Miller.
Call it a lesson in patience.
After penning a note to President Barack Obama shortly after his inauguration, 7-year-old David Perelmuter received what he had been waiting eight months for: the president's response.
Although he won't be able to vote until 2020, the first grader at Riviera Elementary school in Torrance wrote a congratulatory letter to Obama while in kindergarten last Spring. In it, David wrote of his dream to be president one day. He also detailed an ambitious agenda should he get elected, writing of his desire to end wars and stop graffiti vandalism.
David's mother, Lauren, found the response with the Washington D.C. postmark in the family's mailbox on Friday, complete with the president's signature on White House stationary. Perelmuter gave the letter to her son after picking him up from school.
"When I showed him the letter he was jumping up and down," said Perelmuter, who added David had run out to the mailbox everyday for eight months to see if the letter had arrived. "It was so thrilling."
In Obama's response, David is thanked for taking the time to write and is encouraged to use his intellect and creativity to better his community. He read the letter at an assembly in front of the entire school Monday morning.
The letter arrived in time to coincide with the school's "International Week," when students learn about different languages and cultures by participating in activities and sampling international fare. The week cumulates on Friday, when students hold a international food festival.
After David read the letter, students performed a Korean bowing ceremony and a Hawaiian hula for their peers, teachers and about 30 parents.
"We talked about how kids are the leaders of the future, and how important it is to be active," said Christie Forshey, principal at Riviera elementary. "The students are very excited."
Talk about excitement: David was so estatic about the letter he hasn't let it out of his sight, Perelmuter said. Didn't matter that Obama probably didn't sit down to write the letter himself, she added. She thinks the simple act provided a lesson her son may never forget and credited Riveria's teachers and staff members for promoting civic participation among students.
"He carried the letter around with him for 24 hours," Perelmuter said. "He knows how special it is."
The family will frame the letter and put it next to a letter David's grandfather received while working in the Treasury Department from President John Kennedy.
If David does eventually decide to become president, he'll have some time to develop a political agenda: He won't be eligible to run until 2037.
Reporter's note:
Riviera Elementary school should not be confused with Riviera Hall Lutheran School, a private K-8 also located in Torrance, and the scene of visits by former President Bill Clinton in 2001 and 2008. (His nephew attended school there)
Having read the article, I am extremely proud and touched by it. I am persuaded that all of David's dreams will come true due to his determination and perseverance. These are his grandmother's wishes from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
And anyone who has met David Perelmuter knows that he would be an incredible president. Some things are clear even at his young age.