NEW ORLEANS - We now have a better idea what President Barack Obama will be doing in New Orleans this Thursday.
406475School leaders were burning the midnight oil at Martin Luther King Charter Elementary.
The Lower Ninth Ward school, rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the surrounding neighborhood, will be the first stop in what will be a whirlwind tour of the city for Obama.
It will be his first here since becoming president.
Students and faculty are already busy preparing for the visit.
"Very excited, from every grade level all the way up. We've been just elated that he's coming and he chose our school," said MLK administrator Ora Wiley.
Wiley said the president is expected to have a conversation with students about their recovery and what still needs to be done.
"They look at themselves as ambassadors to make those differences and taking that stand in terms of what we want for our future," said Wiley.
From the King School, the president is expected to travel to the University of New Orleans.
1350 people are expected to pack UNO's Recreation and Fitness Center for a town hall meeting.
"The theme of the town hall meeting is about south Louisiana recovery, primarily the New Orleans recovery," said Mike Rivault, UNO's chief marketing officer and the school's liaison with the White House. "Where we stand. From everything we've seen, the president is looking to get feedback from the population of the area on how things are going and where do we go from here."
UNO officials say the White House picked the university because it's one of the schools hard hit by Katrina, now finally on the mend.
"Like all the universities in the New Orleans area, it's been a tough four years for some of us," said UNO Vice Chancellor Rachel Kincaid. "Some of us have faired better than others, but we've had a difficult four years."
Some local leaders like Congressman Steve Scalise, R-LA, are still urging the president to extend his stay in New Orleans.
"I think they're a lot more issues than just sitting in a school gymnasium and listening to people talk about their problems," said Scalise.
Scalise and others are also asking President Obama to visit the city's outfall canals.
They need his help getting the money for the so-called "Pump to the River" option.
"The Army Corps in their own documents said that the best project for New Orleans is to put a pumping station out at the lake and to send water to the Mississippi River," said Lisa Ludwig of the non-profit Pump to the River organization.
The president's town hall meeting is open to the public, but space is limited.
To register, . Registration through the web site will be available until 10 a.m. Tuesday.
