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For more pictures, click here. Fourth graders at our Lower School were treated to a special history lesson by a guest teacher on Friday, January 22nd - Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen.  Congressman Frelinghuysen visited Schechter in response to a request by fourth grader Aylon Berger. Aylon is a reporter for the Lower School newspaper, The Spark. According to Spark’s faculty advisor, Rebecca Kurson, “Aylon wanted to write about politics for the Winter issue of The Spark.” Aylon and his father called Frelinghuysen's office and requested an interview, which the Congressman was happy to grant. He also agreed to a visit with the entire fourth grade class. The Congressman answered questions from students about the US efforts in Haiti, the government, the election process, and also spoke about his personal experience as Congressman, explaining that he is the son of a New Jersey Congressman who served 22 years in Congress. Frelinghuysen told the students that he has just started his eight term in office (16 years). Asked by Yocheved Perry if he agreed with all of President Obama's decisions, the Congressman replied, "No, but I respect the President." Asked by Emily Saperstein if he would like to be president himself, Frelinghuysen replied that he had considered a run for Senate, but really loved his job. He said that being President is like living in a fishbowl, and that he values both his relationship with his constituents and his privacy. Sophie Huttner asked the Congressman about the day-to-day aspects of his job. "This is the fun part," Frelinghuysen answered. "I love visiting schools and I get to do it a lot. I go to a lot of pancake breakfasts and chicken dinners too, and most weekends I have a town hall meeting. People can ask me questions, or complain about me or complain about the President."  The Congressman explained that his biggest issues are national security and open space. "In New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the nation, we need to protect our open space, protect farmlands, the Great Swamp and the Meadowlands," he told the class. Asking a frank question, Ben Hodes questioned Frelinghuysen, “What is your paycheck?" Representative Frelinghuysen answered just as frankly: "It's $175,000, before FICA and a lot of other taxes." Asked by Noah Brown if he met with President Obama, Frelinghuysen said that Congressman see the President twice a year, once at a White House picnic and once at a holiday party. "But I don't see the President," he chuckled. "It's hard to see him when he's upset with you!" The Congressman ended his visit by presenting Aylon and SSDSEU with a flag that had been flown over the US Capitol Building. Each fourth grader also received a pin and a free pass to visit Congress. Aylon’s one-on-one interview with the Congressman will be featured in the next issue of The Spark. |
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