Suburban second-graders write to Sasha

Hailey, a student at Kildeer Countryside School in Long Grove, has a simple request for fellow second-grader Sasha Obama, the president-elect's youngest daughter.

"Could you tell your dad for me to not raise taxes?"

Hailey and the other students in Scott Hartstein's second-grade class wrote letters to the youngest Obama that offered advice, asked questions and expressed good wishes as Sasha begins a new life in Washington, D.C.

The class wrote the letters in the days leading up to Barack Obama's inauguration as the nation's 44th president. The letters were sent to Washington, though Hartstein made sure his students were realistic about the chances of receiving a reply.

"I told them how busy the Obama family will be, and how many letters Sasha will probably get," he said.

Before writing their letters, Hartstein's students undertook a general study unit on the White House.

They learned how many rooms the White House has (132), what kind of cool stuff is inside it (movie theater, bowling alley) and how many people can eat dinner there at once (140).

"Wouldn't they be all squished together?" one student asked Hartstein during a recent class discussion.

"Well, remember, the White House is very big," he said.

In their letters, the students generally agreed that living in the White House would be incredible. Many could barely conceal their longing as they cataloged all the fun things they would do in Sasha's place.

"I would always go to the bowling alley," Brandon wrote. "(And) the food would be so good because you can eat anything!"

Others said they'd be intimidated by the building's size, and advised Sasha to ask for a map.

A few in Hartstein's class pointed out that leaving friends behind and moving into a new city and new home is probably a bit scary for Sasha, White House or no White House. They urged her to hang in there.

"If you are scared to move in, don't worry," Rachel wrote. "Because when I moved to Illinois I was kind of scared to move into my new house. But then I got used to it. I know you'll meet new friends."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=265248">Gallery of the letters to Sasha </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>