CHICAGO — With his namesake center due to open in just over six months, former President Barack Obama is in Chicago this week to see how construction is coming along — plus make a few other stops to promote and preview the multimillion-dollar endeavor, including a surprise visit to a South Side school.

On Tuesday, a group of 24 students from Washington Park’s Burke Elementary School on a field trip to the Bessie Coleman branch of the Chicago Public Library in the Woodlawn neighborhood were welcomed by the former president, who entered a community room wearing a red Santa hat and a smile, according to a pool report of the visit.

“Everybody seems to be working hard,” Obama greeted the students, who were participating in a story time and coloring activity as he walked in. “I thought we were

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