One clear winner, three close calls: ACPS facility naming poll leaves board with tough decisions
Superintendent recommends moving forward on Early Childhood Center courtyard, deferring other three names until at least FY 2028
A monthslong effort to name four school facilities has produced one decisive result and three races close enough that the superintendent is recommending the School Board hold off on most of the decisions for at least two years.
More than 1,400 community members weighed in on a name selection poll in November, but only one proposed name — “Owen’s Place” for the courtyard at the Early Childhood Center — earned the kind of overwhelming support staff say warrants moving forward.
For the other three facilities, Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt is recommending the board defer action until fiscal year 2028 or later, citing narrow margins and the need for financial stewardship.
The results will be presented at Thursday’s School Board meeting ahead of a Dec. 11 public hearing and a Dec. 18 vote.
One name stands out
The courtyard at the Early Childhood Center drew the clearest community consensus. Owen’s Place received 75% support — 797 votes — with the remaining 25% preferring to leave the space unnamed.
The name honors Owen Michael Wagner, the late son of the center’s first principal, Heidi Haggerty-Wagner. Owen aspired to become a teacher like his mother and was dedicated to helping children.
Staff say an existing plaque bearing the name is already on hand and could be installed by ACPS carpenters at no additional cost — making it the only proposal with no budget implications.
Close races elsewhere
The other three facilities told a different story.
At Parker-Gray Stadium, Keith Burns Field edged out Sgt. DeForest L. Talbert Field by just 17 votes — a 1.5-percentage-point margin. Burns, a 1990 T.C. Williams graduate, played 13 seasons in the NFL and won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos. His foundation has provided more than 5,000 Thanksgiving baskets to Alexandria families.
Talbert, a 2001 T.C. Williams graduate also inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014, was a running back known as “Touchdown Talbert” who was killed in action in Iraq in July 2004 while serving with the West Virginia Army National Guard. His name emerged as a write-in during the first community poll.
More than one in five respondents — 21.3% — preferred leaving the field unnamed, the highest “Do Not Name” share among the three contested facilities.
At the Minnie Howard Campus, Kerry Donley Athletic Field Complex led Titan Territory Athletic Field Complex by about 10 points, 49% to 39.7%. Donley, who died in July 2022 at age 66, served as Alexandria’s mayor from 1996 to 2003 and later as ACHS athletic director. His five daughters all attended ACPS schools.
The Titans Territory option, also a write-in, would have honored the mascot identity forged when the city consolidated its high schools in 1971.
At Naomi L. Brooks Elementary, Jean B. Reid Media Center earned a narrow majority at 50.1%, defeating Karl F. Smith Media Center by 20 points. Reid served ACPS as a reading specialist from 1971 to 2001 and was honored as an Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher. Smith, a longtime principal whose name came from a write-in, led several ACPS schools including Brooks when it was known as Matthew Maury Elementary.
The “Do Not Name” factor
Across all four polls, the option to leave spaces unnamed drew significant support — as high as 25% for the Early Childhood Center courtyard and 21.3% for the Parker-Gray field.
Staff noted that “Do Not Name” submissions generally cited fiscal responsibility, minimizing confusion or viewing the initiative as low priority. For Parker-Gray Stadium specifically, some respondents raised concerns about diluting the valuable history associated with the stadium’s existing name — a reference to the historic segregated school that served Alexandria’s Black students from 1920 until integration in 1965.
What it would cost
Staff obtained signage cost estimates for three of the four facilities.
The most expensive option — Parker-Gray Stadium with a scoreboard update, polymetal signs and changes to existing signage — would cost $9,900. A scaled-back option with just signs and banners would run $3,850.
The Minnie Howard Campus signage would cost $1,100, and a plaque above the Brooks Elementary library door would cost $990.
All estimates include a 10% contingency, and costs could increase with changes to color, material or quantity.
Who weighed in
The name selection poll drew 1,413 responses — more than triple the 446 who participated in the first poll that collected name suggestions.
ACPS parents made up the largest group at 39.3%, followed by Alexandria residents at 29.4%. ACPS alumni accounted for 17.2% of respondents, staff 17.1% and current high school students 10.6%.
Nearly half of respondents — 48.6% — identified as white. Black respondents accounted for 21.6% and Hispanic respondents 10.3%. About 15% declined to answer.
Policy changes ahead
Beyond the immediate naming decisions, the superintendent is also recommending the board review and update its facility naming policies. Proposed changes include establishing additional criteria for potential honorees, setting standards for which facility types are eligible for naming, adjusting the 100-signature petition threshold that initiates the process, and considering guidelines for sponsored facility naming.
What’s next
The naming process continues with a public hearing Dec. 11 at 5 p.m. in the School Board Meeting Room at 1340 Braddock Place. The board is scheduled to vote Dec. 18.
Staff emphasized that the board’s authorization to begin the naming process does not commit the board to naming any facility or adopting any proposed name.
The effort is part of “The Identity Project,” launched in 2020 to ensure facility names reflect community values. Each of the four naming requests began with community petitions carrying at least 100 signatures, as required by board policy.
