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Jefferson Elementary School Renamed to Delia Bolden Elementary School

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 ​​​The South Orange & Maplewood School District Board of Education (BOE) as per Resolution 4320 [bit.ly/3bD0SJq] approved the renaming of Jefferson Elementary School to the Delia Bolden Elementary School during its meeting on Wednesday, June 29. 

Delia Bolden was the first African American woman to graduate from Columbia High School in 1912. Upon her graduation, Ms. Bolden wrote a brilliant essay that was published in the 1912 yearbook and read at her commencement [Read the full essay here:  https://www.mattersmagazine.com/post/a-voice-from-the-archives].

As part of the BOE resolution, the District will take the necessary steps, including but not limited to installing new signage and updating the District website, to reflect the new name by September 8, 2022.  The District will also consider how to memorialize the building's previous name of Jefferson Elementary School and the reasons for the name change on school grounds by June 30, 2023.

SOMSD Board President, Thair Joshua shared, “The Board of Education is excited about the new name of Delia Bolden Elementary School. Choosing Delia Bolden, who was the first African American woman to graduate from Columbia High School in 1912, is a fitting way to begin the new legacy at the school.”

The Board of Education previously adopted Resolution 4190 at its August 16, 2021 meeting directing the Superintendent or a designee to work with the students of Jefferson Elementary School to seek input from the District’s student community to propose a new name for the school to the Board of Education by June 30, 2022, so that the Board may vote on the adoption of such name to take effect commencing with the 2022-2023 school year.

The  Jefferson Elementary School community recommended to the Board of Education five names for consideration, which the Board shared with the public at its June 20, 2022 meeting and discussed further during its regularly scheduled monthly public board meeting on  June 27, 2022 meeting.  The names students presented for the Board’s consideration were:

  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
  • Erna Schneider Hoover, Mathematician & Inventor, CHS Alumnus, Class of 1944
  • Delia Bolden, First Female African-American Graduate of CHS, Class of 1912
  • Amalya Lyle Kearse,  First woman and second African American person to be appointed as a justice on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, CHS Class of 1955
  • Joetta Clark Diggs, Track & Field Athlete & Four-time Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000), CHS Class of 1980; and
  • New Legacy Elementary School was also provided as part of the attribute approach, but the students ultimately chose to name the school after a notable person  (“LEGACY” acronym: L-learned, learning, lifelong learners; E-engaged, excellence, ethical citizens; G-gifted, goal-oriented, ground-breaking; A-ambitious, accepting, achievement; C-creative, confident, cooperative; Y-yearning, youth, year-round)

As part of the initial process all teachers taught lesson plans on name stories.  In this first stage, in order to help students understand the importance and power associated with names, they created “Name Stories.”  Students listened to Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez Neal and journaled about their own names. Many students shared their name stories with their classmates.

For the second part of the process, all classes selected positive attributes that they wanted to be considered in the renaming process. Students were provided with copies of the school’s mission statement, as well as copies of SOMSD’s mission statement. They were encouraged to make connections between the mission statements and the positive attributes.  Most classes selected acronyms with the common threads among the suggestions being: Diverse/Diversity, Acceptance, Perseverance/Determination and Respect/Kindness.

Students in the 5th grade subcommittee reviewed the submissions for the Attribute Approach. They then weighted the merits and creativity of each attribute and narrowed it down and voted on their favorite submissions. Based on these submissions, the student subcommittee considered the various positive traits and attributes they reviewed in session #1 and were encouraged to consider people who exemplify those traits. When researching potential candidates for the name change, students were encouraged to look closely at the person’s achievements, personal qualities and behavior.  Achievements: Did they accomplish something important during their lifetime? Did their accomplishments make history? Did they somehow make life better for others? Personal qualities: Do they possess the qualities and attributes we value? Did they have to overcome obstacles in order to succeed? Are they inspiring to others? Behavior:  Does their behavior show that they value all kinds of people? Simply put, do their actions and beliefs show that they are a good person?

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ronald Taylor also shared, “I am extremely proud of the efforts of Principal Hutchinson, her leadership team, teachers and students for their heartfelt work. When the Board began discussing the possibility of this renaming I recommended engaging our students. Our educators and students far exceeded my high expectations. They turned this opportunity into the ultimate teachable moment.  A thoughtful real life civics experience that will impact our community for decades to come. They indeed have educated us all on not only the new namesake but four (4) other very worthy candidates. Women of distinction whose legacy we all know more about.”

Many thanks to the Jefferson school community, administrators and staff for leading this charge, culminating in a historic moment for the now Delia Bolden Elementary School and to Jefferson families for their support!  The District acknowledges the meaningful contribution of  Jefferson’s entire student body who participated in the renaming process, members of the renaming committee and the staff who helped facilitate the process.  In addition, we’d like to acknowledge the Columbia High School Alumni Archive Committee for helping to identify Ms. Bolden and several other Columbia Alumni who were considered for this honor.

[See attachments below: Photos of Delia Bolden and 1912 Newark Evening Star published article of Ms. Bolden’s commencement speech and article]

SOMSD & SOMA Shares Massive Outdoor Book Giveaway & Swap Event for PreK – 12 Students Taking Place Saturday, June 11 @ Two Locations

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The South Orange & Maplewood School District, ELA Department & SOMA Shares are proud to continue their partnership to present a massive book giveaway and swap event to the entire SOMSD school community. All PreK - 12 students/families are invited to join us for this one-day event at two locations where thousands of new and gently used children/teen books will be available to take home for your own home libraries! You can also feel free to drop off your new and gently-used children's books to share with others!

