Allard visits with elementary schools
Windsor-Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) spoke to students about
freedom and answered questions from children about his job as a
state senator Tuesday afternoon at Skyview Elementary School.
“Freedom is being able to do what you want to do when you want
to do it,” Allard said to a room filled with students sitting on
the floor and scattered parents and faculty in standing in the
back.
Allard told students at Skyview the freedoms given to Americans
by the Bill of Rights are essential to the American way of
life.
Allard noted the freedom of religion, the right to bear arms,
the right to assemble and the freedom of speech, among others.
“You have the freedom to tell me what you like or don’t like
about what the government is doing… a lot of your parents do that
often,” Allard said to students.
After a small speech to the students and a presentation of an
American Flag to the school, Allard answered questions given to him
by students of Skyview.
One student asked Allard if there is a law he passed that he
regretted.
“There have been one or two votes that I have regretted,” said
Allard, reminding the kids afterward that it takes 100 senators to
pass a law and he only has one vote.
The senator, who is a graduate of CSU and a resident Colorado,
accepted a plaque from Colin Allard, a fifth grader and one of his
four grandchildren who attend Skyview elementary.
Allard was at the school with the Weekly Reader, an education
magazine geared toward school children and distributed nationwide,
reaching 10 million readers a week.
Allard has been participating in the Weekly Reader’s “What
Freedom Means To Me” essay contest for American children.
Allard read a children’s book about government to younger
students of Skyview in the library and watched as a first grade
class sang him a song. Before fielding questions from the press,
Allard posed for pictures with some of the students in the
library.
Once in front of the press, Allard spoke on issues, which were
out of the league of the children who he was reading to before.
Speaking to reporters, Allard said he is in support of the
language used by Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.) on her amendment
to the constitution declaring that a marriage is between a man and
a woman.
“I think family is important and we need something there that
says a marriage is between a man and a woman,” Allard said.
Allard said that his support of this amendment does not take
away the discussion of same sex civil unions, but more focuses on
the importance of family and defining the institution of
marriage.
“We are not saying who you may marry or not marry, but defining
what a marriage is,” he said.
When asked if he believes this position on marriage will
resonate well with his voters Allard replied, “Well, (the
amendment) is very popular.”
Brenda Eckelkamp, the mother of Kelly Eckelkamp, a fifth grader,
and Brett Eckelkamp, a fourth grader at Skyview, came to watch
Allard speak.
“I wanted to come and be able to see if the kids would be able
to ask the questions they wanted to ask (of Sen. Allard),”
Eckelkamp said. “It’s hard to tell, but it seems to me they kept it
to elementary (nature) questions.”
Eckelkamp’s daughter Kelly asked Allard a question during the
question and answer session on the stress of making a decision that
would eventually affect thousands of people. She does not know if
her daughter was able to ask the question her daughter originally
wanted to.
“I know (Kelly) is pretty concerned about the war and I am not
sure how the classroom discussion (before Allard’s visit) went,”
she said. “I’ll have to wait and see.”
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