`DEAR MR. PRESIDENT': STUDENTS ADDRESS BUSH

CHAFFEE -- Criticism of taxes is being levied in President George Bush's direction ... this time by a Chaffee first-grader.

The first-grader is one of more than 350 students at Chaffee Elementary School who wrote letters to the president this week as part of a five-day school celebration.

"Dear Mr. President," the student printed in pencil on large rule paper. "Would you lower the taxes? I think the taxes are to (sic) high." The letter is signed simply with the name "James."

The letters are part of the school's "Hibernation Celebration," an idea of Principal J. Moore to try to take the monotony out of winter for the students.

Earlier in the week the celebration featured days for students to wear their favorite ties, clothes that clashed and beach attire.

Thursday served as Presidents' Day and students were encouraged to wear red, white and blue, and finish their letters to Bush. Today the students were asked to wear red, white and pink for Valentine's Day. A talent show is also scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

Special education teacher Judy Oliver said the letters will be sent to the White House. They are to be presented today to two people dressed up as Bush and his wife, Barbara, after a school assembly, she said. The individuals will wear masks resembling the president and first lady.

Students from kindergarten through sixth-grade took part in writing the letters.

The letters asked various questions. Numerous first-graders asked what it is like to live in the White House.

Some of the first-graders saw fit in their letters to tell the president a little about themselves. A letter with the name "Gene" on it said, "I am new here. It is fun here," before adding, "I will be rich."

Another first-grader told Bush, "I like the way you preach."

A third, written by a student named "Travis," read: "You are my best friend. My favorite game is Double Dragon III. Do you like Double Dragon III? I like to play Bert faces the space aliens."

The majority if not all of the letters written by the first-graders feature drawings. One came with what appeared to be a pencil drawing of a yellow Washington Monument above a sweep of green grass.

Andrea Acey, 8, a student in Tammy Simminger's third-grade class, said Thursday that she and her classmates wrote a letter with separate comments from each student.

"I felt great about it because it was nice to write to the president," she said. "Some schools don't get to do this."

Andrea said in her comment, "I like the government because we get to choose by voting. I like our freedom."

Sixth-grader Tonya Lynn, 11, was still busy Thursday afternoon writing her own personal letter to Bush. She said she didn't know how long the letter would be and that students in her class could write their letters any length.

Writing the letters is a good activity, said Tonya, a student in Barbara Duncan's class. The president could hear the students' ideas, she said, and maybe put some of them to use. Tonya said it's good that the students "have a say in government too, like the adults."

"No new taxes would be a good idea if ... it would work," she said.

Bush, who is running for re-election, picked up an endorsement Thursday from the second-grade class of Lana McAlister.

"We watch you on the news and hope you'll be president next year," the class wrote. The letter then added, "Tell your wife and dog we said `Hi.'"

One of McAlister's students, Amanda Cannon, 8, said of the letter: "We didn't have very many ideas, but we all tried."

At least one first-grader by the name of "Lance" appears to hold political aspirations. He wrote Bush, "I want to be a president. I want to be a good president."