You’ve probably heard the name Betty Reid Soskin by now. She was a powerhouse—a woman who lived through 104 years of American history and didn’t even start her career as a National Park Ranger until she was 85. But in the quiet, hilly suburb of El Sobrante, California, her name carries a different weight. It’s plastered on the front of a middle school.
Betty Reid Soskin Middle School isn't just a building with some lockers and a gym. It's the result of a massive, student-led upheaval. It’s a place where kids actually stood up and said, "Hey, we don't want to be associated with this guy anymore."
Most people think school renamings are just about paperwork and board meetings. Honestly, it’s usually much messier than that. This change wasn't just some top-down decree from a bored school district. It was a whole vibe shift rooted in a reckoning with the past.
The Problem with Juan Crespi
Before it was Betty Reid Soskin Middle School, the campus at 1121 Allview Avenue was known as Juan Crespi Middle School. For decades, kids just walked the halls without thinking twice about the name. Juan Crespi was an 18th-century Spanish missionary.
Then came the "What’s in a Name" project.
During the height of the pandemic, things got real. Students in the history department started digging. They didn't like what they found. Crespi wasn't just a guy in a robe exploring California; he was a key figure in the mission system that decimated Indigenous populations. We're talking forced labor, cultural erasure—the heavy stuff.
A student named Anaya Zenad was one of the vocal ones. She and her peers realized they were attending a school named after someone who participated in taking rights away from the people who lived on that land first. It felt wrong.
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Choosing a Legend
When the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) finally decided to listen, they didn't just pick a name out of a hat. There were two big contenders. One was Chochenyo Middle School, honoring the Ohlone language. The other was Betty Reid Soskin.
It’s easy to see why Betty won.
She was a local icon. She worked on the World War II home front in Richmond, CA. She saw the segregation, the "love-hate" relationship with the Rosie the Riveter myth, and the way Black history was being erased from the narrative of the war. She spent her final decades making sure those stories were told at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park.
She turned 100 on the day the school was officially dedicated in September 2021.
Talk about a birthday present.
Life Inside the School Today
Walking through the doors today, the school serves about 380 students in grades seven and eight. It’s a diverse spot—over half the student body is Hispanic, about 21% is Black, and nearly 19% is Asian.
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The motto? Building Responsible Scholars (BRS!).
If you look at the stats, the school has its challenges. Reading and math proficiency levels aren't where the district wants them to be, but that's a common story in many suburban California schools recovering from the "COVID slide." However, the culture is what makes it stand out.
They’ve got some cool stuff going on:
- Junior National Honor Society: Keeping the academic bar high.
- Career Technical Education (CTE): Students aren't just reading books; they’re exploring 18 different industries in the College & Career Readiness Labs.
- The Fab Lab: This is basically a high-tech workshop where kids can do rapid prototyping with computer-controlled machines.
- Mindfulness and STEAM: They’re trying to balance the tech with mental health.
The principal, Jason Lau, and the staff are basically trying to live up to the namesake. You can't name a school after a woman who challenged the entire United States government's version of history and then just play it safe.
Why the Name Still Matters
Names are powerful. They’re like a persistent background hum. When you name a school after a Spanish missionary, you’re saying this is the history we value. When you name it after a Black woman who fought for civil rights and worked until she was 100, you’re telling the kids that their voices and their struggles actually matter.
Betty passed away in late 2025 at the age of 104. She lived long enough to see her name on that building and to know that a group of 13-year-olds were the ones who put it there.
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There's a lot of debate right now about "cancel culture" and renaming things. People get heated. But if you talk to the families in El Sobrante, most of them feel like the change was long overdue. It wasn't about erasing history; it was about choosing which parts of history deserve a seat at the head of the class.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re a parent in the El Sobrante area or just someone interested in how local history is evolving, there are a few ways to engage with the legacy of Betty Reid Soskin Middle School.
First, check out the school's Pathways Overview. They have a massive focus on STEM and "Gateway to Technology" labs that most middle schools don't offer. If your kid is into drones, engineering, or medical technology, this is the place to be.
Second, if you want to understand why the students chose Betty, go visit the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond. It's only a few miles away. You can see the exhibits Betty helped curate and understand the "missing" stories she was so desperate to save.
Lastly, keep an eye on the WCCUSD Board of Education meetings. They are constantly looking for community input on school culture and curriculum. Since the students proved that their voices can literally change the name on the building, the bar for student activism in the district has never been higher.