James Blair Middle School’s name came into question earlier this month after the Virginia Department of Education gave guidance suggesting the school will be considered brand-new, meaning it needed to be renamed.
Per Virginia Department of Education protocol, the Williamsburg-James City County School Board was tasked with officially renaming the new middle school on Ironbound Road. After a meeting on Sept. 7, the division released an online survey asking for input on the school’s name.
Of the 139 survey responses, 95 recommended the School Board keep the name, school spokeswoman Betsy Overkamp-Smith said. Click here for the full results of the survey.
At a meeting Tuesday, the School Board unanimously agreed the school should keep its historic name — after James Blair, a founder of the College of William & Mary.
Here is a list of the names that were passed up in favor of the majority pick: James Blair.
1.) George Washington/Williamsburg Middle School
2.) Williamsburg Middle School/Colonial Middle School
3.) Schooly McSchoolface
4.) Anne Sullivan Middle School, “to celebrate great teachers and the world they change.”
5.) Raymond Freed Middle School
6.) Schooly McSchoolface
7. ) “I’m fine with any name in the world, except naming it James Blair again.”
8.) Williamsburg Middle School
9.) Rosa Parks Middle School
10.) “A name that encompasses the overall feeling of pride and history of the area. Something like ‘Heritage Middle School’, ‘Independence Middle School’, ‘Discovery Middle School’ (after the ship) or ‘Colonial Coast Middle School’.”
11.) Pocahontas Middle School
12.) John Smith Middle School
13.) Phoenix Middle School
14.) King William Middle School
15.) “Call the building what it really is: WILLIAMSBURG MIDDLE SCHOOL.”
16.) Ironbound Middle School
17.) Colonial Middle School
18.) Dunbar Middle School
19.) Colonial Visions Middle School
20.) Mary Page Whaley, mother of Matthew Whaley.
21.) SchoolyMcSchoolFace
22.) Newtown Middle School
23.) Robert E. Lee Middle School
24.) “We should name it the Robert E. Lee Middle School, after that fine Virginian and Christian, Robert E. Lee.”
25.) “Name it for a neighborhood or a virtue (wisdom, truth, honesty, etc.).”
26.) hey demons, it’s me ya boi
27.) “Please be sure the school is named after an influential person of color.”
28.) Jefferson Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School
29.) Capt. John Smith Middle School
30.) “Alexander Hamilton deserves a school in our area because of all he did to free it from British oppression.”
31.) “I do not care what the middle school is named as long as it’s not named after a known criminal, racist, or a confederate civil war ‘hero.’”
32.) “While I would love to see greater representation of women and people of color in the names of schools and other locations, the least controversial decision would likely be a name referencing the street the school is on or some other nearby geographic feature.”
33.) “Name the school after Oprah.”
34.) Georgia O’Keeffe Middle School
35.) Central Middle School
36.) Mid-City Middle School
37.) Patriots
