Monday, April 9, 2018

Hanover County School Board to Decide Fate of School Names and Mascots – Community Says Leave Them Alone

 
 In the months since we first alerted you of the attempt by a small group of agitators to change the name of Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Hanover County, Virginia, much has transpired.

News of the possible name change spread quickly through Hanover County and the reaction by citizens was swift and decidedly AGAINST any changes.  As of this writing, the petition to change the names has 2349 signatures, and the petition to keep the names the same has almost 8,000 signatures.  You can access the petition here if you have not already signed it:

 https://www.change.org/p/keep-lee-davis-high-school-and-stonewall-jackson-middle-school-name-as-it-is

After several meetings where citizens spoke out overwhelmingly in favor of leaving the names of the schools and mascots alone, the county set up a survey to gather community feedback.

The results were overwhelming.  A clear majority of respondents said the board should keep the names of two schools named after Confederate leaders.

At its March 12 School Board meeting, the board, which has the power to change the names, was presented with the results of a survey conducted this year. A total of 76 percent of the 13,374 respondents said Stonewall Jackson Middle School and Lee-Davis High School should keep their names and mascots — the Rebels and Confederates, respectively.

Alumni of the two schools are the strongest supporters, according to the survey results, with 85 percent of Lee-Davis and Stonewall Jackson graduates saying the names shouldn’t change. Parents of students at the two schools also showed strong support, at 83 percent.

The majority of the school board members have indicated they will vote to keep the names.  “The community has spoken to us – very loud and very clear,” said John Axselle III, who represents the county’s Beaverdam District and a proponent of the names.  Only two members have come out to say they would like to see the names change.  Even so, the school board did not act to silence the agitators, but put the matter off until its April meeting, and we all know that the wishes of the majority have been often ignored.  We need to make sure that we do not take anything for granted.  The meeting is tomorrow night, Tuesday, April 10th.

CALL TO ACTION:

1)  Please take a moment to contact each and every school board member before Tuesday afternoon.Thank them for seeking community input. Ask them to respect the wishes of the community and leave the names of both schools AND the mascots as is. Request that they address the issue tomorrow night and finalize the matter once and for all to end the division and unnecessary distraction in our community and our classrooms.(See contact info below)

2)  Make plans to attend the School Board meeting tomorrow night.If you would like to sign up to speak, please contact Kate Brown @ 804-365-5402.  The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m., 200 Berkley Street, Ashland, Va 23005.  We need to pack the room in support of keeping the names.
HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD CONTACT INFO:

Susan (Sue) P. Dibble, South Anna District - Board Chair
Phone: 752-6866; e-mail: SB-sdibble@hcps.us

Roger S. Bourassa, Mechanicsville District
- Vice Chair
Phone: 559-8113; e-mail: SB-rbourassa@hcps.us

Marla G. Coleman, Henry District
Phone: 746-2650; e-mail: SB-mcoleman@hcps.us

Ola Hawkins, Ashland District
Phone: 357-3743; e-mail: SB-ohawkins@hcps.us

Norman K. Sulser, Cold Harbor District
Phone: 746-0331; e-mail: SB-nsulser@hcps.us

John F. Axselle III, Beaverdam District
Phone: 798-7782; e-mail: SB-jaxselle@hcps.us

Robert L. Hundley, Jr., Chickahominy District
Work: 550-9222
Home: 730-3415; e-mail: SB-rhundley@hcps.us
 

3 comments:

  1. FYI folks. I just found out a few days ago that on July 7, 2017 the pc snowflake team at the Washington Post accused Thomas Jefferson of raping Sally Hemmings. There’s no way I’m letting my fellow Euclidean President Jefferson go undefended on totally fictitious rape charge. So I appointed myself as Mr. Jefferson’s defending counsel.

