"Yes We Can" Students Rename School for Obama

[kpete]

Source: ABC News

"Yes We Can!" Students Rename School for Obama

November 21, 2008 1:41 PM

ABC News' Matt Jaffe Reports:

A New York elementary school has been re-named in honor of President-elect Barack Obama. Ludlum Elementary School in Long Island's Hempstead Union Free School District was re-named at a board meeting Thursday, at the request of numerous school students.

"Just to watch these kids after the board voted on what they asked them to do, they were so elated," school district superintendent Dr. Joseph Laria told ABC News. "You want to talk about "Yes we can!"? That was a lesson in democracy."

Effective immediately, Ludlum will now be known as Barack Obama Elementary School, following a decision by the board to adopt the resolution drafted by students and staff.

Before this month's election, the 5th grade class had a mock presidential debate at the school, which sits near Hofstra University, site of the third and final presidential debate between Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/11/yes-we-...

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. stories like this make me cry

[Olney Blue]

2. I know a good mascot!

[qwlauren35]

14. Premature...

It has to be the Obama family dog. They can re-do the mascot next school year.

[targetpractice]

3. And, next...

...the airports

Goodbye, Reagan National and Bush Intercontinental. It's been real.

[XemaSab]

4. Proud to put this on the greatest page

There's already a Senator Obama school in Kenya.

[jennied]

5. Wow. Incredible.

[surrealAmerican]

6. I don't exactly disagree here, but I can't help but wonder ...

... who "Ludlum" was, and why nobody was there to speak up for him. It would have been an interesting assignment for the children to research the person whose name they were erasing from their school, before making this decision.

[JohnLocke]

8. According to the AP:

Built in the 1920s, the Ludlum Elementary School was named after Dr. Charles Ludlum, a local physician who served on the school board for about 40 years.

[No Elephants]

16. The 1920's? Good move, kids!

[mopinko]

7. hope they serve pie in the cafeteria.

here you can only name schools after dead people. we had a new school open in the hood shortly after michael jordan's father was killed. they jumped on naming it jordan.
but, i do suspect there will be many things named after this man.

[Number23]

9. This is simply fantastic

Happy to Rec

[poverlay]

10. OH Hell YES! n/t

[marew]

11. Very cool! nt

[HopeHoops]

12. Renaming a school that honored another for so long isn't a bad thing

What bothers me is throwing corporate names on stadiums with little if any thought to the heritage and significance of the original name. Although that is getting amusing now that banks are failing and leaving their names behind on stadiums.

Renaming one of the dumbest airports in the country after Reagan was appropriate and I hope the sewage treatment plant in California eventually serves as a monument to Bush.

The beauty of this is that the ELEMENTARY students were the force behind the change.

[Ian David]

13. Let's just re-name everything from "Ronald Reagan" to "Barack Obama."

And everything named after a Confederate soldier.

[wordpix]

19. starting with DC National Airport - I refuse to call it "Reagan"

[Quantess]

15. And he hasn't even begun his presidency!

This could be a first.

The 5th grade mock presidential debate: I hope the students aren't giving the kid who played "McCain" a hard time.

[provis99]

17. another school renaming I'd love to see

every school in the south named Jefferson Davis or Robert E. Lee renamed for Barack Obama, a real American patriot and President.

[DoctorMyEyes]

18. Oh, the irony in this one!

Personally, I'm a little torn on this one.

Before the election I posted a photo of my family, describing my son as another big eared, bi-racial, funny named father of two adorable little black girls. Guess what his "funny name" is?

I guess I'm glad the kids are excited about our new president. But, my poor son, who like Obama, could never find a personalized pencil, mug or license plate at a souvenir shop has just lost out again.

Oh well!