Locations:

  1. South Orange Middle School (SOMS) |  Time: 9 am - 1 pm  | Location: 70 N. Ridgewood Road, South Orange (school parking lot)
  2. St. Joseph's Catholic Church  |  Time: 10 am - 2 pm  |  Location: 767 Prospect St, Maplewood (church parking lot)

CLICK HERE:  DOWNLOAD EVENT FLYER

 

 

 

Uvalde School Tragedy: Message from Superintendent Taylor

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Good Morning South Orange & Maplewood School District Community,

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you this morning.  The senseless act of violence that occurred yesterday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX stole the lives of 19 students and I believe we all woke up this morning feeling more burdened and saddened at yet another school tragedy inflicted by gun violence.    Please know this morning resources and talking scripts were shared with our staff members so that they are able to help students process this tragedy.  In addition our school social workers and counselors are on hand to offer support to students and staff who are struggling today and will be available to offer support in the coming days.

As a District, we want to assure families that the safety and security of our students and school facilities is always our top priority. We continue to work in partnership with our Board of Education and local police departments to  improve our safety practices and protocols.  Below is a list of resources that may help aid you in how to speak and support children in the aftermath of school violence.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s School Counselor or Principal if you feel further assistance is needed. Thank you.

Dr. Ronald G. Taylor, Superintendent of Schools

SOMSD Community COVID-19 Updates (May 13, 2022)

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Hello SOMSD Community,

We continue to prioritize keeping our students in school as much as possible for a full day of in-person learning.  Based on the most recent COVID-19 Activity Level Index (CALI) Report released by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), Essex County as well as the majority of NJ, is now considered in high community transmission (orange). 

According to the NJDOH for schools that choose not to institute a universal masking policy, it is recommended that schools should strongly consider universal masking during CALI score of high (orange) – for all students and staff, especially if there is difficulty incorporating other layered prevention strategies (e.g., adequate spacing of students).  Furthermore,  the NJDOH also clarifies that – during an outbreak or a general increase in cases, schools should consult with their local health departments as to whether short-term universal masking or masking in affected classrooms should be required to control the outbreak/increase in cases.

Currently, due to several classroom outbreaks, two of our school communities, Clinton Elementary and South Mountain Elementary (big school) have been required to shift to a mandatory short-term “universal masking” indoors/buses for all staff and students. 

While the NJDOH and the local health departments strongly recommend “universal masking”  during high COVID community transmission, as a District, we are not instituting a District-wide return to mandatory “universal masking.”   This is due to the fact that the outbreaks identified by our local departments of health were contained to the respective schools and/ or classrooms and the appropriate actions have been taken.  

However, with the rise in outbreaks in our District over the past two weeks and the new information from the state, we are strongly recommending that all students/staff consider masking while indoors and on the bus.   Based on the information we’ve provided, we are leaving it at the discretion of parents/staff to determine the best decision for themselves and their families and will respect the choices made by our students and staff.

Presently, mandatory indoor masking will be required for the following cases:

  1. During large indoor gatherings including, but not limited to, large assemblies, plays, art shows, concerts, upcoming moving up ceremonies;
  2. For individuals who are returning to school after COVID-positive isolation on days 6-10 (mandatory)
  3. As recommended or required by the DOH (i.e., significant increased transmission, outbreak)

The current mitigation strategies will continue to be followed:

  • The district will maintain our cleaning and sanitization protocols in all classrooms and buildings. 
  • We will follow the recommendations from the Department of Health for ventilation and airflow in the classroom, optimize distancing (when possible), and as the weather warms up will begin the use of outdoor space if possible.

We encourage you to visit the District’s Covid-19 dashboard [https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/coviddata/] for a snapshot of weekly reported Covid cases  (as a reminder the dashboard only accounts for lab confirmed tests).  Moving forward we will also include two new fields to the Dashboard to inform the greater community of major outbreaks or school closures across the District:  

  • Temporary Return to Schoolwide “Universal Masking” – Will provide a brief summary of school buildings who have been required to shift to short-term “universal masking”  indoors/buses.
  • Temporary School Closures:  Will share update on any school that is required to close for a period of time  (and shift entirely to virtual instruction) due to rising Covid cases.

In addition, later next week we will update our current 2021-22 School Year & Covid webpage to reflect the District’s most current Covid guidelines and protocols, as well as include FAQs for common questions that we have received from our parent community.     

As always, the health and safety of everyone in our school buildings is our top priority. As such, we are closely following the recommendations of our state and local health officials.  As these recommendations change, we will adjust our health and safety protocols accordingly. It remains possible that we may need to re-implement our mask policy if the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases in our schools or community increase.

We thank you for your support and understanding. 

We understand the level of concern regarding COVID-19; and we encourage parents and students to  continue following the CDC and NJDOH promoted safeguards, such as

  • Getting vaccinated and boosted as eligible;
  • Staying home when you are sick;
  • Considering wearing a mask while in school and in public settings;
  • Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or using hand sanitizer;
  • Covering coughs and sneezes and properly disposing of tissues;
  • Limiting close contact with people who are sick and not sharing food, drinks and utensils;
  • Practicing social distancing to the greatest extent practicable; and
  • Continuing to monitor your health for symptoms. Get a laboratory PCR or Rapid test if you have symptoms, and see Testing information at:  https://bit.ly/C19Test_Vaccine

South Orange & Maplewood School District

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