HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- The reconsolidated school of Henry Clay and John Gandy Elementary is one step closer to getting a new name.
A school board-appointed committee met on Wednesday night to come up with a name to present to the board. The move comes after the school board decided to appoint a committee to present them with a new possible name for the school.
The board said the reconsolidated school can't be named Gandy because of a school policy in Hanover that says that unnamed facilities can't be named after a person.
The new school is being built on the site of Gandy Elementary. Gandy was named for John M. Gandy, the son of slaves who rose to become the third president of Virginia State University.
Each member discussed overarching themes and common names after reviewing surveys that were administered to community members. They said by a landslide, the name John M. Gandy got the most votes.
However, committee members agreed they needed to follow instructions to come up with another name based on the policy. The next most popular names from the community were Berkleytown Elementary and Ashland Elementary.
Most of the committee ultimately were in favor of Berkleytown Elementary, named after a part of town in Ashland historically known to be home to rich African American influence and history.
"I would like to preserve the historical name and the historical context of the area. We're erasing history if we don't tie it somehow to Gandy," the committee chair said.
While two of the seven committee members preferred Ashland Elementary, they read comments in support from the community citing it would be a fresh start for the combined schools.
They said the era of naming schools for prominent individuals has proven to be too diverse for the school community.
The committee ultimately voted to recommend Berkleytown Elementary as the name of the consolidated school. They also plan to have their chair detail to the board that a majority of the community voted for the name Gandy to remain.
The committee also wants to convey that they want plaques inside the new school explaining the historical significance of Berkleytown, Henry Clay and Gandy. Additionally, the plan is to voice their support for renaming the district office after Gandy.
The chair of the committee will make the naming recommendation at an April 11 school board meeting.
Ultimately, the school board has the final say in the name.
