Members of the Broadus Wood Elementary School community are being asked to share their views about the name of their school through an online survey that became active today. The survey, which will close on Friday, October 22, asks participants which naming categories should have priority.
The survey, which can be accessed at https://survey.k12insight.com/r/iTvKVI, is part of a school naming review being conducted by a 14-member community advisory committee in accordance with a division-wide policy. The policy requires a community review of all schools in the division that are named for an individual to ensure those school names reflect the division’s four values of equity, excellence, family and community, and wellness. The survey will close at 9 a.m. on October 22.
The advisory committee will be sharing the survey results prior to a public meeting on Tuesday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m. At that meeting, which will be conducted virtually over the Zoom video conferencing platform, community members can offer comments and share their thoughts about the history of the school and the survey results. Members of the community who would like to speak at the meeting should first register by emailing, no later than 9 a.m. on the 26th, SchoolNamingReview@k12albemarle.org.
“We are eager to have robust participation by our community members. This process is most successful when those who are most invested remain engaged and involved with the decision-making,” said Katie Breaud, a Broadus Wood teacher and one of two co-chairs of the committee.
The committee includes two members of the Broadus Wood faculty who are also alumnae, five parents of students, and three residents of the school community who do not have students attending the school. Among the latter is a veteran and a faith leader in the community.
Ray Chrobak, also a teacher and committee co-chair, said, “We have great confidence that the voices of our students, families, alumni and neighbors will guide us to an outcome that best honors our wonderful school’s legacy. We have tremendous pride in our school.”
Five naming reviews have been completed by volunteer community advisory committees thus far, with the school board voting to change the name of four schools and to retain the name of another. Summaries of all completed reviews and those in progress are accessible from the school division’s School Names Under Review web page.
Following the public meeting on October 26, the community advisory committee will solicit further community input regarding possible name suggestions, which will be narrowed to five by a third survey. If Broadus Wood is among these five, the committee will research the life of Broadus Ira Wood, a local farmer and landowner in Earlysville.
Mr. Wood sold and donated land to build a school in the Earlysville area and was a member of the Albemarle County School Board for 36 years. The school board’s naming review policy requires the advisory committee to seek to notify any family members of a school’s namesake as part of its process. Breaud and Chrobak said the committee welcomes any information from the public regarding the Wood family history or its descendants.
In addition to the upcoming public meetings, Breaud and Chrobak said the committee welcomes suggestions or questions about the review process at any time. All committee members can be emailed at SchoolNamingReview@k12albemarle.org.
Those who would like to livestream the October 26 meeting or any of the committee’s public meetings can do so at http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/publicmeeting.htm.
This release was updated on October 5, 2021, to accurately reflect the advisory committee's plans for receiving and considering input on possible names for the school.
CONTACT: Helen Dunn, Legislative and Public Affairs Officer
PHONE: 434-249-8379