US Ambassador to Cairo Margaret Scobie received yesterday five female preparatory school students who gave her a bouquet and a letter of congratulations for president elect Barak Obama for his victory in the US presidential elections held on November 4. The students said in their letter to Obama that he is their hope for the future, that they like him because has made them believe that change is possible and that they can stop war and make peace. More important than this, they say he has encouraged them to undertake serious work so that they can participate in the development of their country, Egypt. The ambassador thanked the students for their good letter and said that one of the things that Americans believe in is that America is still the land of opportunity and that a person can succeed regardless of his background as long as he or she has a good idea and works hard for it. She explained to them the story of the American elections, pointing out that the president elect has two female children in the same grade as they are. The director of their school, Weam Shabana, said to Al Masry Al Youm: “The students wrote the letter by themselves with no one's help and expressed their hope that the election of Obama will contribute to achieving world peace. The idea, though, came from the school”. She pointed out that this is not the first time that such letters have been written, as a few students did the same with former US President Bill Clinton. She added that through such ideas the school is trying to teach children the culture of peace and how to express their beliefs. She pointed out that the students who wrote the letter are five girls from the first preparatory year who are active in the students' council and write in the school's newspaper. About how the letter was written, she said that each student wrote a draft of the letter and that they met with each other to formulate the final text, in which they invited Obama to visit Egypt.
