Michelle Obama’s high school honors her achievements in the best way
Her name will be in lights at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School.
Michelle Obama’s high school, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, is naming its new athletic center in her honor, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Joyce Kenner, the school’s current principal, said that Obama was shocked when she told her the news.
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“She just had the biggest smile on her face, I think she was just shocked that we had even thought of her,” Kenner said. “Honestly, getting an opportunity to be in her presence twice. …I didn’t realize how humble she really is.”
Obama graduated from the school in 1981. She visited the school in November to talk to students and provided them with copies of chapters from her newly released autobiography.
Kenner said she plans to ask Obama to be in attendance when the complex opening is announced. She feels that Obama’s message about expanding opportunities for everyone to exercise and stay fit through her “Let’s move!” campaign will be great for not only students, but community members.
She said it has taken almost 10 years to create the $4.3 million complex and she expects for it to be ready by May. The complex was funded through tax-increment financing assistance, according to a 2017 news release from the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
The outdoor complex will have a running track and a field. Students can also play baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer and football. Other amenities include two scoreboards, a water fountain, artificial turf, seating and lights.
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Kenner believes the running track, specifically will make a difference for the students.
“Our kids have been running on the concrete for 44 years,” Kenner said. The students would run to Willis Tower and back. “Now they will have a track in which they can practice their running, their hurdling, and have contests on the field.”
She added that the high school is proud to have Obama as one of their alumni.
“When people drive by and see the sign on the field they will always remember her contribution and her husband’s contribution to our world,” Kenner said.
“Whether you believed in their views or not, I think that they went about it as sincere as they possibly could as our president and our first lady. That is what I will always remember,” she added.
