School Renaming: 11 Finalists Announced To Replace Racist Honoree

PASADENA, MD — The Board of Education on Monday announced the top 11 names to rededicate Pasadena's George Fox Middle School. With a unanimous vote on March 17, board members disavowed the school's namesake, who openly opposed equal pay for Black teachers in a court case. Fox was the superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools from 1916 to 1946.

The Vote

AACPS opened the door to name ideas on March 29. The community came up with 105 suggestions by April 12. The school system held a local vote from April 12 through April 23 to narrow the field.

Community members cast 980 votes in favor of 65 of the options. A full tally is available here.

None of the potentials collected more than half the votes, so AACPS must conduct a runoff election with the 10 most popular names, including ties. These 11 options, followed by their first-round vote counts, will be on the next ballot:

• Northeast Middle School (405)
• Stoney Creek Middle School (86)
• Green Haven Middle School (66)
• Pasadena Middle School (63)
• Havenwood Middle School (44)
• Fox Middle School (43)
• Fox Den Middle School (21)
• The Middle School (19)
• Malcom X Middle School (11)
• Sunset Middle School (11)
• Two Rivers Middle School (11)

The second round started Tuesday at 9 a.m. and ends Friday at 5 p.m. It is only open to employees of George Fox Middle School and families who have students in the Northeast High School feeder system.

AACPS emailed the electronic ballots, which require an employee or student ID number. Only one vote is allowed per ID.

The name with the most votes will go to the Board of Education in May. School officials must approve the final selection.

How We Got Here

Many of the initial submissions recognized historical figures. Other entries appealed to local roads, waterways and communities. Eight pitches reference a fox, which is the school's mascot.

Glenna Blessing, principal of George Fox Middle School, hosted a virtual meeting on April 14 to review the submissions. That discussion is posted at this link. The full list of original submissions through April 7 is available here.

Officials opened an inquiry into the school's name last July when protests against racial injustice swept the nation. A committee evaluated the pros and cons of renaming the building. The group ultimately recommended a switch, prompting the board vote.

"To have students sit in a building named for a man who championed Jim Crow and segregationist policies and structures does not align with the AACPS core value of All Means All," committee member Jamie Hurman-Cougnet told the board during the presentation.

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RELATED:

• School Renaming: 105 Ideas Suggested To Replace Racist Honoree
• School Seeks Name Ideas To Distance Itself From Racist Honoree
• School Disavows Racist Comments Of Honoree, Chooses New Name

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.