Welcome to CNN student news.

As the new week begins, many people around the world are paying tribute to Nelson Mandela.He helped end the apartheid, South Africa's practice of racial segregation. He became the country's first democratically elected President. Mandela died last Thursday at 95. Our show from last Friday covered his life and legacy. Yesterday was a national day of prayer in South Africa and official memorial services are scheduled tomorrow, and several world leaders are said to attend. Mandela's memory has been honored around the globe.

Our nation has lost his greatest son.We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.

He was a huge and liable figure.

He was a man of trust, he was a compassionate person.

For the world, you know, there has been no leader like him in my lifetime.

He was remarkable and really has a good sense of humor, interest for the design, yet at the same time there was a serious side in him.

What an extraordinary and inspiring man Nelson Mandela was!

He was the person that I have been following any other person in the late twentieth century, represented the triumph of human spirit over adversity.

He did not compromise principles and he was so gracious, a gracious man. It is very few to find that combination of virtues and values principles all in one person. They were all there, one man that we all candidly love indeed Nelson Mandela.

Many around the world were greatly influenced by his selfless struggle. He touched our lives in deeply personal rays.

I am one of the commonplace millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life. My very first political action was protest against apartheid. The day he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they are gotten by their hopes not their fears.

We have asked everybody at this high level to stand please for a minute's silence in respect of the life of Nelson Mandela.

For now let us pause and give thanks.

For our first Roll Call of the week we thought we'd add little color to Roll Call festivities. We are going start with purple letters form Martins ferry high school in Martins Ferry Ohio. O Fishers in Indiana we have got the golden hocks from riverside junior high and we will round out our roll with red Devils there from central high school in Phoenix city, Alabama.

Economics indicators and the winter weather. Economies up first. The new US unemployent rate 7 percent, lowest level in five years. In November the economy added two hundred three thousand jobs. Some experts see these as good signs for the economy but there is still 11 million unemployed Americans and more than a third of them have been out of work for at least six months.