Union City Middle School Gets New Name This Week

UNION CITY, CA- On Friday, December 18, 2015 at 1:00 p.m., Alvarado Middle School will officially transition to its new name of Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School in honor of historic labor leaders and Filipino-Americans, Larry Itliong and Phillip Vera Cruz.

The New Haven Unified School District will have the distinction of being the first district in the country to recognize the efforts and contributions of Filipino-Americans by naming a school in their honor. This historic change highlights the work of the labor movement and the spirit of the United Farm Workers. It is momentous in that the district’s other middle school is named in honor of Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez, Larry Itliong, and Phillip Vera Cruz, together, worked in collaboration to radically change this country’s labor policies.

The dedication ceremony will be held in the school’s gymnasium at 31604 Alvarado Boulevard, starting at 1:00 pm. The program will include performances from the school’s Ballet Folklórico dance group, band and choir, Alvarado Elementary School’s Anak Ng Bayan dance group, and speakers Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) and members of the Itliong and Vera Cruz families.

In anticipation of a large community turn out, off-site parking has been arranged in the lot of St. Anne’s Church located at 32223 Cabello St. A shuttle will transport community members between the parking lot and the school site starting at 12:15 pm with the final shuttle to the ceremony leaving the lot at 1:05 pm. Shuttles will also be transporting attendees back to the lot after the ceremony.

The ceremony will also be broadcast live, on-line at go.mynhusd.org/icvmsceremony The community will be invited to a small celebration after the ceremony in the school’s Multipurpose Room. The site does ask that community members not arrive on site in anticipation of the ceremony before 12:15 pm as school will still be in session.

Announcement submitted by New Haven Unified School District

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