New York School Renames Itself For Obama

School In Long Island Becomes Barack Obama Elementary School At Students' Behest

(CBS/AP)  A school on Long Island has been renamed Barack Obama Elementary School in honor of his historic rise to the presidency.

The move at the largely black and Hispanic school in Hempstead is among the first in what will likely be a wave of name changes around the world now that Mr. Obama has been elected president, from schools and streets to parks and mountaintops.

The prime minister of the Caribbean nation of Antigua has said he's taking measures to have the island's highest mountain peak renamed Mount Obama. In Portland, Ore., students want to rename Clark K-8 At Binnsmead school. Elsewhere on Long Island, the Clear Stream Avenue School in Valley Stream will consider a renaming resolution in December. And parents already have been naming newborns Barack.

"When I'm older I'm going to look back and say I went to Barack Obama Elementary School," said fifth-grader Teonte Jackson, who played Mr. Obama in a mock presidential debate before the election. "He had the guts to run for president and believe in himself."

The name Barack Obama Elementary School was the idea of children at the former Ludlum Elementary School, according to officials at Hempstead Union Free School District.

Mr. Obama's election was a big source of pride, and the schools walls are plastered with Obama signs. District officials believe it's the first school in the country to be named for America's first black president.

Some of the children read essays about Mr. Obama and the election at the school board meeting on Thursday night, when officials voted for the change. "That really was effective," principal Jean Bligen said Friday.

The essays were the culmination of a fifth-grade project that included a mock presidential and vice presidential debate. Just before the Nov. 4 election, the kids repeated the debate for parents and the public - followed by a mock election that Mr. Obama won by a landslide.

"After the debate, the children said, 'If Obama really is elected president, can we rename our school?"' said Joseph Laria, the district's superintendent. "It was so well done in terms of content and articulation that the school staff picked up the baton and made a presentation to the school board."

The five-member board passed the resolution unanimously: "Whereas ... the students did a wonderful job of carrying out their tasks and demonstrating their patriotism at an early age ... now be it resolved that the (board members) proudly rename the Ludlum Elementary School as the Barack Obama Elementary School."

The new name will appear on a sign in front of the building and on stationery, "hopefully before Christmas," at a cost of several thousand dollars to the district, Laria said.

The change will be formalized at a ceremony sometime in December. School officials are hoping Gov. David Paterson can attend. The state's first black governor graduated from Hempstead High School.

Hempstead is in Long Island's Nassau County, about 25 miles east of New York City.

[ImageThink]

Children need to excel and make something of themselves (and our country) by taking advantage of their education. They learn to be intelligent communicators by having discussions and voicing their opinions. Encourage our children to learn through communication not anger.

[toolmangler-2009]

I voted for Obama but I would wait to see how his presidency goes before I named anything after him. Imagine going to a school named, George Bush Elementary. Ouch!
Posted by presjfk at 09:30 AM : Nov 22, 2008



Well said and true.

[rixmix98]

Seeing Lincoln compared to this "baby killer" is sad!"

Posted by sblake63 at 10:17 AM : Nov 22, 2008



Seeing you sitting behind a computer is even sad.

[toolmangler-2009]

He won the U.S. Presidency even though he had dark colored skin in a nation that has been pock marked with racism throughout its history. If he never does another thing, and he will, this is acheivement enough.
Posted by fsw3 at 09:12 AM : Nov 22, 2008




Show me a Nation without racism and I will show you a nation of non-humans

[nursehope]

Winning the primary and election was an historic victory worthy of renaming just about anything they want to. If it makes people feel energized and proud then by all means DO IT!

[jclark7613]

Please...to all you ignorant people that are still claim he was not born in the US...give up....ok...he won and he will be all of our president for the next 8 years....at this point you are just starting to sound stupid and ignorant.

[cdfoxtrot5]

Hey, Bush already has his name on a sewage treatment center in San Francisco, I heard.


Posted by excoachken at 10:33 AM : Nov 22, 2008

LOL but consider what kind of people live in San FranFAGsco. Does their opinion really matter. Most people have a negative view of California anyway.

