School Board Approves New Names For T.C. Williams, Maury Schools

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Two Alexandria public schools will have new names in the next school year after a Thursday vote by the school board.

The Alexandria School Board voted to approve Alexandria City High School as the new name for T.C. Williams High School and Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School as the new name for Matthew Maury Elementary School. The new names will take effect on July 1, 2021.

"Our community came together for this historic decision to remove the long-standing names of two schools and replace them with new names that reflect the anti-racist values and mission of ACPS today," said School Board Chair Meagan Alderton. "With a national spotlight on our society’s many inequities, the Board felt it was imperative to look at the morality of school names that do not fit with who we are today."

The two new names were the top choices for each school in community polls from Feb. 5 to 19. Alexandria City High School refers to its status as the city's only public high school while Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School is named for a teacher who was raised in Alexandria. Brooks is remembered not only as an educator but a businesswoman and civic leader who served the city.

The school renaming process dates back to last summer when community petitions for each school were submitted to the school board. T.C. Williams High School had been named for Thomas Chambliss Williams, the former Alexandria superintendent from the mid-1930s until 1963 who promoted the school division's resistance to desegregation efforts. Matthew Maury Elementary was named for a Confederate commander and the "Father of Modern Oceanography and Naval Meteorology" for his contributions to charting winds and ocean currents. Today, Alexandria's school district has a diverse student body, representing 145 countries and speaking 132 languages.

The school board voted in November to change the two school names, leading to the second part of the process to select new names.

Superintendent Gregory Hutchings Jr. recommended the names to the school board in March after the community polls. The other semifinalist names included Titan Community High School, Ruth Bader Ginsburg High School, Rosemont Park Elementary School and Jean Reid Elementary School.

"We are excited about the Board’s decision to adopt the names of Alexandria City High School and Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School, which are names that honor the diverse, inclusive and anti-racist community that ACPS is striving to become," Hutchings said after the vote. "Our students were vital to the renaming process, and I appreciate the purpose and enthusiasm they brought to discussions about our history and potential school names."

ACPS estimated implementing the name change at T.C. Williams High School would cost an estimated $325,000, while changing the name at Maury Elementary would be just over $5,000.

For more information about the process, visit www.acps.k12.va.us/identityproject.