The advisory committee tasked with recommending a new name for Albemarle County’s charter school will put the process on hold to conduct further research, according to a news release.
The committee initially recommended Rose Hill Community School; however, community members quickly highlighted that Rose Hill was the name of a plantation in the area. The charter school is located in the former Rose Hill Elementary School, which served only Black students before integration.
The committee met Tuesday to discuss its research so far on the Rose Hill name, including conversations with historians, members of the community, parents and staff. The charter school’s name is up for review following a merger of Murray High School and Community Public Charter School.
The committee had hoped to have a new name selected by Sept. 8. Now, they are planning to wrap up its work within the next six months. The new school’s placeholder name is Murray Community School.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, the committee emailed schools Superintendent Matt Haas to say it was putting the recommendation on hold in order to dig deeper into local history and engage more community members.
“We specifically want to hear more from the residents of our neighborhood about perhaps the most prominent and historic building in their community, and we want to hear more from our own students,” the committee wrote.
Stephanie Passman, the charter school’s head teacher and the advisory committee facilitator, said Rose Hill Community was chosen because of the historical legacy of the Rose Hill neighborhood and the building.
“By extending this process into the new school year, we believe it will be beneficial to incorporate our work into the curriculum so students can be a part of this authentic research and analysis,” Paasman said. “Our teachers are enthusiastic about sharing this opportunity with our learners.”
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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