District Seeking Nominations for School Renamings

District Seeking Nominations for School Renamings
Posted on 01/14/2021
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The renaming committees for Daniel Webster Middle School and Thomas Jefferson Middle Schools are seeking nominations for potential new names for the two Waukegan schools. 


Students, staff, parents, community members and alumni of the schools are encouraged to submit names to be considered by the two renaming committees, which have been created by the Board of Education to explore new names for the schools. 


Online forms have been created for submissions for each school. Jefferson nominations can be submitted here. Webster nominations can be submitted here. There is also the option to submit nominations via phone, by calling 224-303-2635 for Jefferson and 224-303-2772 for Webster. 


The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2021.


The Board voted in November 2020 to officially begin the process of renaming both Jefferson and Webster, following requests and petitions from community members. The process for renaming a building is addressed in Policy 1204- Naming of School Facilities, which the renaming committees are following. 


In accordance with Board Policy, all nominations must meet one of four criteria, which are detailed below. 


National Figures: The name of any hero of national fame may be submitted, which may include U.S. Presidents and other national leaders. 

Local Leaders: Names of community and civic leaders to be considered are those individuals who have attained prominence in the community of Waukegan.
Local Educators: Names of local educators to be considered must have made a significant contribution for at least 20 years to the education of children in the community of Waukegan.
Individual Residents: Names of individual residents to be considered must have substantially contributed to or supported the advancement of education in Waukegan. 


All nominations will be reviewed by the renaming committee for each school, and the committees will each select six semi-finalists. The school community made up of parents, staff and students will narrow down the six semi-finalists to three finalists via a school-wide vote, and those three names will be submitted to the Board of Education for final consideration. Any new names would take effect on July 1, 2021.


Anyone with questions about the renaming or nomination process is asked to contact Nicholas Alajakis at [email protected]


Thomas Jefferson Middle School Renaming Nomination Form

Daniel Webster Middle School Renaming Nomination Form

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