St. Paul School Renamed After Barack and Michelle Obama

[babylonsister]

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/05/20/st-paul-school-renamed-after-obama.aspx

St. Paul School Renamed After Obama
Katie Connolly


As of last night, the school formerly known as Webster Magnet Elementary will be named Barack and Michelle Obama Service Learning Elementary. Staff and students had voted on the name change earlier this month, and last night the School Board ratified their decision in a 5-1 vote. The school is in it's first year of a service learning program and the community wanted a name change to reflect the change in direction. But it sparked a heated debate among parents about whether it was premature to name the school after a President who has been in office nary four months. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

Tom Conlon, the board's lone Republican, opposed the change. The school's history "is being taken away from them," said Conlon, who had suggested that the school name a room or part of the school after Obama, "and I think that's tragic." About a dozen community members spoke to the board about the name changing, voicing opinions ranging from calling Obama a socialist, to suggesting that the board wait until he is out of office to change the name, to saying that becoming the first African-American president is a worthy enough accomplishment to name a school after him.

One board member told the paper that the kids were inspired by Obama, and it was fitting to name the school in a manner that inspires and motivates students. After attending a school named after a convent in Italy, your Gaggler has no real feelings on the matter, except perhaps relief that none of Rod Blagojevich or Eliot Spitzer's constituents wanted to name schools after them in their first few months in office.

[Thrill]

1. How is their history being taken away from them?

[Bucky]

9. How can we ignore the contributions to our history by the late Webster G. Magnet?

Through his selfless heroism, Col Webster G. Magnet saved the lives of over 300 missionaries in the Boxer Rebellion. Now no child will ever be prompted to learn of this. Upon his retirement from the Air Force, student Webster G. Magnet became the first Greek Orthodox student to be admitted to the engineering school at Louisiana Technical College. Now no child will ever be prompted to learn of this. Then, during the Roaring 20s, Dr. Webster G. Magnet worked in the Bowery, as a brave pioneer in the discipline of social psychology to bring sanity and sobriety to uncountable dozens of "untreatable" bums and hobos. Now no child will ever be prompted to learn of this.

As an amateur "basement" inventor, Webster G. Magnet developed a mechanical improvement in the wiring on train crossing signals, allowing the red lights to blink alternately instead of in sync with each other, possibly saving thousands of lives at train crossings over the years. Now no child will ever be prompted to learn of this. As a weekend astronomer, Webster G. Magnet identified, classified, and named over 20 subplanetary objects in the solar system. Now no child will ever be prompted to learn of this. An accomplished seducer, Webster G. Magnet arranged weekend liaisons with over 500 women in the late 19th and early 20th century and sired as many as 57 bastards. Now no child will ever be prompted to learn of this.

When we lose the name of Webster G. Magnet from our history books, truly, we lose just a little bit of ourselves.

[LuckyLib]

2. Between memorials that are way over the top (Pennsylvania Flight 93) and schools

having their names changed at the drop of a hat, we are all about commodifying the very ground we walk on. And the buildings our children inhabit.
Believe me, that school has a host of issues that were more important than renaming itself.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. Yeah, they've got issues.

Like that dick on the school board.

[LisaM]

4. I agree with you. A school out here renamed itself after Todd Beamer

If my kid were in that school, I'd be pissed.

I also don't think you should name a school after someone currently in office. It's unusual to say the least, but there are going to be people attending whose parents voted for someone else.

[Captain Hilts]

5. I think it should be like stamps or the baseball Hall of Fame. Be out for 5 years.

In Washington we've had far FAR too much naming stuff after people. Living and dead.

It's a nice gesture, but just wait a few years. that's my policy for all the stuff named for politicians here.

[LisaM]

6. Remember when the grandkids on the Cosby show were named Winnie and Nelson?

Then Winnie turned out to be a total no goodnik. So much for that!

[Captain Hilts]

7. Oh, yeah. I forgot about that one! Ouch! nt

[Captain Hilts]

8. I kind of over react to stuff like this. At first I thought it was near, and I kinda still do...

but the practice of naming things after living/incumbent people has just gotten out of hand in my world: Washington,DC/Norfolk US Navy.

Is this a public or private school? Who was Webster?

Aircraft carriers are THE worst.
USS Ronald Reagan while still alive
USS GHWBush while still alive
USS Carl Vinson while still alive and not deserving
USS Jimmy Carter while still alive
USS GERALD FORD - undeserving
USS JOHN STENNIS - undeserving

FDR shares a destroyer with Eleanor, not adequate.
Churchill gets a destroyer. Okay with me.

Ronald Reagan Federal Trade Building while still alive
John Murtha Airport while still alive
Daniel Inoyue building at Walter Reed while still alive
Dwight Eisenhower Executive Office Building, formerly known as the War, State and Tresaury Building or Old Executive Office Building.
Lyndon Baines Johnson Executive Office Building, formerly known as New Executive Office Building.

Of all the above, I actually do not object to the GHWBush and Jimmy Carter as they are cases where each branch of the navy was rewarding one of its own with one of his own.

If I'm going to object to this practice I've got to do it uniformly.

[democracy1st]

10. too early to rename schools after the Pres

[SoCalDem]

11. Schools should be "named" after people who have died/ have been "off the public stage" for a decade

In a polarized political world, it's not the best idea to start naming stuff after people who are "still with us"..

Think about this:

Look at all the shit named after Poppy & Reagan..and their "papers" are still under lock & key in Texas...That was one of the first things GW did..he embargoed Reagan & his Daddy's papers..and after all this time, I bet they have been gone over with a fine-toothed comb and a vat or two of "Stink-Be-Gone"..

If we had known ..in a timely manner.. about the truth of those two, would the "Reagan Project" have been as successful?

I have no doubt that Pres. O will deserve many namesake places/buildings..but I would prefer that they wait..