During the Montclair Board of Education meeting this week, Alexis Dickerson proposed naming Montclair’s Hillside School for President Barack Obama. Earlier this year, Mount Hebron Middle School was renamed for Montclair’s own astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Vote in our poll and tell us what you think in comments.
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You never really think about the names of the places you went as a kid changing. I went to both Mt. Hebron and Hillside and it’s been interesting and weird thinking about these places with new names. I had a more positive experience at Hillside so I’m more attached to the school, and the name is more appealing to me than Mt Hebron was, so I think I’d be a bit sadder to see the Hillside name go away.
Putting all that aside, I was very happy that Buzz Aldrin was honored as he was, and I would support renaming Hillside for Obama.
Montclair had and has schools named based on geographic location, though only Northeast, Hillside, and Watchung remain). The newest names are for local Heroes (Bullock, Aldrin).
But none of our schools are named for American political figures. If we start, forgive me if I would not begin with Obama. He’s a great man, that goes without saying. He’s a transformative figure, but naming a school after him is premature. If we do, it is only because he is the first Black President; time has not passed to assess whether or not his polices or performance will endure long enough to merit the honor.
So while I voted for him, use his story in my classes, use him as a role-model for my Black son, and even thinking about him still makes me proud, and to the edge of tears, I think of others without whom, American would not be the same- Lincoln, Washington, King, Roosevelt, etc. This is by no means minimizing his (and America’s) achievement in electing him, but without them, I’m not sure we get to Obama.
(*My cynical side thinks the Board of Ed will consider this the mollify those who feel the achievement gap hasn’t been addressed sufficiently.)
Morons! Look forward. Name the school after Corey Booker.
But make sure you spell his name right.
A Mrs Hortense Tate School is in order. She could have possibly done more for the community than Bullock. It isn’t fair to not have named the new school for both… that was a superficial interpretation of history. Another local hero and role model to name a school after is Howard VanVleck. I love the Obamas and would definitely want their names honored in town but we must also immortalized our local heros.
Lucy Stone is still waiting for her school.
Weston Elementary School has a nice ring to it
Stunningly idiotic idea.
I am not in favor. Unlike Buzz Aldrin, Pres Obama has no connection to Montclair.