    I’m the mathematical discoverer of the Checkers Conjecture, the notion that Thomas Jefferson derived his phrase ‘all men are created equal’ from the game of Checkers. I am also the discoverer of the mathematical joke hidden right there beside that Washington Post title of their pc hatchet job on America’s history. Here’s that extended title just so you folks know:

    “Sally Hemmings wasn’t Thomas Jefferson’s mistress. She was his property... therefore she was his wife and a white wife to boot!”

    The WP never checked out the historical info posted at their own links. Follow the article’s “four known descriptions” link and you’ll find these two quotes:

    “1847 Isaac Jefferson, former Monticello slave: ‘Sally Hemings' mother Betty was a bright mulatto woman, and Sally mighty near white....Sally was very handsome, long straight hair down her back.’"

    “One distinction accorded to Sally Hemings and to no other enslaved Monticello family was the freedom granted all of her children after the age of twenty-one.”

    The first quote proves Ms. Hemmings wasn’t a pitiful little black girl, she was nearly white.

    The second quote, combined with other known info proves Sally was the common law wife of Jefferson. He couldn’t free his common law wife Sally, that’s called D-I-V-O-R-C-E. Thomas Jefferson freed Sally’s kids because she was the only person at Monticello that he was common law married to.

    The pc geniuses provided all the evidence needed to prove that Sally Hemmings was America’s first First Lady of color. Michelle Obama now demoted to second place.

    Way to go Washington Post. You just rewrote all the USA history books and were too dumb to know it!]

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes Virginia, your holiday prayers do get answered.

    Last July Washington Post liberal extremists accused your son of raping Sally, his black minor slave.
    An attack on their hated enemy, Thomas Jefferson.
    Even their misspelling her surname with a single ‘m’ oozes out evil intent.

    Less than a year past. The truth known. Now proven true.
    Sally Hemmings wasn’t a black slave.

    Monticello slave Isaac Jefferson, "Sally Hemmings' mother Betty was a bright mulatto woman, and Sally mighty near white...”

    Jefferson’s grandson Thomas J. Randolph, “Both the Hemmings girls were light colored... "

    Her mother Betty, at minimum, 50% white ancestry.
    Sally’s father, 100 % white. Making Sally’s ancestry at least 75% white.

    No Court has the power to deny Sally the majority content of her white ancestry character.

    A legally and mathematically undeniable self-evident truth.
    And the rest of the truth will set Thomas and Sally free.

    Was Sally the property of Thomas?
    Yes, all wives were... just ask any feminist.

    Why didn’t Jefferson free Sally?
    ‘common law wife’ translated into current spelling: d-i-v-o-r-c-e.

    How did common law couples legally certify their marriage under US law?
    Free them at 21.

    Historical quote, “One distinction accorded to Sally Hemmings and to no other enslaved Monticello family was the freedom granted all of her children after the age of twenty-one.”

    All of the above means that Sally Hemmings is America’s third First Lady.
    Our very first, First Lady with black ancestry.
    A set of legally and mathematically undeniable self-evident truths.

    And so by the powers vested in me as President Jefferson’s fellow Euclidean and his defender I now pronounce Thomas and Sally a First Couple husband and wife.

    The Washington Post math roasted toasties may now kiss their own butts.

    Congratulations Virginia!! Your great Commonwealth is now even more historic.

    So break out the red, white and blue rice cakes folks ‘cuz Lady Liberty’s comin’ ‘round yer mountains full circle.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A quick, cheery major triad of clarifying notes Flaggers:

    1. You have my authorization to feature on this blog, or anywhere else, any of my comments or any portion my comments. If you think anything I’ve ever posted to you is useful in any way then go right ahead and use it in any way you see fit.

    2. That authorization includes you having the authorization to allow others to copy, share or in any way redistribute the same online content anywhere, anytime.

    3. Being a Euclidean means that I can shoot down any and all counterarguments that could possibly come up regarding my recent posts to you. No reason for me to bore you folks with every conceivable situation. You’ve got the major gist of things, the rest are minor details.

    ReplyDelete

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