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New Middle School
Mary Ellen Henderson—Not Just
Another School Name
By Nora Hemphill (February 22, 2005)
For decades, Falls Church City has been
home to three schools: Mount Daniel Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson
Elementary School, and George Mason Middle and High School. Finally,
after years of planning, George Mason Middle and High Schools will
become two independent schools, the middle school being renamed as Mary
Ellen Henderson Middle School.
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The name was deliberated for months; almost 30 names
were
nominated
by current middle schoolers and by other sources. A school naming
committee narrowed down the choices to six contenders: Mary Ellen
Henderson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dolly Madison, Anne Mason, Tripps Run,
and the option of sticking with George Mason. Although Mary Ellen
Henderson did not win when the middle schoolers voted, the School Board
voted 4-3 that she best captured the spirit of the Falls Church
community.
Many area schools are named after nearby streets or national
figures, but Falls Church is lucky enough to have a Mary Ellen
Henderson in its history. Henderson moved to Falls Church in 1910,
shortly after marrying E.B. Henderson, another advocate of
African-American rights, and quickly became involved in the education
of black children in Fairfax County. Fondly known as Miss Nellie by her
students, Henderson taught grades four through seven in the segregated
schoolhouse. Students remember the impact she had on them—teaching with
a perfect balance of discipline and individualized support helped them
grow up and become ready for the transition into high school and
eventually into adulthood.
However large her impact on her students, Henderson also
worked to
prevent discrimination in other parts of her life. In 1912, Falls
Church City passed an ordinance that segregated the town. Mary Ellen
and E.B. Henderson motivated people to speak out against the ordinance;
their protests succeeded in stopping the segregation from being
enforced. When the Colored Citizens Protective League, which worked
with the Hendersons in rallying against the ordinance, joined with the
NAACP, Mary Ellen Henderson spearheaded the campaign to recruit new
members.
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The School Board, after vetting and
debating many
suggested names for the new middle school, has selected Mary Ellen
Henderson, an early civil rights activist from right here in Falls
Church.
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Some say that Henderson’s greatest contribution was the report
titled "Our Disgrace and Shame: School Facilities for Negro Children in
Fairfax County." The report enumerated the differences between the
schools for white kids and the school for black kids, revealing the
insufficient funding that the African-American schools received. The
report stirred support from the local community and provoked enough
concern to get a new school built. The new school, the James Lee School
on Annandale Road, was a huge improvement for African-American
education, and was a step towards school integration.
Miss Nellie stopped teaching after a year at the James Lee
Schoolhouse and moved to Tuskegee, Alabama in 1965 to be closer to her
son. Mary Ellen Henderson died in 1975, having lived long enough to see
the Brown vs. Board of Education decision as well as the Little Rock
Nine enter Arkansas High School.
The name Mary Ellen Henderson embodies the qualities of
equality and
progressiveness that Falls Church City embraces and one can understand
why she is the School Board’s choice for the new middle school. To
ensure that middle schoolers understand Henderson’s importance, her
achievements will be highlighted in Teacher Advisory sessions.
Besides more of an emphasis on the school’s namesake, many
other
changes will be implemented. The eighth grade will become part of the
high school and the middle school will include grades five through
seven. Dr. Rochelle Friedman, principal of the middle school, says she
is eager to take advantage of the schools’ separation and make the
middle school more age appropriate. Friedman is "very excited" about
the opportunity and appreciates how hard the entire community has
worked to secure funding. Increasing the school’s space from "one wing
into three floors" will provide a much more conducive learning
environment.
Now that the name is decided upon, school members are focusing
on
getting everything ready to make the move this summer—and, of course,
eagerly awaiting the middle schoolers’ mascot decision: Hawks or
Huskies?
Tell us
what you think.
E-mail lassogmhs@hotmail.com
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