ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A christening for a new middle school in the Rochester City School District took place on Thursday.

The ribbon was cut for Loretta Johnson Middle School on Genesee Street, formerly Madison High School. In February, the Board of Education voted on the new name, in honor of the longtime school administrator and elementary school teacher.

Johnson was the first woman to lead the city school district, serving as interim superintendent from 1994 to 1995. Her daughter, Camaron Johnson, was at the ribbon cutting, sharing how much her mother loved education.

“It’s just an honor of all the hard work and dedication she put in. She lived and breathed the Rochester City School District. Everywhere she went, she was educating. So this is just a lifelong dream that I wish she would have been able to be part of,” she said.

Johnson adds that outside the classroom, her mother was also a huge sports fan and always went to support her kids and grandkids at athletic events.