In a victory for civil rights, the marquee for Alexandria City High School was unveiled Wednesday morning, replacing the old sign bearing the name of T.C. Williams High School.
It’s been nearly a year since the effort to change the name of Virginia’s largest high school began. The new name will go into effect July 1, as will the official renaming of Matthew Maury Elementary School to Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School.
“I think this is a great step towards equity,” rising junior Miracle Gross said. “This year more than any I learned what he really stood for and why our community is against it.”
T.C. Williams High School gained international fame for the ‘Remember The Titans‘ film, which depicted the newly integrated Alexandria football players winning the 1971 state championship by bridging racial divides. Ironically, the school itself was named after a staunch racist superintendent who spent years actively working against integrating the school system.
Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. said that the day would go down in history, and that the school mascot will remain the Titans.
“Once a Titan always a Titan,” Hutchings told the audience of students, administrators, parents and former graduates. “We are proud of our diversity and we realize that that name, Thomas Chambliss Williams, did not deserve to be honored on our only high school in the city of Alexandria.”
Wednesday was also the last day of school, and for the next three months ACPS will work to replace all of the markers with the name T.C. Williams.
“We already started to order the uniforms,” Hutchings said. “It’s going to take us some time to get through all of our marquees as well as all of the signage within the school building.”
School Board Vice Chair Veronica Nolan said that it’s also a somber day.
“Systemic racism is something that was created with purpose and with resources attached to it,” she said. “And the staff at T.C. Williams fights it every single day.”
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It’s here! The 2024 Alexandria Coffee Guide!
After being in production for the past two years, dealing with the tumultuous changes to the service industry following the COVID environment, and the bittersweet closings and openings of coffee shops, Joyful Tern Publishing has finally released the Alexandria Coffee Guide: 2024 Edition!
The guide best serves locals, transplants and tourists interested in coffee by giving them a curated set of Alexandria’s local shops, excluding such brand names like Starbucks, Dunkin’, Peets and the like. The guide is broken down into multiple regions (Old Town North/Del Ray, Crystal City, Old Town, Alexandria West End, and Eisenhower East) and catalogs the coffee shops within each region, as well as notable details about them and things to do in the surrounding area. The guide provides a concise glossary of coffee culture terms near the end, and a few articles about coffee concepts.
Thorough Testing
Sometimes mold is easy to spot, but you don’t know how deep inside your walls it has spread. It can grow in sinks, cabinets, and other places you frequent every day. If you find mold, the question remains: Do I call a professional? Thistle Environmental, LLC believes in quality, comprehensive testing.
CALL NOW: (703) 929-4036
Made in Alexandria Fall Makers’ Market
The Made in ALX Fall Makers’ Market at Port City Brewing Co. in Alexandria is set for Sunday, Sept. 24!
This is the fall’s most fun sip-and-shop, featuring craft beer from the award-winning Port City Brewing Co. along with food,
2023 Alexandria Fall Festival
Food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, magic shows and more at the 2023 Alexandria Fall Festival, an Alexandria Living event presented by The Patterson Group. Join us at River Farm on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
