RICHMOND — It’s official: Michelle Obama Elementary.

The West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday night to rename Wilson Elementary School after former first lady Michelle Obama, according to a news release from the school district.

The board’s vote makes the school the first in Northern California and the second in the state to hold that name. The other school is in Panorama City in Southern California.

“Naming this school after Michelle Obama is a sign of the school’s rebirth,” school board President Stephanie Hernandez-Jarvis said. “We can see the new physical structure being built, but this name change sets high expectations for the students and staff as they enter a new era for this school and this school community.

“The parents and students advocated to rename their school after Michelle Obama because they believe the values our former first lady embodies and the educational, child-centered causes she champions, are representative of what we all aspire to nurture in our school communities,” Hernandez-Jarvis continued. “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.”

The school board considered the proposal after receiving a letter from the Wilson Elementary School PTA asking that the school be renamed in honor of the former first lady. An ad hoc committee held two public meetings to gather input from parents, students and community stakeholders and unanimously voted to recommend the name change at a meeting on Jan. 23, according to the release.

“We wanted to choose someone on a global level,” Wilson PTA President Maisha Cole said. “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.”

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More than 240 schools in US are named after a Confederate leader. About half serve majority Black or nonwhite students The school serves about 430 students in kindergarten through sixth grade and is currently housed on a temporary campus in El Cerrito. Its traditional location at 42nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Richmond is being rebuilt into a state-of-the-art 21st century facility, according to the release.

The new school building is expected to open for the 2020-21 school year in August as Michelle Obama Elementary.

“We have the opportunity to have a beautiful new school named after a person who really represents our diversity and values,” Principal Claudia Velez said. “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.”