2 School Renaming Committees Appointed By Loudoun School Board

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The process to consider renamings of two Loudoun County schools is continuing, as the school board appointed renaming committees Tuesday.

After the previous Loudoun County School Board did not take up the two school renamings before their terms ended, the new board voted in June to consider nine school renamings. The first two schools being considered for renaming are Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School in Leesburg and Mercer Middle School in Aldie. Frances Hazel Reid refers to a United Daughters of the Confederacy member, while Mercer is tied to a slaveowner affiliated with the American Colonization Society.

The first step was setting up committees to propose new names for a school. The renaming committees may also submit the current school name as the preferred recommendation or alternative.

Ashburn District representative Deana Griffiths questioned the public support for renaming the schools. She pointed to families needing to fundraise to cover costs like band and sports.

"Why do we have a town hall? For the people of Loudoun County that were not able to attend the Francis Hazel Reid town hall, mostly everyone did not want to waste money on renaming the school," Griffiths said. "The fact that we are continuing this committee process is a little absurd."

Chair Melinda Mansfield said the town halls were intended to gather more information, and that the school board had already voted to move forward with the school renaming process.

Broad Run District representative Linda Deans said the committee should have a say in the process.

"We talk about the students' mental health coming out of COVID, and we talk about the students' mental health with using cell phones. I think there are some studies that tell us that it impacts students' mental health to attend a building or participate in a building where the name is not commensurate with their values. So I am saying that I believe so should go forward with the committee and let the committee play it out, not that we should stop it before the committee plays out the process."

Leesburg District representative Lauren Shernoff had pushed for the extra town hall after some community members didn't get to attend the previous one. Shernoff said the town hall was "well attended" and led her to find a committee appointee.

"I think it was very beneficial not just for the community but for us who will ultimately make the decision on each individual building," said Shernoff.

The school board voted to appoint the committee with all but Griffiths in support. The Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School renaming committee will first meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 17 and 6 p.m. on Nov. 14 at Smart’s Mill Middle School. The Mercer Middle School renaming committee will first meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 24 and 6 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the middle school. Meetings are open to the public.

The recommended Francis Hazel Reid Elementary School committee is:

• Nikole Mullen (administrator)
• Lori Munno (staff)
• Heather Salberg (staff)
• Don Chudzik (parent/guardian of Francis Hazel Reid Elementary student)
• Danielle Grandison (parent/guardian of Francis Hazel Reid Elementary student)
• Alicia McFadden (parent/guardian of Francis Hazel Reid Elementary student)
• Victoria Rashid (parent/guardian of Francis Hazel Reid Elementary student)
• Lindsey Rodrigue (parent/guardian of Francis Hazel Reid Elementary student)
• Neil Steinberg, (Leesburg vice mayor)
• Latoya Morris (MSAAC member)
• Jeffrey Vique (MSAAC member)
• Larry Branch (Black History Committee - Friends of Thomas Balch Library Member)
• Algonkian District representative April Chandler’s nominee: Stephanie Bland
• Broad Run District representative Linda Deans’s nominee: Ben Johnson
• At-large representative Anne Donohue’s nominee: Michelle Thomas
• Ashburn District representative Deana Griffith’s nominee: Michael Rivera
• Sterling District/Vice Chair Arben Istrefi’s nominee: Michele Burton
• Catoctin District representative Kari LaBell’s nominee: Jessica LeBlanc
• Dulles District/Chair Mansfield’s nominee: Larry Roeder
• Little River District representative Sumera Rashid’s nominee: Mary Katherine Beynette
• Leesburg District representative Lauren Shernoff’s nominee: Stacey Frederick

The recommended Mercer Middle School committee is:

• Scott Lewis (administrator)
• Harold Claros (staff)
• Richard Dinetz (staff)
• Glenn Edwards (parent/guardian of Mercer Middle School student)
• Deb Goswami (parent/guardian of Mercer Middle School student)
• Alison Porter (parent/guardian of Mercer Middle School student)
• Jess Daniels, Arcola Elementary School (parent/guardian from Mercer Middle School feeder schools)
• Jenny Allworth, Goshen Post Elementary School (parent/guardian from Mercer Middle School feeder schools)
• Tina Sullivan, Liberty Elementary School (parent/guardian from Mercer Middle School feeder schools)
• Melinda McClellan, Pinebrook Elementary School (parent/guardian from Mercer Middle School feeder schools)
• Hannah Edwards (Mercer Middle School student)
• Jack Thiessen (Mercer Middle School student)
• Ravinder Reddy Chama (Mercer Middle School attendance zone)
• Tammy Jones (MSAAC member)
• Larry Branch (Black History Committee - Friends of Thomas Balch Library Member)
• Algonkian District representative April Chandler’s nominee: Meredith Ray
• Broad Run District representative Linda Deans’s nominee: Ben Johnson
• At-large representative Anne Donohue’s nominee: Michelle Thomas
• Ashburn District representative Deana Griffith’s nominee: Victoria Spiotto
• Sterling District/Vice Chair Arben Istrefi’s nominee: Michele Burton
• Catoctin District representative Kari LaBell’s nominee: Joe Becek
• Dulles District/Chair Mansfield’s nominee: Alexandra Fernandez
• Little River District representative Sumera Rashid’s nominee: Kim Campbell
• Leesburg District representative Lauren Shernoff’s nominee: Zania Brown