School's singers will take airline's initial flight to native country of Obama's father

By KAY POWELL

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

 Metro Atlantans were all over Washington during the inauguration, but none drew more attention than the Ron Clark Academy singers of YouTube fame.

Their song reached Delta Air Line's ears, which has offered to fly the Atlanta academy's 26 seventh graders to Kenya, on its inaugural flight in June, said academy founder and teacher Ron Clark. President Barrack Obama's father was a native of Kenya.  While in Washington, the Academy students formed a friendship with the Boys Choir of Kenya.

In four days in the nation's capitol, 23 fifth- through seventh-grade students sang their "Dear Obama" song more than 27 times, including eight at official events. The song, featured on YouTube, has drawn fans from around the world.

"We sang the song all over the place," Clark said. "Of all the times they performed, the one that stands out is the one they performed on the mall and it was on CNN. They were surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of people. The whole audience erupted and cheered throughout."

Of the official performances, singing at the Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon and one for Georgians most impressed the students, Clark said. The most elite gathering they entertained was a gala hosted by former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.