Witchcraft Heights Name Change Decision Put on Hold

A proposal to rename after former City Councilor Leonard O'Leary remains on hold until the School Committee can review the district's policy on school naming.

On Monday, about 20 or so community members addressed a subcommittee of the school board to speak on behalf or against , which was raised by School Committee member James Fleming. 

Fleming said his proposal to rename the Witchcraft Heights Elementary as the Leonard F. O'Leary Elementary School is an appropriate way to honor O'Leary's commitment to education.

Several friends and family members of O'Leary, who served on City Council for 25 years and died in 2007, spoke in favor of changing the name.

But a number of parents and teachers from the school said changing the name could be costly and hurt the school's sense of pride in the name.

"This is our identity," Witchcraft Heights teacher Susan Raynes said. "This is where we come every day. To just change the name would be very upsetting."

School Committee member Nate Bryant said he has received "quite a few phone calls," about the name change proposal, "all who asked that we do not rename the school."

Bryant, whose two daughters attended Witchcraft Heights, said he is personally opposed to renaming the school.

Bryant suggested that ballfields or a portion of the school could be named for O'Leary. 

Another compromise idea proposed by supporters of the name change is to call the school the Leonard O'Leary School at Witchcraft Heights.

Because district policy does not specifically address renaming schools, the committee decided to take the matter before the policy subcommittee at its next meeting.