PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION 2009:

Work all but stopped across the city Tuesday during the presidential inauguration as students, city workers and business people turned to TVs and computer monitors to watch the historic event.

Classes throughout the Glendale and Burbank unified school districts interrupted their normal schedules to tune in to the festivities in Washington, and city workers gathered around TV sets to catch glimpses of the ceremony.

“It was so moving,” said Glen Arnodo, staff director for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which held a viewing party and pancake breakfast in Burbank for more than 400 members of various unions.

The group crowded into a sound stage at the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees offices to watch the presidential transition unfold on a large projection screen, Arnodo said.

Many onlookers were brought to tears by the momentous broadcast, and some pulled out video cameras to record their experience of watching President Barack Obama’s inaugural address, he said.

“I don’t think any of us would have expected that we would be seeing the swearing-in of our first African American president, so it was incredible,” Arnodo said.

A Glendale High School viewing party called “Obama-rama” started with a packed classroom at 7 a.m., government teacher Stan Bartosiak said.

Bartosiak brought 10 dozen doughnuts for his classes to enjoy as they watched the inauguration and parade on a projection screen throughout the day. He dedicated his day of instruction to the developments in Washington because of the significance of the event, Bartosiak said.

“It’s a moving moment,” he said. “A man takes the oath of office, who is a man of color, at a building that was built by slaves.”

Students were captured as they watched the president give his address, which gave many of them hope about their own futures, they said.

“It encourages me to do better, like to look for opportunities and grab them, just like Obama,” said John Capistrano, a 17-year-old Filipino immigrant who was inspired by America’s choice for its leader.

The regular schedule at Glendale High was delayed to allow students to watch Obama take the oath, and TVs remained on throughout the school long after the president gave his speech.

Fourth-graders at Burbank’s McKinley Elementary School also watched the event on an elevated TV screen, rising when speakers in Washington D.C. asked the crowds at the national mall to stand, teacher Cherie Wescott said.

Wescott had written the oath of office on a whiteboard in the room, and students aptly pointed out when Chief Justice John Roberts incorrectly prompted Obama, with the president then pausing to allow Roberts to repeat the line, Wescott said.

Residents at PATH Achieve, Glendale’s homeless shelter, also got an opportunity to enjoy the broadcast.

The shelter, which is typically open overnight from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., extended its hours to give residents a chance to see the inauguration, Executive Director Natalie Komuro said.

“It’s something that all of us has been waiting for,” said Damond Rose, a resident at PATH Achieve Glendale.

One of Obama’s messages, about treating others as equals, regardless of race, gender or religion, was especially touching, said Rose, who is black.

Homeless people are often overlooked in society, so Rose hoped the words would inspire Americans to change their perspectives, he said.

The day held special meaning for Glendale High teacher Nathaniel Aluyi, a Nigerian immigrant who continued to glance at his classroom TV screen, hours after the president’s address.

The United States had set an example to the rest of the world, especially Africa, where many countries are torn among racial and ethnic lines, Aluyi said. He hoped the transition of power would be an inspiration across the globe.

“American has shown their leadership by electing a minority as the leader of its government,” he said.

 ZAIN SHAUK covers education. He may be reached at (818) 637-3238 or by e-mail at zain.shauk@latimes.com.