Student's letter chosen for book publication

Jonah Camberg A class assignment at Chaparral Elementary School in Calabasas has become much more for fifth-grader Jonah Camberg.

The 11-year-old and his classmates were asked to write a letter to the president to be considered for the book "Kids' Letters to President Obama." Jonah's letter was one of those chosen out of thousands of entries for publication in the book.

After congratulating Obama for being the first African American president, Jonah wrote of his concern about dwindling electricity. He suggested a solution:

"My friend and I were talking and suddenly had an idea," Jonah wrote. "If you could convert wind and water into electricity, couldn't you use sound to make electricity?" he asked.

"Sound is everywhere, especially in our classroom. . . . It's like the lights at a opera or concert, operating on the music and cheers."

In a subsequent interview, Jonah said he and his friends brainstorm about life's problems "when there is nothing else to do."

Jonah told Obama in his letter that even though his parents didn't vote for him, they expected him to do his best "at being president."

"I wasn't sure what to write because I had many things that I wanted to say to President Obama, but we were only allowed to write one paragraph," Jonah said.

Deana Camberg, Jonah's mother, said she first heard about the project when Jonah's teacher, Stephanie Shipow, sent home a release form for parents to sign.

"We were already impressed by how Mrs. Shipow was able to maximize the fifthgrade state standards in a way that generated excitement and enthusiasm for her students to follow all the presidential debates and monitor election results," Camberg said.

"The letters to President Obama seemed like such a fitting conclusion to the election lesson."

Camberg said that though Jonah reads the newspapers and follows politics, "his passions are more directed towards playing basketball." She said he is also an "avid reader" who enjoys novels and biographies.

Jonah said he was "pretty excited" when he learned his letter was going to be published in the book, and he can't wait to see the finished product in the bookstore.

He added that he thinks Obama is doing a good job in office so far.

"I'm just a kid, so I don't know anything about political stuff," he said.

"This letterwriting campaign was a really fun way for kids to learn that their voices can and do make a difference, and Jonah will be able to take this experience with him moving forward to middle school and beyond," Camberg said.

The book will be available in bookstores in April.