Posted by sblake63

The sewage plant rename for Bush wasn''t approved by the electorate. Unfortunately. But it was good for a laugh!

As for the response from sblake63, it''s unusual to see someone so openly bigoted. And I don''t know where you get your ideas from, but California is the most populous state, and attracts people from all over the world. To say no one cares what Californians think is absurd. They frequently enact laws that later are followed by the rest of the country. Bigots like you are becoming an ever-tinier minority and no-one cares what YOU think.

[differnet]

While I am tentatively pleased with Obama''s picks for his cabinet, I think it is wrong to name something for a President while he is in office (never mind has yet to take office). You don''t know what his legacy will be. You don''t know if he will be a great or bad President. Imagine if shortly after 9/11 when Bush had 85% approval if a school had named itself after him. That school would now be a laughing stock. Heck, I think it''s wrong to name things after people while they are still alive. It''s creepy and just smacks of idolization.

[excoachken]

Hey, Bush already has his name on a sewage treatment center in San Francisco, I heard.

[hotpaulie]

I wonder when Bush will get his own university?

[sblake63]

Lmao here is a posting I put in another artical. It applies here also. Also anybody ever see the south side of Chicago? It''s a vast ghetto. What has he done for them - Let me guess it was caused by opression right - Nope they just forgot how to raise their kids thats all

"It''''s insulting to even see Lincoln''''s name in the same sentence with Obama''''s. Obama hasnt even proven himself to be a citizen yet. There is a case before the high court that is demanding Obama provide a valid birth certificate to prove he was born in the USA. The only thing provided by him was a certificate of live birth which isnt even a legal document. Anybody can get a hospital to produce one.

It is suspected he was born in Kenya. The consitution says you have to be a natural born (born here) to qualify to be president. Strange this got some minor press coverage in early October and no more was heard of it, the case is still pending before the high court.

Go to www.obamacrimes.com for more info.

Seeing Lincoln compared to this "baby killer" is sad!"

[presjfk]

I voted for Obama but I would wait to see how his presidency goes before I named anything after him. Imagine going to a school named, George Bush Elementary. Ouch!

[kphx]

stick1772 ...
wtcmedic911 ...

definition of sore losers or what ???

[earache4]

That school will never be able to compete with the George W. Bush School for the Criminally Insane, they have My Pet Goat on tape, so you can pause it if something important comes up....

[earache4]

Good Lord.... He hasnt done a thing yet except have a great campain run mainly by white ex clinton people. at least let him "rule" as his press secretary said. then bow to the all mighty if he deserves it.
Posted by wtcmedic911 at 08:56 AM

YEAH!! Give him a chance to start a couple of unwinnable wars before you pay homage!!!

[wtcmedic911]

Good Lord.... He hasnt done a thing yet except have a great campain run mainly by white ex clinton people. at least let him "rule" as his press secretary said. then bow to the all mighty if he deserves it.

[earache4]

well it''s nice to see that the government gets to determine who is worthy of living.
Posted by stick1772 at 08:42 AM

You are right...I''d much rather have that decision made by insurance company executives...

[stick1772]

Here is what your savior has in store for our health care system while his kids attend the private schools.

http://www.bloomberg.com/app
s/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=amVFPFBe40Ak
n
Quote from the story: "He said the four cancer drugs provide a ``marginal benefit at quite often an extreme cost'''''''' and that the agency had to keep in mind that funds spent on the medicines could be used elsewhere to help others at a greater value. ``Those are the hidden patients, the ones who benefit from the things the NHS does spend money on,'''''''' Littlejohns said. "

well it''''s nice to see that the government gets to determine who is worthy of living.

[rixmix98]

Obama''s Use of Complete Sentences Stirs Controversy

In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.

Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama''s appearance on CBS''s 60 Minutes on Sunday witnessed the president-elect''s unorthodox verbal tic, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth.

But Mr. Obama''s decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.

According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota, some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a president who speaks English as if it were his first language.

"Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."

The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate -- we get it, stop showing off."

[earache4]

Won''t work, Crackers already tried that! Course they wanted to honor some stupid cracker called Jefferson Davis!
Posted by Irmcvet97 at 08:33 AM

LOL! Good one.