Ron McNair Elementary?
A perennial Guilford school board gadfly, Joe Stafford, continues his crusade to name new schools for people and not places or compass points this week.
Stafford's latest effort is to name an elementary school for Ron McNair, the astronaut and N.C. A&T graduate who died in the Challenger space shuttle disaster.
A plus for that idea: McNair certainly exemplified qualities students should aspire to: scholarship, courage, determination, mastery of math and science.
A minus: McNair already has a building named for him at A&T.
The new school, in the Reedy Fork development off U.S. 29 North, is sited on land donated by the Starmount Co. Starmount and the school project team want to name it ... Reedy Fork.
Stafford and others plan to lobby for the McNair name at Thursday's school board meeting, Stafford said by phone Monday night.
Stafford also said he has not given up on having a high school named for legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow. His attempt to christen the new Northern High School for Murrow, a Guilford County native, was rebuffed.
There'll be another high school, Stafford said. He'll try again.
Comments (14)
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When I was growing up, almost everybody wanted to be an astronaut. How cool would it be for kids to attend a school named after an astronaut?
What's a Reedy Fork? Is it like a SPORK (Spoon-Fork)? Of course, it's better than PES157 (Public Elementary School 157).
Posted on May 22, 2007 9:37 AM
Naming schools for prominent people is okay, I suppose. I attended Archer Elementary, Allen Junior High and Smith Senior High -- and never heard a single word about any of those people or why the schools were named for them.
I know that many colleges name their buildings after major donors, which doesn't sound quite so noble. I think it'd be cool to name these schools after truly recognizable people -- McNair and Murrow would both fit that bill. I can't figure out what the problem might be.
Posted on May 22, 2007 4:00 PM
I feel there have been many historical and admirable people from out area worthy of being honored by having an institution named after them.
Ronald McNair is certainly one of them, and I'd be proud for our community to honor him in such a way.
Posted on May 22, 2007 4:19 PM
It kind makes you wonder the real reasons for not wanting the school to be named after Ron McNair
Posted on May 24, 2007 9:42 AM
Or Murrow.
Posted on May 24, 2007 11:14 AM
I don't think there's a real reason. I think Guilford County has, due to some wierd fluke, thousands of individuals who think that geographical names like Western or Reedy Fork are the ne plus ultra of school nomenclature. I think it's nothing personal against McNair or Murrow (in the way that it might be for Skip Alston High or Billy Yow Middle), but a rather more disturbing desire for the generic.
Posted on May 25, 2007 2:27 AM
The board did indeed vote for the McNair name Thursday night, 7-3. I'm not sure, however, why Deena Hayes abstained. She can be quite a puzzle.
Posted on May 25, 2007 5:53 AM
Allen, Deena Hayes argued AGAINST naming the school for Dr. McNair. What's up with that???
Hayes exhibits some really twisted and bizarre logic sometimes in her race-baiting behavior.
Posted on May 25, 2007 10:37 AM
Based on what I read in today's paper, that confuses me, Jaycee. I have no idea where she's coming from. But I'll try to find out.
Posted on May 25, 2007 10:43 AM
I'm thinking that if the majority were against it, she'd argue for it. If the majority were for it, she'd argue against it.
Seems she's cutting off her nose to spite her face, as we used to say.
Posted on May 25, 2007 11:50 AM
Deena's rationale went something like this - she was afraid that the students in that school would not fully appreciate or respect the name. After all, the school will be primarily white and whites aren't capable of truly appreciating the accomplishments of black people. She also said that we have to view all of this in a multicultural way (her new favorite term) and racism is always present.
Did it make sense - no. But she got to use her new term several times and she got to tell us all again how prevalent racism is and how bad white folks are.
Posted on May 25, 2007 11:53 AM
Allen,
I thought naming a school after Dr. Ronald McNair was a nice tribute and would get us away from the directional centric school names that pervade Guilford County. However, after last night’s I don’t know what to call it by Ms. Hayes, I am ready for ESE, NNW and WWS as school names. Please look into this as I am at a loss to understand exactly what Ms Hayes’ gripe was. The school wasn’t “black” enough? White kids and parents wouldn’t respect the name (not true of this poster)? Let me know I am curious.
Biotekboy
Posted on May 25, 2007 4:14 PM
Allen,
Once again Deena has proved that she is totally out of her mind. She is completely "outrageous" with her remarks.
The News and Record and your defense of her is also dumbfounding.
This person should not be involved with the Education of our children!
Check out FOX news (who did make an issue of it) here:
http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3306736&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1
Posted on May 25, 2007 11:16 PM
I'll check out the WGHP report. My understanding, after a conversation with reporter Jennifer Fernandez, who covered the meeting, is that Hayes questioned the sincerity of the naming.
Hayes sees the move as tokenistic. I'll take the name all the same, though.
Some people (actually a lot) opposed the MLK holiday.
But the honor was justified nonetheless, even though a number of us neither pay tribute to King on that day nor appreciate his legacy.
Posted on May 27, 2007 12:15 AM