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School Renaming Project

The School Board of the City of Richmond is currently in the process of renaming Richmond Alternative School and would like your suggestions for a new school name! Please see below for upcoming meetings and an online form to provide your suggestions!

Online Suggestion Form

An online suggestion form is open for you to submit your ideas for a new school name! Click here to visit the form and enter your ideas! The form will close on July 10, 2024.

Submit Your Ideas!

Renaming Meetings

As part of the renaming process, there will be two Renaming Conversation meetings and two School Board Public Hearings. 

At the Renaming Conversation Meetings, individuals will have 2 minutes each to share their nominations for a new name along with their rationale.

  • In-Person Meeting: Day, June 26, 2024 at 6:00pm, School Cafeteria
  • Virtual Meeting: Day, July 10, 2024 at 6:00pm, Zoom Link

At the School Board Public Hearings, individuals will have 2 minutes each to share their opinions on the top 5 names recommended by the School Renaming Committee.

  • Public Hearing 1: Wednesday, July 17, 6:00pm, School Auditorium
  • Public Hearing 2: Monday, July 29, 6:00pm, School Auditorium

The following guiding principles will be used to select a new school name:

  • School names should be relevant to Richmond, Virginia, or national history, culture, or geography.

  • School names must not discriminate and/or cause offense on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, or LGBTQ+ identity.

For more information about the requirements for renaming schools, please view School Board Policy 6-2.9.

Examples of recently chosen new school names that meet these guiding principles include:

  • Cardinal Elementary School - The cardinal is the Virginia state bird. The Renaming Team pointed out that cardinals are also found in Central and South America, where most current Greene families emigrated from.

  • Dogwood Middle School - The American Dogwood is the official state flower and tree of the Commonwealth.

  • Frances W. McClenney Elementary School - Frances Wood McClenney was the first black teacher and the first black and first female principal of Ginter Park Elementary School.

  • Henry L. Marsh Elementary School - A civil rights lawyer who fought for school desegregation, Mr. Marsh is the first African-American Mayor of the City of Richmond and a former Virginia State Senator. He also attended fifth grade at George Mason Elementary School.

  • Lois Harrison-Jones Elementary School - Dr. Harrison-Jones spent 34 years in RPS, rising from a teacher to principal to superintendent. In addition to being the first woman superintendent of Richmond Public Schools, she also has the distinction of being the first Black woman superintendent in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

  • Richmond High School for the Arts - This straightforward name was among the most popular according to polling of the Wythe and southside communities.

  • River City Middle School - Since Richmond is known as the “River City” (in honor of the James River, arguably the City’s greatest geographical attraction), the Renaming Team felt this name would help bring people together and instill pride in Richmond.

Questions

Please contact Matthew Stanley at mstanley@rvaschools.net.

Flyers

Please feel free to download and share our flyers!

First page of the PDF file: rasrenaming-1
First page of the PDF file: rasrenaming-2