Help Malachi Finally Get Recognized for Changing the Name of His School Over 4 Years Ago
Tonight, Tuesday, October 13, the Central Unified School District Governing Board will consider an agenda item to permanently recognize Malachi Suarez for his leadership in the effort to remove James K. Polk’s name from his elementary school.
As a fourth grader, Malachi researched the school’s namesake, created educational materials and a petition, gathered community support, and spoke before the Board. He continued advocating through fifth grade and into the summer after fifth grade, until the Board acted in 2022 to rename the school Central Elementary.
Malachi’s request asks for a professionally designed and fabricated bronze bas-relief plaque, installed in a prominent and publicly visible location near Central Elementary School’s main entrance. This would preserve an important part of the school’s history and show students that research, civic participation, and persistence can create positive change.
Please email the Board today and ask them to approve permanent recognition for Malachi Suarez.
You can copy and paste this message:
To:
yeseniacarrillo@centralusd.k12.ca.us; "naindeepsingh@centralunified.org"<naindeepsingh@centralunified.org>; "nkherfan@centralusd.k12.ca.us" <nkherfan@centralusd.k12.ca.us>;"Mark Marshall" <markmarshall@centralusd.k12.ca.us>; "jsellers@centralusd.k12.ca.us" <jsellers@centralusd.k12.ca.us>; "harmansingh@centralusd.k12.ca.us" <harmansingh@centralusd.k12.ca.us>; "jsidhu@centralusd.k12.ca.us" <jsidhu@centralusd.k12.ca.us> ; "karlakirk@centralusd.k12.ca.us" <karlakirk@centralusd.k12.ca.us>
Dear Central Unified Board of Trustees,
I support the October 13 request to permanently recognize Malachi Suarez for his leadership in the effort to remove James K. Polk’s name from his elementary school.
As a fourth grader, Malachi researched the school’s namesake, created a petition, gathered community support, and spoke before the Board. He continued advocating through fifth grade and into the following summer until the Board acted in 2022.
I respectfully ask the Board to approve a professionally designed and fabricated bronze bas-relief plaque honoring Malachi Suarez, installed in a prominent and publicly visible location near Central Elementary School’s main entrance.
This recognition would preserve an important part of the school’s history and show students that research, civic participation, and persistence can create positive change.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
[Your full name]
Please send your email before tonight’s Board meeting and share this update with others who believe that representation matters.