Schooly McSchoolface? Residents Vote On J.E.B. Stuart Renaming

FALLS CHURCH, VA—Community members are helping to rename Fairfax County's J.E.B. Stuart High School, and some of their suggestions have been interesting, to say the least.

This past Saturday, residents living in the Stuart boundaries voted for their preferences at a community meeting. Residents could pick their first, second and third choices from a list of about 70 names suggested at the Sept. 9 meeting.

Some of the suggestions were more serious than others. Residents could pick from presidents like Barack Obama and Dwight Eisenhower and civil rights heroes like Harriet Tubman and Malala Yousafzai.

Others seemed to take a jab at the school system's intent to rename the school. "Schooly McSchoolface," Harambe and "Triggered Snowflake" managed to rack up a few votes. Others prefer to name the school after a location, such as Crossroads, Eastern Fairfax or Seven Corners.

Most ended up picking a realistic choice, or just opted to keep the name Stuart. These were the top names:

1. Stuart/Stuart Raiders - 917 points
2. Justice Thurgood Marshall - 763 points
3. Barbara Rose Johns - 737 points
4. Peace Valley - 494 points
5. Louis Gonzaga Mendez, Jr. - 328 points

The school board decided to drop the name of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart in July. The next step in the process is the division superintendent making one or more name recommendations to the school board. This recommendation will be posted online Sept. 21, one week before it is presented to the school board (Sept. 28).

The school board will consider the proposal at an Oct. 16 work session and have a final vote Oct. 26.

Simply keeping the name "Stuart" would reduce the cost of a name change. The school board's July motion directed staff to seek private funding that could cover most of the costs. Some opponents argued that a complete name change would cost $600,000 to $900,000, while others view it is an attack on Confederate history.

The debate over removing the Confederate name has been two years in the making. Actress Julianne Moore and producer Bruce Cohen, both Stuart graduates, started a petition arguing the diverse student body should not have to attend a school named after a slaveholding Confederate general.

Stuart High School was named for the Confederate general when it opened in 1959. Some speculate the name was a pointed reaction to desegregation efforts, although it could simply be a way to honor the Confederate military leader.

See the full list of name suggestions here.

Do you prefer keeping the name Stuart or renaming the school for something else? Let us know in the comments.

Image via Fairfax County Public Schools