Branford Students Will Help Change Name of Offensively Named Landmark

BRANFORD, CT - Branford high School students will soon be given the opportunity to rename a buoy and rocks located off the coast of Branford.

Late last year, Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-Branford) called for the buoy to be renamed. Connecticut’s State Geologist responded that she and Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are eager to see the name changed, but requested a suggestion.

Kennedy told the New York Times he had been inspired to seek the name change after President Obama announced last summer that Mount McKinley would now be known as Denali, a "Native Alaskan appellation meaning “the high one” or “the great one” that has deep cultural resonance."

The process for getting the name changed is still a difficult one, the New York Times reports.

Kennedy said he has been working with Branford Public Schools through Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez to initiate an essay contest that will produce the new name for “Negro Heads” buoy and rocks.

The Branford School District views this as an opportunity for high school students to write and defend their opinion about what the rock and buoy should be named, school officials said.

“This takes a real world issue and engages students in a purposeful writing assignment,” said Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez in a statement.

“This essay contest presents us with the opportunity to take something negative and turn it into a positive, learning experience for Branford high school students,” said Kennedy in a prepared statement. “I want to thank Superintendent Hernandez for being so helpful in putting this contest together. I challenge Branford’s students to think hard and come up with a name that will make our community proud. I can’t wait to hear what our young people come up with.”

The contest will be open to all high school students who reside in Branford, including those attending regional magnet, parochial, or independent high schools.

The winning essay will be chosen by a team of Branford residents. The committee is in the process of being formed, but will include Superintendent Hernandez, Jane Bouley, the Branford Town Historian and Branford Community Foundation President Stephanie Farber.

The winning essay will be announced by the end of the academic year. The author of the winning essay will receive a $500 scholarship from the Branford Community Foundation and have their essay featured in the local media.

The essay committee and Branford Public Schools plan to announce contest details in the coming weeks.