Broad Acres Elementary Switches Name to Honor Principal

From Montgomery County Public Schools:

Silver Spring students will attend a different school Wednesday – at least in name.

A name change approved Sept. 22 by the Board of Education takes effect Oct. 1, renaming Broad Acres Elementary School in honor of the school’s former principal, JoAnn “Jody” Leleck. The school’s name will officially become JoAnn Leleck Elementary School at Broad Acres on Wednesday.

A renaming event will be held during the school year.

Leleck, who died in 2012, was an educator for more than 26 years in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and administrator.

“Jody Leleck was an outstanding educator who impacted the lives of countless children through her work as an educator and a school leader,” said Phil Kauffman, president of the Montgomery County Board of Education. “I can think of no better way to honor her legacy and her life’s work.”

From 1999 to 2004, Leleck was the principal of Broad Acres Elementary School, where she led a remarkable turnaround. Under her leadership, the school was reorganized to focus on building the literacy skills of the students, 90 percent of whom were living near or below the poverty line. Leleck oversaw the implementation of early childhood education reforms, including full-day kindergarten and lower class sizes in grades 1 and 2. She also implemented efforts to extend the school day and the school week, and oversaw a highly competitive teacher recruitment process.

“JoAnn Leleck was an exceptional leader and she built an extraordinary team and culture when she was at Broad Acres Elementary School,” said Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr. “She personified high expectations both for her staff and for her students. She let everyone in the school know she believed they could achieve great things and achieve great things they did.”

“That culture lives on today and so it is fitting to honor her memory by renaming the school JoAnn Leleck Elementary School at Broad Acres,” said Starr.

More than 200 members of the Broad Acres Elementary School community signed a petition presented to the Board of Education in June asking that the school be renamed in Leleck’s honor. The resolution received unanimous support.