While two U.S. soldiers stood in Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School’s Teddy Bear Park, children began to whisper.
“The mayor’s here, the mayor’s here,” said a group of students sitting under a tree in front of the John Burroughs High School marching band.
Dave Golonski, mayor of Burbank, led the school in the Pledge of Allegiance while the soldiers held up the flag, which was followed by the national anthem performed by Burroughs’ marching band.
The band performed a small concert, and Burroughs cheerleaders led the crowd in three cheers for Theodore Roosevelt. Then the band played “Happy Birthday” for the school’s annual celebration of Roosevelt’s birthday Monday in the school’s “Teddy Bear Park.”
The school has been giving the 26th president of the United States an annual birthday party for more than 10 years.
“We learn a lot about Teddy Roosevelt,” said Connor Vaillard, 7. “I think my classroom should have more art and science, though.”
Since Connor is an avid singer, it’s no surprise that his favorite part of the ceremony was the marching band’s rendition of the national anthem.
“We did sing lots of songs,” Connor said of the events. “It was actually really fun, and the cheerleaders were really pretty, too.”
Connor, who wants to be an artist or a scientist, knows the story of the teddy bear.
The former president, known for being a conservationist, was out hunting when his hunting partners captured a bear, tied it to a tree and asked the president to shoot it. Roosevelt decided not to shoot the cub, and when the owner of a New York toy store heard the story, they made a stuffed bear and named it “Teddy’s Bear,” according to two students who gave a presentation of the story to the crowd.
“He was a Renaissance man,” said Betsy Quinn, principal of Roosevelt Elementary School. “He did such great things, including establishing national parks.”
Chris Vaste, director of Burbank Parks and Recreations Department, supplied students with coupons for $1 off hikes at Burbank’s Stough Canyon Nature Center.
The coupon is befitting of Roosevelt, said Linda Walmsley, a Roosevelt kindergarten and first-grade teacher who has been coordinating the event for 10 years.
“Teddy Roosevelt was such a believer in fitness,” Walmsley said. “It’s a chance for the kids to really apply the California state standards to learn about U.S. history and make real contributions in a meaningful way.”
Roosevelt was a sickly child, Walmsley said, and he learned to overcome that by being active.
The school’s PTA sponsored the event and paid for a bus to escort the marching band and cheerleaders from Burroughs to Roosevelt.
“It’s such a treat for them,” Quinn said. “It’s important for our students to know about the very important presidents like Lincoln, Kennedy and Washington, and Roosevelt is among them.”
