One hundred and five names have been submitted by members of the public for consideration for a new name for George Fox Middle School. The names, which can be found here, reflect people of local, national, and international prominence, geographic regions, and area landmarks.
George Fox Middle School Principal Glenna Blessing and others will host an online meeting at 6 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14, to review the names. Additional submissions can be provided at that time and those wishing to do so can access the meeting through the link below.
Voting on a new name will be open for families of students who attend the six schools in the Northeast cluster and for staff members of George Fox Middle School from 9 a.m. on Monday, April 19, 2021, through 5 p.m. on Friday, April 23, 2021. One vote will be allowed per student or employee ID number, and that number will be required to access a ballot. Voting will be conducted electronically.
Should no name receive more than 50 percent of the vote, the ballot will be narrowed to the top 10 vote-getters (plus ties) or all names receiving votes, whichever is fewer. A second vote of the same eligible voters will then be conducted, with the name receiving the highest percentage of votes being forwarded to the Board of Education.
Wednesday’s meeting can be accessed at www.aacps.org/youtube. Those wishing to suggest an additional name for consideration can access the meeting here. In addition to viewing the names, those watching the meeting will be able to hear from Principal Glenna Blessing about her vision for the school moving forward.
The Board is scheduled to consider the naming recommendation in May.
Acting on a recommendation from a diverse committee of community members, parents, historians, and school system officials, the Board on March 17 unanimously voted to rename the school, which has borne the name of Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ first superintendent since it opened in 1949.
The vote came shortly after members of George Fox Middle School Historical Renaming Evaluation Committee delivered their report to the Board, which voted last July to form the panel following a discussion of comments attributed to Fox during a court case regarding equal pay for African-American teachers, something Fox opposed. Fox served as the superintendent from 1916 to 1946.