Kzoo Central supporters rally for Obama

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - Kalamazoo Central High School students are trying to woo President Barack Obama to town as the commencement speaker.

Supporters held a rally Wednesday at the corner of Main Street and Drake Road to raise awareness of the school's campaign, 'Vote Kalamazoo.'

"This (rally) is our last big push with a little over 24 hours to go," Kalamazoo Central senior Machlin Fink said.

Obama will come to the high school that receives the most votes online. K-Central is one of six finalists in the country. Each school submitted a video and written submission.

"It's a good way of supporting a Michigan high school in general, but then also having the president at the graduation is a huge way of motivating like, our whole school and hopefully, all of Kalamazoo," Central senior Bri Clements said.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. The three schools that receive the most votes will move on to the next round, and from there, Obama has the final say.

Michigan could be a key state for Obama to choose because he likely will want to boost support for the Democrats, and that means keeping the State House in Democratic control and making an effort to turn the Senate over to a Democratic majority, 24 Hour News 8 political reporter Rick Albin said.

Local politicians hope the students hard work pays off.

"We're just excited," Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell said. "I'm excited to be out here with them and trying to get everybody to vote "5" for Kalamazoo."

There is no way of knowing which school is in the lead, but students hope people will cast their ballots for Central.

"(It's) all about trying to show everyone how important they are and how important education is, and that's a great thing," Hopewell said.

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On the Web:

Vote in the Commencement Challenge

'Vote Kalamazoo' on Facebook

See the Kalamazoo video at VoteKalamazoo.com