WASHINGTON (MEDIA GENERAL) – Every school kid lives for a field trip – but they’re usually not this cool.
Nearly 50 second graders from Mount Vernon Community School in Alexandria, Va., took over Sen. Mark Warner’s (D-Va.) office on Monday to help decorate a 14-foot Fraser fir from Mt. Rogers Tree Farm in Whitetop, Va.
They came with wide eyes, custom ornaments, songs and colorful questions for the senator.
“You look nice,” chirped a little girl to Sen. Warner.
He thanked her for the kind words, quipping, “Nobody in my office would ever say that to me!”
With handmade ornaments featuring their faces and favorite ways of spreading holiday cheer, Warner gave students a hand placing their decorations on the tree.
When it was time to sing, every youngster belted out a math-themed holiday song to the tune of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” in Spanish. The high-energy group is full of imaginative minds sharpened by learning in their school’s half-English, half-Spanish classrooms.
“This was a particularly interesting group because it’s a bilingual group out of Mount Vernon – the kids are learning both Spanish and English,” said Warner.
Warner and the school’s principal, Peter Balas, both agree that these second graders are a glimpse at the future.
“I think it does really represent the changing face of America, so we’re excited to give our students that experience every day,” Balas said.
Warner requested another song for the group, then took questions.
They asked if he liked his job (he does), his favorite hobbies (biking) and the size of his home’s Christmas tree (smaller than his office fir).
The question that stumped Warner was about the popular, Cuban-American rapper Pitbull.
“Are you richer than Pitbull?” inquired a pint-sized fan. Warner answered that he may not be richer than Pitbull, but he’s certainly taller.
Upon further research, Google revealed that Warner is indeed taller and richer than Pitbull. Warner stands over six feet tall, towering over Pitbull’s 5’7” frame. As for the money, Sen. Warner’s net worth is reportedly in the neighborhood of $250 million, trumping Pitbull’s $50-million net worth.
After all the homemade ornaments were hung on Virginia’s official Senate tree, the kids wished Warner a “Feliz Navidad” and headed back to Mount Vernon Community School with big smiles and special holiday memories.
