Faculty and students will vote beginning March 29 continuing through March 31, to determine if the gym for the school will get its name changed, due to the past of the school’s first principal, Lee Stewart.
“We will lose more than a name if this proposal passes. Our students do not think of Lee Stewart when they talk about the gym,” Lindy Hall, girls’ Varsity basketball coach said. “Instead, they think about the history that happened there.” Hall said the gym represents more than 100 years of memories. Many of the students and faculty have graduated from or have family that graduated from Leaguetown High. One student’s relatives have graduated from the school for the past two generations.
“All my life I’ve heard stories about how they played basketball in the legendary Stewart Gym,” freshman, Ray Roma said. “ I’ve waited my whole life to play in the gym, and now Principal Falcon wants to change the name.” Roma said that Principal Stewart sounded like a decent principal. However, the history teacher responsible for the discovery of Principal Stewart’s past doesn’t agree.
“I am not exactly pleased to have discovered this information and reported it in my thesis, but I cannot rewrite history to my liking,” Vincent Montoya, history teacher, said. “We should not honor someone in our community who rode with the Ku Klux Klan.” Montoya said he had wonderful memories in Stewart Gym not only as a student, but as a teacher as well. he said he doesn’t want to change the name, but that we need to. Montoya’s thesis states many facts about Stewart’s past, and after reading his thesis, Principal Barbara Falcon sent a proposal to rename the gym, to the school board informing them of Montoya’s thesis.
“Several of the board members support Principal Falcon’s proposal, but we didn’t think the board should make this decision,” school board president, Gregory King said. “The students and faculty should be the voice on this issue.” King said that no matter the outcome the board will support the decision. Principal Falcon agreed with the board’s decision sending the issue to the students and faculty. She said that school’s should recognize their past leaders as positive role models, not someone who believed that all children and all people are not equal.
“I suggested this proposal after reading his thesis,” Principal Falcon said. “I don’t want to rewrite history, but our school atmosphere should be inclusive and welcoming to all students.” Falcon said that Principal Stewart may have been a good principal, but at the time, the school was only for whites.