Six third and fourth grades from Our Lady Queen of Angels in East Harlem, N.Y. will be presenting their projects in recycling and conservation to Pope Francis tomorrow as part of his first, historic visit to the United States.

The students will bond with the pope through their projects that promote ecological awareness. Pope Francis is passionate about environmental awareness and paying attention to human influence on climate change, the subject of his latest encyclical.

The 74 sat down with the six lucky students to find out how they're preparing for the big opportunity and what they're planning on saying to one of the country's most anticipated visitors.

"'Pope Francis likes taking care of the environment...We're showing him we follow his footsteps,' said 9-year-old Ngueubou Kamwa" to The 74.

The six students have been prepared for their visit thanks to help from Principal Joanne Walsh and the students' respective parents, who are equally excited for their child's opportunity.

"'Not many people are able to see the pope because they need a ticket, while us 6 won the lottery,' said 8-year-old Aaron Diaz" during the interview.

In a video posted by The 74, the students also expressed excitement for not only getting to share their work with the pope, but also for getting the opportunity to get to know him a little better.

A big question about him that is on their minds? Whether or not he likes ice cream, with most speculating his favorite flavor is vanilla.

They also offered some advice for their guest on what to do during his brief visit in NYC.

Ngueubou thinks the pope should make the trip down to Times Square and get his picture drawn, which she says will let him remember the experience forever.

Other recommendations from the excited group of students include checking out Central Park, taking the subway and enjoying some of the local food (pizza and Five Guys, specifically.)

Read the full story here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

09/24/2015