Princeton Students Reflect On Possible Names For Middle School

PRINCETON, NJ — At a recently-held webinar, the students of Princeton High School came together to discuss the future name for Princeton United Middle School (PUMS).

Formerly known as John Witherspoon Middle School, the institution underwent a name change over the summer, as a reckoning on racial justice gripped the nation after the killing of George Floyd.

Read More Here: Princeton Removes John Witherspoon Name From Middle School

The Board of Education approved PUMS as a temporary name in August, and charged the district with determining a new name that aligned with the school's values by June 2021.

From the beginning, school district authorities had decided to involve students in the process of renaming the school.

The students were from social studies teacher Katie Dineen’s US History I class. They explored various possible named during the Nov. 20 webinar.

Each student advocated for his or her candidate, offering the reasoning behind their choices and discussing the history and motives for renaming the school.

Among the proposed new names were John Lewis, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, abolitionist Joseph Bloomfield, Betsey Stockton, Albert Einstein and Michelle Obama.

Panelists shared their thoughts on the significance of the names and the criteria for renaming the school. They agreed that all the possibilities were equally worthy, and that they had learned a lot about the importance of conducting original research by using multiple sources and different perspectives, instead of accepting a single-source version of an event or person.

Jason Burr, principal of PUMS, commended the students for their work and quality of discussion. "What a great example of politely experiencing a dialogue together and being able to agree, and disagree, with one another in a manner that is civil," he said.

In the process of doing this project, students said they also learned a great deal about Princeton, as most had been unaware of its segregated past. They said they were impressed by learning about its evolution to the diverse community it is today.

The PHS students' presentations will be a starting point for engaging middle school students, and eventually younger students and the community at large, in the renaming process, the school district said.

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