New Brookhaven School Named for John Lewis

Decatur, GA -- The DeKalb school board voted to name Brookhaven's new elementary school after U.S. Rep. John Lewis.

The decision came during Monday night's school board meeting.

The new John Robert Lewis Elementary School will be the first public school in the nation to bear Lewis’s name.

The school will be temporarily located at 2383 North Druid Hills Road, Atlanta, in the former International Student Center. It will move into Brookhaven when the new school is completed on the Skyland Center property.

Total construction costs are estimated to be about $30 million for the 900-student facility.

In May, the school board reached an agreement with Brookhaven and the Georgia State Properties Commission to acquire 11.2 acres at Skyland Park for a new elementary school.
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The total purchase price to the district will be $7.5 million for a 900-seat, $22 million elementary school.

Lewis recently organized and led a sit-in among Congressional Democrats who were attempting to force a vote on gun legislation.

“John Lewis is an American icon who has dedicated his life to the highest ethical standards and moral principles,” said Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green. “Each day, our students, teachers, and staff will be reminded of his leadership and sacrifice and the role public education played in his achievements. Lewis Elementary School will embody Congressman Lewis’s concept of a ‘Beloved Community’.”

“Congressman Lewis’s congressional district covers a significant portion of the DeKalb County School District,” said Dr. Melvin Johnson, chair of the DeKalb County Board of Education. “That makes this a homecoming for a great American.”

Board Member Marshall Orson, who represents the area, chaired the naming committee. It included two area principals, staff, parents, students, and representatives of the Latin American Association. The committee discussed naming options and made a final recommendation to the Board.

“John Lewis has committed his life to the causes of civil rights and equal justice,” said Mr. Orson. “Every day, the students at John Robert Lewis Elementary and throughout DeKalb will be reminded that education is a path for a better life, that commitment to a cause beyond one's self is a virtue, and that the content of a person's character is the truest measure of an individual."