California school district names elementary school after Michelle Obama

Principal says that they chose the Forever First Lady because they wanted the rename to be after a person who represented their 'diversity and values'

Michelle Obama’s name will grace the building of a second California school.

Dawn Onley

Feb 13, 2020

Michelle Obama theGrio.com — (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Glamour)

Michelle Obama’s name will grace the building of a second California school.

What began as a proposal from the PTA to the school board and grew to widespread support from parents, students and community officials, the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board in Richmond, California voted unanimously to change the name of Wilson Elementary School to Michelle Obama Elementary School, according to CNN.

The West Contra Costa school becomes the second school in California to be named after our forever FLOTUS. The first school to be named Michelle Obama Elementary is in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“We wanted to choose someone on a global level,” Wilson PTA President Maisha Cole told CNN. “With a new school and new learning environment, we want our children to think beyond Richmond, to think beyond California, and remind them that they can make a difference locally and globally.”

The school will also be rebuilt for the 2020-2021 school year.

“We have the opportunity to have a beautiful new school named after a person who really represents our diversity and values,” Principal Claudia Velez added to CNN. “Our school is diverse, modern and innovative, and the things that the kids will be doing will prepare them for a very strong and successful future in whatever career they choose.”

This has so far been a banner year for Michelle Obama.

In January, she won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for her audio recording of her bestselling memoir, Becoming. Since it was released in 2018, Becoming has sold more than 12 million units worldwide and has been published in 46 languages. The audiobook has also been on the New York Times Audio Nonfiction Best Seller List for 14 straight months since its publication, including 7 months in the #1 slot.

And she along with her husband, our forever President Barack Obama, can also add Oscar winner to their long list of accomplishments.

Last Sunday, American Factory took home the Academy Award in the category of “Best Documentary Feature” on Sunday night, besting The Edge of Democracy and For Sama. In American Factory, filmmakers Steven Bognar, Julia Eichert and Jeff Eichert followed the story of an Ohio factory that was reopened by a Chinese billionaire inside of an abandoned General Motors plant.

The Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground, produced the documentary.