By Christine M. Quirk — Christine@concordbridge.org
A large street sign for the town’s newest educational institution will reflect its full name: “The Ellen Garrison Building at Concord Middle School.”
Superintendent Laurie Hunter approved a rectangular sign that measures 15 feet long by 4 feet high by 2 feet deep, and will stand at the foot of the school driveway. Michael Williams of the Friends of Ellen Garrison group said it would have Garrison’s name and “Concord Middle School” in the same size and font style.
Hunter told The Concord Bridge that the sign in front of the school, which is slated to open to students in February, will be “quite prominent.”
Despite early drawings showing “Concord Middle School” inscribed on the building’s facade, Hunter said a sign on the school was never part of the plan.
“That first schematic was done long ago,” she said.
A contentious process
In February, after considering public submissions, the School Committee decided to go with “Concord Middle School.”
In April, however, Town Meeting approved an article asking the town to “urge” the School Committee to reconsider and to name the school after Garrison, a Concord-born 19th-century teacher and abolitionist.
An amendment asking the committee to “identify and implement appropriate ways for Ellen Garrison to be honored, including, but not limited to, naming the main school building of the Concord Middle School for Ellen Garrison” was defeated.
Photo: Ken McGagh/The Concord Bridge
The Select Board in May also voted to put a question about the Garrison name on a June special election ballot, but dropped it after the School Committee approved the hybrid moniker.
The Friends of Ellen Garrison community group had asked for input on the signage. At a recent meeting, Williams said he was taken aback to find out it had already been decided.
Hunter explained that the sign had gotten underway as soon as the School Committee decided on the name in May.“
The initial design was put in then, to keep the process moving,” Hunter said. “We got feedback, and it made sense to make an adjustment.”
Williams said that “at the end of June, we got the invitations from Dr. Hunter to sit in.
“We’ve had a meeting in July, a meeting in August, and we’re set to have another meeting in a few weeks,” he told The Bridge. “They have been remarkably constructive.”
Garrison’s legacy
Along with the signage, the Friends, school officials, and The Robbins House, a non-profit focused on Concord’s African, African American, and antislavery history, are discussing ways to educate students about Garrison.
“We teach about the Thoreaus, we teach about the Alcotts, we teach about the Cumings,” Williams said.
“We teach about all the historical luminaries that had their origins here. We have a wealth of people — brown, black, yellow — … that are worthy of being recognized. … It’s our due diligence to make certain we tell the stories of all these people. It’s part of the history of our community and the history of our country.”
Hunter said Jennifer Turner of the Robbins House has provided typed copies of Garrison’s original letters to the school department. She said having those primary sources will be invaluable.
“We’re talking about a number of things,” Hunter said. “Some are focused toward maximizing our resources through the Robbins House, embedding through the curriculum, looking where we can enhance our conversations about her.”
Ultimately, Williams said, it’s important that the students learn about Garrison and other notable Concordians of color.
“It’s never been about the name,” Williams said. “The value is what happens in the building and how we inform the minds of the children.”
