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OXNARD : 1st Roll Is Called at Cesar Chavez School

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Thursday was Juanita Elementary School’s first day with a new name--Cesar Chavez Elementary School--and while most people greeted the change favorably, students there said it would take some adjustment.

The decision to change the name came Wednesday night after members of the Oxnard Elementary School District board heard from neighbors of the La Colonia-area school.

Proponents of the change cited Chavez’s devotion to the La Colonia neighborhood and his connections to Juanita School. Chavez, who fought for the rights of migrant farm workers, spoke in the school’s auditorium on a number of occasions, and the school’s principal said there are some who believe that Chavez may even have attended the school.

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Some in the community felt that Chavez’s name should adorn a new school, not replace the name of an existing one, according to board member Mary Barreto. But the board could not oblige them because the next new school had already been named, she said. Besides, she said, the name seemed appropriate for this school because of Chavez’s history there.

The board also voted Wednesday to allot $10,000 toward a memorial for Chavez. The money would be used to match community contributions.

At the school Thursday, Principal Anthony Zubia said it would take the children time to adjust. “Right now, all their shirts and pencils and book covers say Juanita School,” Zubia said.

“They have developed a pride in themselves and their school, and right now they are a little confused. But I tell them: ‘The name is different. The colors are different. But our people are the same. Don’t judge us by our book covers.’ ”

Some students, such as fifth-grader Rafael Palazuelos, said they didn’t like the name because it “doesn’t sound good” and is “too long.”

But Griselda Barreto, whose mother and sister work in the fields picking strawberries, understood the significance of the name. When asked why she supported the name, the third-grader responded: “Because he fought for us.”

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