Princeton Schools Admin Recommends Names For Middle School

PRINCETON, NJ — The Princeton Public Schools administration has recommended that the new name for Princeton Unified Middle School be non-person specific.

The recommendation was made to the Board of Education at Tuesday’s meeting.

This comes after several months of activities where the district engaged students in researching possible names and ran a poll for the public.

Potential names recommended include Walnut Lane Middle School, Princeton Community Middle School, Princeton Public Middle School, Princeton Middle School, and Princeton Unified Middle School.

At the public meeting to be held on May 25, PUMS principal Jason Burr will be presenting these names to the Board for discussion and public comment.

Formerly known as the John Witherspoon Middle School, last summer, the Board of Education voted to remove John Witherspoon's name from the school due to his history of owning slaves.

At the time, the Board set a deadline of June 30, 2021, and requested that school administrators and staff engage students and the community in an educational journey to identify potential new names.

PPS administrators also recommended that the middle school:

• Highlight historical figures and local Princetonians who had been considered through the naming of hallways and/or building wings;
• Create a permanent historical exhibit in the Learning Commons, with assistance from local historian Shirley Satterfield and the Princeton Historical Society. This exhibit will highlight the contributions of Betsy Stockton and the other early history of the Witherspoon School;
• Place a marker on school grounds noting the former name of the John Witherspoon School and the work done to reexamine this name.

The Board plans to vote on a new name at the meeting on June 15.

A host of possible names for the middle school were initially suggested, including Albert Einstein, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, John Lewis.

But many students and community members were of the belief that the new name shouldn't honor a person, because the school's values are embodied by the students and staff.

“I was proud to see that our students engaged with real interest and energy in researching and advocating for different naming possibilities,” said Board of Education President Beth Behrend.

“The individuals they identified have made important contributions to our community and to the society, and they deserve to be celebrated. We want to ensure that future generations of students have the same opportunity to learn about the work of these citizens and others who make a difference.”

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