Every presidential inauguration is historic, and an opportunity to appreciate an essential component of the American experiment.
Students at Coral Gables High School spent the day watching Friday’s inauguration.
"The most important thing is how great it is that we live in this great nation of ours where you have this peaceful transition of power," said Alina Yaniz, teacher.
But after a nasty, divisive campaign, some students in two AP History classes were visibly disturbed by the reality before them: Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States.
"We came together and we made the decision to elect someone who ran his entire campaign based on racism and sexism and hate and I think that says a lot about us," said Venecia Castro, junior.
It's one thing to watch history unfold. It's another thing, the Miami-Dade Superintendent says, to watch it with a critical eye and really understand what's happening.
"That's exactly what we teach; we don't just teach the three R's of reading, writing, arithmetic. We teach the personal and civic adequacy and today is an example of that. We expect them to be smart, ask questions, have opinions," said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.
Local
There were no cheers in the classroom, perhaps a reflection said one student, of Trump's failure to reach out to the majority who did not vote for him.
“I don't believe what he says, he's a liar. I don't want Obama's legacy to be ruined by this man," said Roxy Rico, student.
However, Harrison Austin is hopeful.
“He has the potential to be the voice for all the people, not restricted to a political party or affiliation," added Austin.
Hilda Delgado, an AP History student, disagrees with Trump’s agenda.
“I feel like Trump is changing a lot of things and not in a good way, normalizing things that used to be radical,” said Delgado.
Despite the pessimism in the room, there was a hint of optimist from student Alexander Cobas.
"I think that Mr. Trump is going to bring us together by the end of his four years or eight years and if he doesn't, the American people can elect another way. That's the great thing about a democracy," said Cobas.
Some of the students expressed real fears of what the Trump Administration might do to them because of their immigration status, LGBT issues, and several kids are terrified that Trump will ignore climate change. The White House web site erased climate change references as soon as Trump was sworn in.
