Richmond school to be named for Michelle Obama

RICHMOND - A San Francisco Bay Area school district voted Wednesday to name an elementary school after former first lady Michelle Obama.

The board of the West Contra Costa Unified School District unanimously voted to rename Wilson Elementary School in Richmond as Michelle Obama Elementary School.

The wife of President Barack Obama is known for her support of educational and child health programs.

“She is a role model for our children and we strive to serve our students with the same kind of love, advocacy, and courage that she served our country," Board President Stephanie Hernandez-Jarvis said in a statement.

The school's PTA had proposed the name change. It will be the first school in Northern California and the second in the state to be named in Michelle Obama's honor, the district said.

The other school is in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Panorama City.

Wilson Elementary was named for Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States.

The school currently is closed for reconstruction and its 430 students have been using a temporary campus in El Cerrito.

A new state-of-the-art school facility bearing Michelle Obama's name is expected to open in time for the 2020-21 school year, according to the district.