Washington-Lee High School Renaming Committee Recommendation - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Washington-Lee High School Renaming Committee Recommendation December 20, 2018

Arlington School Board Direction – June 7, 2018  Approve recommendation for renaming Washington-Lee High School because Robert E. Lee’s name does not meet the with the newly- adopted APS School Naming Criteria.  Direct the Superintendent to identify members of the Washington-Lee High School Re-Naming Committee by September 2018.  Renaming Committee will be charged to work through the fall of 2018 and to submit a recommendation for a new name (and alternative) for Washington-Lee by December 2018. 2

Forming the Renaming Committee: Summer 2018 Online Application Form for the Renaming Committee:  “Arlington Public Schools is accepting applications from members of the Washington-Lee community who are interested in serving on the Renaming Committee … .. The Renaming Committee will meet weekday evenings this fall to develop a recommendation for a new name for Washington-Lee High School. If you wish to be a member of the Renaming Committee, please fill out this form.”  170 applications received  Random, double-blind lottery held to select representatives for each group  Washington-Lee Student Government Co-Presidents conducted lottery for student, parent, alumni representatives  School Board approval on September 7, 2018 3

Renaming Committee Members W-L S W- Staff Pa Parents nts * Gregg Robertson Patrice Kelly (11/29/18) Hiromi Isobe Allison Chen Jacqueline Stallworth Duane Butcher Dave Peters Civic Associations Civic Associations St Student udents * Allan Gajadhar (Cherrydale) Thornton Thomas (9) * Nikki Roy (Lyon Park) Regina Santos-Caballero (10) George Keating (Waverly Hills) * Chloe Slater (11) * James Rosen (Ballston-Va. Square) * John Holt (12) Community R Community Representativ presentatives Alum Alumni ni Melissa Perry (Arlington Civic Coalition/ Minority Affairs Wm. Moser (1952-70) (12/3/18) George Axiotis (Arlington Historical Society) Julia Crull (1971-85) Abstained Suppor Support ( (non-v on-vot oting*) ing*) * Peter Strack (1986 – 2005) Sian Madden (Facilitator) Dana Raphael (2006-18) * Presenters * Linda Erdos (Staff Liaison) 4

Committee Facilitator  Certified Professional Facilitator sought through the Mid-Atlantic Facilitators Network and the International Association of Facilitators (IAF)  11 Proposals Received  Sian Madden Selected  20 years experience in South Africa and USA  Certified Professional Facilitator (IAF)  Certified Master Gestalt OD Practitioner  Certified Systems & Constellations Coach  Completing M.S. in Organizational Development  Annapolis, Md. Resident 5

Committ Committee Pr e Process and F ocess and Feedback edback W-L Renaming • Reviewed Naming Policy Criteria Committee • Discussed options for constituent input • Solicited initial feedback to identify potential names Meetings: • Reviewed input from the “Engage” online forms (over 750 emails  Oct. 11 • Started with 57 name suggestions  Oct. 16 • Narrowed the list to 5 by consensus based on  Naming Policy Criteria  Oct. 30  APS Mission, Vision and Core Values  Members’ values  Nov. 14 • Committee members wrote rationale for each finalist name to share at final meeting  Nov. 29 • Members voted by secret ballot to select final recommendation and alternate names 6

Stakeholder Engagement  “Engage with APS” Online Form  Community Outreach  WL Alumni  “APS School Talk” Message  Staff  Families  Suggestion Box at all Committee Meetings 7

Student Engagement  With Current W-L Students:  Student announcements  WL Student meetings  Student Council Assn. (SCA)  Athletic Council  Principal’s Advisory Council  Engagement with students in class  IB Student Advisory Council  Grade Level Student Advisory Committees 8

Key Themes & Discussions  What is the charge for the committee’s work?  Grappling with the “myth” of Lee  How should the committee consider advocacy for “no name change?”  How could we reach younger graduates who are not members of the Alumni groups?  Would choosing “another Lee” represent a “name change?”  Should the committee consider the cost of the name change?  Can the committee recommend names to keep the “W-L” acronym? 9

Acknowledging Community Feedback  Changing the Name  Some proposed changes and alternatives  Some preferred W-L acronym but a different “L” (e.g., Lincoln)  Some preferred W-L but a different “Lee” (e.g., “Light-Horse Harry”)  Many wanted to keep the current name  Themes from “Engage with APS”  Many were upset with the process and vented frustration  Some worried about the impact to the school’s reputation  Many worried about cost considerations  Many worried about rewriting history  Some supported pursuit of ways to teach/confront difficult history lessons 10

Narrowing the List of Suggested Names Semi-f Semi-finalist List Semi-f Semi-finalist List inalist List inalist List Finalist List Finalist List Finalist List Finalist List  Arlington-Central  Washington-Lee  Washington-Lafayette (James) (William/Billy Lee)  Washington-Lee (Lighthorse Harry)  Washington-Lee (William/Billy)  Washington-Liberty  Washington-Liberty  Washington-Lincoln  Washington-Lincoln  Washington-Loving  Washington-Loving  Washington (Booker T.)-Loving  Washington-Tubman  Washington-Tubman  W-L (just the initials) 11

Committee Recommendation: Washington-Loving High School  Continue to honor George Washington as a founding father of our nation.  Loving v. Virginia is a very clear representation of the progress our society has made since then. o The name represents inclusion, acceptance, and the pursuit of happiness. o It represents many students at Washington-Lee High School, arguably one of the top most diverse APS schools. o It also represents the focus of the IB program which celebrates the global diversity of our world o It turns the school’s name from a negative connotation into something that is positive and part of our state’s history. Mildred a ldred and R d Rich char ard L d Loving ving  The Lovings impacted Virginia in all the Lo Lovin ving v v, Virgin Virginia ia – – 1967 1967 landmark civil right ways. rights decision of the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state laws banning interracial marriage 12

Committee Recommendation (cont’d): Washington-Loving High School  Richard Perry Loving (1933 – 1975)  Mildred Delores Loving (1929 – 2008)  Their “Principal Legacy”  Evokes the APS emphasis on equality and reminds the community of the APS Mission “to ensure all students learn and thrive.”  Their successful fight to overcome racial barriers serves as a reminder to the APS Vision “to be an inclusive community.”  Their courageous example aligns with the APS Core Values and beliefs of “equity, inclusivity and integrity.”  The nature of their struggle also speaks directly to the diverse community that APS and Washington-Lee serves.  The Loving name does not duplicate the name of any other school in our region. 13

Alternate Choice: Washington-Liberty High School  From Civil W om Civil War t r to Civil Rights; Civil Rights; Liber Liberty wa was t s the c e central t ntral theme o eme of o our c r committ mmittee’s wo ee’s work rk  Liberty denied (slavery, Civil War, Restoration, Jim Crow, segregation, tools of oppression)  Liberty sought (inalienable, civil rights ‐ free speech, voting, assembly, marriage, expression)  Explored symbols and representations of liberty (people and aspirations)  Ac Acknowledged t knowledged the d e different c erent choice ces m s made b de by W Washingt shington and Lee ( on and Lee ( principal legacies principal legacies )  George Washington chose to leave his home state to lead the Continental Army against an oppressive monarchy and served as the first leader of our new nation.  Robert E. Lee chose to leave his country (after 32 years) to lead his home state in rebellion against the United States  Affirmed firmed W Washingt shington a on and re replaced L placed Lee w ee with a h a s symbol o mbol of h hope pe  Positive symbolism is critical; replace a bastion of hate with a beacon of hope  Symmetry of George Washington ( Father of His Country ) and Lady Liberty ( Mother of Exiles , Mother of Her People ) 14