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.”