1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is not an unfamiliar address for 3rd grade Bowie Elementary student Anthony Ntambwe or his Flat Stanley. Flat Stanley visited the White House with Donald J. Trump last spring.
Last year, Ms. Julia Siewert’s second graders read Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. The story centers around a boy that wakes up one morning…flat. All his troubles begin when a bulletin board falls on top of him. He then visits California traveling in an envelope. Many students send Flat Stanley on adventures across the world in envelopes. Eventually, the person who receives Flat Stanley will send him/her back with photographs, CDs and DVDs. Students learn about new cultures and geographic locations as they share where Flat Stanley has traveled in his fantastic adventures.
Anthony asked to send his Flat Stanley to the President, and his teacher encouraged him to follow through.
“You never know what you can do until you try,” Ms. Siewert told him. “Never, never, never give up.”
So, Flat Stanley went to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Little did he know that Flat Stanley would receive an official badge as well as learn about the Executive Branch and the history of the American presidency. He even got to catch a movie in the White House Family Theatre and bowled in the Truman Bowling Alley.
President Trump also encouraged Anthony to “get involved and make a difference. Think big and dream bigger.”
Anthony will cherish President Trump’s signed document with the official seal for a long time, and Anthony already makes a difference at Bowie Elementary.
