Devotion School To Become Coolidge Corner School By End Of June

BROOKLINE, MA — By now you've likely heard that Brookline's Devo School is getting a bit of a makeover in building and now in name. By June 29 the school will officially transition from the Edward Devotion School to the Coolidge Corner School. ( Read up: Brookline Will Change Name Of School Named For Slave Owner)

By the end of the month all of the websites and Devo stuff will have switched over, according to the Superintendent of Brookline Schools Andrew Bott.

"While the name of the Devotion School has now changed, the school community remains the same vibrant and inclusive community we have come to know and love," he said in a letter to the community following the Town Meeting vote Tuesday.

One thing that struck him, he said, during the back and forth at the annual meeting where elected representatives come to vote on major changes to all things Brookline was something former School Committee Chairwoman Susan Wolf Ditkoff said about how children have no choice they are required to cheer and support and take pride in a school and its name.

"We can no longer ask our students to take pride in the school's name knowing it is named for a person who held another human in bondage," he said.

Bott went on to point out that according to the town's research, "not all town residents participated in this injustice... We can and should name our schools for people of whom we are proud, and whose accomplishments and example we can ask our children to emulate," he said.

But the town is not wed to Coolidge Corner School as the final name. Between May 31 and June 26 he said there will be public meetings and discussions on the name change. On Thursday, June 6 the School Committee will discuss next steps regarding the new naming process.

Bott said during the next year, the committee and Brookline School Department will lead a community wide process to identify a permanent name. He said the process will be public complete with public hearings, and in the end the School Committee will recommend a new name to the town's naming committee, which is charged with reviewing requests for the naming of public buildings.

But, he said, final authority for naming public facilities rests with Town Meeting where he expects it will come before the elected representatives in Spring of 2019.

Although an overwhelming majority of Town Meeting Members voted for the name change, there was spirited debate. And not everyone is happy about the change. Some say it won't make a difference. Others worry Brookline is trying to erase history. Others say this is yet another example of Brookline going too far with being politically correctness.

Bott acknowledged this and asked people to be mindful of all opinions.

"Keep in mind that there is a diversity of opinion about this decision. Many people have a strong attachment to the Devotion School name, not because of what it represents historically, but because of what it means in terms of the community that they or their children grew up in, or where they spent many years as students or educators. I urge us to respect these different points of view, and understand that while many will celebrate this decision, others may grieve a loss," said Bott in the email.

Catch up here:

Brookline Will Change Name Of School Named For Slave Owner

Brookline School Was Named For Slave Owner: Time For A Change?

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Photo at the top by Jenna Fisher/Patch