The Guilford County Board of Education voted to name a new arts school after two Black men who played significant roles in Greensboro’s history.
The school will be called Peeler-Hampton Visual and Performing Arts Elementary.
It combines the names of two schools that closed due to tornado damage. They were originally named for Rev. Silas Peeler, former president of Bennett Seminary, now Bennett College, and Dr. William Hampton, Greensboro’s first Black city council member.
Albertina McGirt was one of three speakers who supported that name during a public hearing this week.
“Given the rarity of positive role models for males of color, it is very important that memories of men like Peeler and Hampton are kept alive," she said.
A few other speakers proposed the name “Harris-Mintz” in honor of a local dance school that operated for 40 years.
The School Board struggled to decide between several options, but ultimately voted 5-4 for Peeler-Hampton.
One member suggested naming one of the school’s buildings “Harris-Mintz,” but the Board would need to hold another public hearing to do that.
The new school is set to open this fall.