​School Removes Racist Honoree, Adopts New Name: AACPS

PASADENA, MD — The Anne Arundel County Board of Education on Wednesday approved a new name for Pasadena's George Fox Middle School. The building will now be known as Northeast Middle School.

The vote passed seven to one, the Capital Gazette reported. The name change will take effect July 1, but changes to the school's signage may not be done before then.

The school's previous honoree openly opposed equal pay for Black teachers. Fox was the superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools from 1916 to 1946.

"Our focus remains on providing our students with the best teachers who will encourage, care for, and motivate our scholars," Principal Glenna Blessing said in a press release. "Our mission is to cultivate a community of scholars who are empowered to think critically, embrace diversity, and contribute to the world beyond our doors."

Slight Challenges

Some residents wanted the school to be named after Sarah V. Jones, AACPS’ supervisor of segregated schools from 1926 to 1964. She served under Fox and Superintendent David Jenkins before schools were integrated.

Sarah V. Jones Middle School was among the 105 names originally proposed. It collected two votes in the first round and did not advance to the runoff ballot.

The Board of Education stuck with the most popular name. Members also directed Superintendent George Arlotto to create a committee to recommend "appropriate and proportional" ways to honor Jones and acknowledge the history of segregation.

School officials passed another motion telling Arlotto to review the feasibility of including AACPS history lessons in the curriculum. The units could teach about segregation, desegregation and important course cases. They may also focus on key figures like Jones and Fox.

Arlotto explained that a task force is already working on this and will continue its push.

Calls For Name Change

Officials opened an inquiry into the school's name last July when protests against racial injustice swept the nation. A committee evaluated the pros and cons of renaming the 72-year-old building. The group ultimately recommended a switch, prompting the board vote.

"To have students sit in a building named for a man who championed Jim Crow and segregationist policies and structures does not align with the AACPS core value of All Means All," committee member Jamie Hurman-Cougnet told the board during the presentation.

With a unanimous vote on March 17, board members disavowed Fox. AACPS then opened the door to name ideas on March 29.

Potential Names

The full list of original propositions through April 7 is available here. The community came up with 105 suggestions by April 12.

Many of the initial proposals recognized historical figures. Other entries appealed to local roads, waterways and communities.

Eight pitches referenced a fox, which is the school's mascot. Officials did not mention whether they would also change this.

Blessing hosted a virtual meeting on April 14 to review the submissions. That discussion is posted at this link.

First-Round Vote

The school system held a local vote from April 12 through April 23 to narrow the field. Residents cast 980 ballots in favor of 65 of the options. A full tally is available here.

None of the potentials collected more than half the votes, so AACPS conducted a runoff election with the 10 most popular names, including ties. These 11 options, followed by their first-round vote counts, advanced to the next ballot:

• Northeast Middle School (405)
• Stoney Creek Middle School (86)
• Green Haven Middle School (66)
• Pasadena Middle School (63)
• Havenwood Middle School (44)
• Fox Middle School (43)
• Fox Den Middle School (21)
• The Middle School (19)
• Malcom X Middle School (11)
• Sunset Middle School (11)
• Two Rivers Middle School (11)

Second-Round Vote

The second round started April 27 and ended last Friday. Like the first go-around, this was only open to employees of George Fox Middle School and families of students in the Northeast High School feeder system.

After locals cast 795 ballots, these were the results:

• Northeast Middle School (406)
• Stoney Creek Middle School (130)
• Green Haven Middle School (49)
• Pasadena Middle School (48)
• Fox Middle School (39)
• Havenwood Middle School (38)
• The Middle School (27)
• Fox Den Middle School (22)
• Two Rivers Middle School (16)
• Malcolm X Middle School (10)
• Sunset Middle School (10)

Blessing then presented the top pick to the Board of Education on Wednesday. Most board members obliged and approved of the choice.

"The process of renaming of our school affords us the opportunity to focus on making a difference in our present work for all members of our school community," Blessing added in the release. "Now is the time to shift our focus from the past to the present and onto the future."

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RELATED:

• School Renaming: 11 Finalists Announced To Replace Racist Honoree
• School Renaming: 105 Ideas Suggested To Replace Racist Honoree
• School Seeks Name Ideas To Distance Itself From Racist Honoree
• School Disavows Racist Comments Of Honoree, Chooses New Name

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.