What’s in a name? Everything.
The School Board will consider three naming requests for Alexandria City Public Schools facilities at its meeting on Thursday night (April 3). One request is to rename Alexandria City High School’s Parker-Gray Stadium Field after Keith Burns, a 1990 graduate of the school and 13-season NFL linebacker.
The Board also received petitions and signatures to rename the Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School media center and the Early Childhood Center courtyard at John Adams Elementary School.
If approved, the Board authorization would allow Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt to start a naming process, with the submitted names included with other options. To be up for consideration, 100 signatures were collected for each submission.
Former City Council and School Board Member Willie F. Bailey supports renaming the Parker-Gray field in honor of Burns.
“Keith is one of the most giving student-athletes to ever support his city,” Bailey wrote the Board. “Throughout his pro career and even after his playing days were over, he continues to help you and the families here in the city by donating his time and financial support to those who are less fortunate.”
Burns’ contributions include:
- Starting the first-ever free NFL Camp for youth in the city
- Founding the KB Foundation, which has donated thanksgiving baskets for families, back-to-school backpacks, football cleats to the Titans football team, and more than 200 tickets for kids to attend NFL games
The Jean B. Ried Library at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School
The Board will consider starting the facilities naming process for the Naomi L. Brooks Media Center with the proposed name of the “Jean B. Reid Library.”
Reid worked for ACPS as a reading specialist for 30 years before retiring in 2001. Her name was one of the three finalists considered in the renaming of Matthew Maury Elementary School to Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School in 2021.
“Jean Reid, the reading teacher, was never without a book,” the petition to the Board says. “In fact, she always had one in her purse to read while waiting in line at the grocery store, the bank, or to vote.”
Owen’s Place — the Early Childhood Center courtyard
The Board will also consider starting a naming process for the Early Childhood Center’s courtyard. The request would be to rename the courtyard in honor of Owen Michael Wagner, son of the first ECC principal, Heidi Haggerty, who died in 2016.
According to the petition:
Owen loved listening to music, watching and attending sporting events with his father and working at his mother’s elementary school. His professional goal was to follow in his mom’s footsteps and become a teacher. Owen was dedicated to helping children. A memorial fund in Owen’s name was established to help offer opportunities for children in the Metro DC area who might otherwise not be able to afford them. Some of the funds were used to purchase equipment, furniture, and toys to create a meaninglful outdoor learning space for the students of the Early Childhood Center. The courtyard is affectionately called Owen’s Place by the ECC community and we would like to request this become its official name in loving memory of Owen Wagner and in honor of the first principal of the ECC, Heidi Haggerty.
ACPS includes the following disclaimer in its language for the Board.
“If approved by Board vote, the Superintendent will develop a timetable and plan for community engagement to consider the facility renaming request,” according to a Board memo. “The Board’s authorization to begin the process does not commit the Board to renaming the facility or using the proposed name.”
