T.C. Williams Name Changed To Alexandria City High School

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The name change was made Wednesday at T.C. Williams High School as officials and students changed the sign to Alexandria City High School. Alexandria City Public Schools officials and students gathered at the school sign to change the name and reveal the new logo.

"This is probably going to be one of the most memorable moments in our history in the city of Alexandria," said Superintendent Gregory Hutchings Jr.

The school board voted to change the name of the high school after a renaming process titled The Identity Project. The other change being made is renaming Matthew Maury Elementary School to Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School in honor of the late Alexandria educator.

The Titans, the team name associated with the high school and "Remember the Titans" movie about the 1971 state champion football team, will stay the same.

Hutchings acknowledged that T.C. Williams students had advocated for the change and sought to educate the community about the old namesake, Thomas Chambliss Williams. Principal Pete Balas added that three student groups leading the advocacy were the Black Student Union, Minority Student Achievement Network and Rename T.C. group.

Williams, the ACPS superintendent from the mid-1930s to 1963, was a supporter of segregation and sought to slow down integration efforts in Alexandria. T.C. Williams High School opened in 1965 and today has students representing over 80 home countries and speaking over 60 languages. ACPS has a whole has a student body representing 119 countries.

"We embrace our diversity, we are proud of our diversity, and we realized that that name Thomas Chambliss Williams did not deserve to be honored on our only high school in the City of Alexandria," said Hutchings.

School Board Vice Chair Veronica Nolan said the school board was unified in its support for the name change, and no one from the community lobbied to keep the name T.C. Williams.

"Systemic racism is something that was created with purpose and with resources attached to it, and the staff at T.C. Williams fights it every single day," said Nolan. "While this is a momentous occasion, I also want it to be a somber one as well of reflection that the work is not done with this name change."

ACPS held a contest to determine the new logo for Alexandria City High School. Two students were chosen as winners — one for a refreshed Titan helmet and one for intertwined "A" and "C" letters.

The name changes for both schools will be official as of July 1 ahead of the new academic year.