President Barack Obama congratulates a student as diplomas are presented at the commencement ceremony for Booker T. Washington High School on Monday in Memphis. After the school administration implemented educational changes, the graduation rate jumped from 55 percent in 2007 to nearly 82 percent in 2010. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)By JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press
MEMPHIS – Offering a lift to a flood beleaguered city, President Barack Obama hailed the transformation of a once struggling but venerable Memphis high school Monday, telling its graduates, “You inspire me, that’s why I’m here.”
With the Mississippi River still lapping near the top of the city’s protective levees, Obama also used the trip to meet privately with families, emergency personnel and volunteers confronting the highest floodwaters in generations.
For the president, the trip was a chance to promote his education agenda while also attending to the latest natural disaster – the snow melt and rain that has sent a torrent of water down the Mississippi, topping earthworks and forcing flooding along its path.