Harmony Grove Elementary School
A Global Academy
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You are invited to our Renaming Celebration on Saturday August 28th!
We are excited to invite you to a special event to celebrate the new name of our school!
Please join us tomorrow Saturday August 28th, from 4:00-6:00pm at Harmony Grove for our school’s Renaming Celebration. All Harmony Grove students will receive a free backpack with school supplies, a souvenir t-shirt, and a card with their classroom teacher’s name for the upcoming school year. This community event will take place behind the school in the playground area. There will be a short ceremony at the beginning of the event, followed by music, food, games, and activities in collaboration with our community partners. (please see the schedule below)
All children must be accompanied by an adult. Please plan to bring or wear face masks to ensure safety during the ceremony and/or if attendees need to enter the school. We hope to see you there to celebrate the start of an exciting school year with our new name, Harmony Grove Elementary School- A Global Academy!
Parking for the event
Harmony Grove Renaming Ceremony Schedule
4:00 pm- 4:30 pm, Harmony Grove playground area
If you speak Portuguese or Spanish, headsets are available to listen to live interpretation throughout the ceremony.
Welcoming Remarks- Purnima DeMorais, Principal of Harmony Grove
Land Acknowledgement & History of Harmony Grove- Laura Rankin, Framingham History Center
Celebratory Speeches by:
Priscila Sousa, School Committee member
Laysa Mourao, Framingham High School student & Wilson alumni
Dr. Robert Tremblay, Superintendent of Framingham Public Schools
Dr. Yvonne Spicer, Mayor of Framingham
Ribbon Cutting by Mrs. DeMorais, Ms. Mourao, Dr. Tremblay & Mayor Spicer
Closing remarks- Purnima DeMorais, Principal of Harmony Grove
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4:30-6:00 pm, Harmony Grove playground area
Let’s celebrate with activities, games, live music, and food!
All Harmony Grove students will receive a free backpack with school supplies, a souvenir t-shirt, and a card with their classroom teacher’s name for the upcoming school year. Please pick up these free gifts at the tables in the gym. We kindly remind all guests that masks are required inside the school building.
The story behind our school's name change
Framingham, MA (May 19, 2021) – After a multiple month effort led by Framingham Public School (FPS) students in partnership with community partners, the Framingham School Committee voted unanimously to rename Woodrow Wilson Elementary School as Harmony Grove Elementary School - A Global Academy. The new name will take effect at the start of the fall 2021 school year.
Last summer over 1,500 signatures were collected on a student-led, online petition to change the name of Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Framingham. On September 30, 2020 the Framingham School Committee, in response to this public outreach and upon the recommendation of the Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Subcommittee voted to approve the beginning of an input process on renaming the Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, with the intention of changing the name. Although Woodrow Wilson was an important person in our country’s history, he is also well-known to have supported racist policies and segregation. Several other schools around the country named after Woodrow Wilson have taken action to change their name.
“This year the Framingham Public Schools have engaged in some incredible work as part of our anti-racist journey,” said Dr. Robert Tremblay, Superintendent of Schools. “Our commitment to this core value of our District Strategic Plan is now evidenced by our actions, not simply our words. Working to lift and honor student voice, garner staff input, and enlist our community educational partners at the Framingham History Center, Framingham Public Library, and Framingham State University, among others, is testament to our willingness to change when we know it does not align with our values.”
“Having the opportunity to watch this process unfold so closely has been nothing short of awe-inspiring,” said Priscila Sousa, District 5 School Committee Member and liaison to the school in her role as Chair of the Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Subcommittee. “During a period in history when it has been easy to find reasons to criticize, a hardworking group of citizens, students, FPS staff, and FPS families showed us how bright Framingham’s light can shine. I am honored to have been a part of this effort and, once again, beaming with pride for our community. There is, however, much still left to do towards equity in our district. There is substantial work to be done, but this process has renewed hopes in our ability to achieve positive change.”
The two finalists submitted for consideration by the School Committee were Harmony Grove Elementary School and Ruby Bridges Elementary School.
The historic, local significance of Harmony Grove
Harmony Grove was a historic park located 1.5 miles from Woodrow Wilson Elementary School on the shores of Farm Pond. It was used for picnics, boating, strolling, games, and large outdoor meetings at the natural amphitheatre. The ampitheatre hosted rallies and speeches from famous social justice activists to promote women’s rights and the anti-slavery movement. Some of the well-known activists who spoke at Harmony Grove were Julia Ward Howe, Lucy Stone, Sojourner Truth, Henry David Thoreau, Wendell Phillips, and William Lloyd Garrison. From 1846 to 1865 it served as a gathering place for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, which held a big anti-slavery rally there every Fourth of July. On July 4th, 1874 there was an important suffrage convention with speakers questioning the Declaration of Independence as women had to pay taxes even though they didn’t have the right to vote.
1872 map of Harmony Grove and downtown Framingham
Photo Credit: H.F. Walling.
Published by the Town of Framingham. 1872.
The Renaming Process
“Tonight’s School Committee Meeting was the culmination of months of work and years of student advocacy surrounding the effort to change the name of Woodrow Wilson Elementary School,” said Tiffanie Maskell, District 7 School Committee Member and liaison to the school in her role as Chair of the Policy Subcommittee. “I am grateful to have had a small role in this momentous process. And I am proud to see change happening in this city, brought about by the voices of our youth.”
“What an exciting journey to get us to this point,” said Purnima DeMorais, Principal of Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, soon to be named Harmony Grove Elementary School - A Global Academy. “The collaborative process of renaming our school sends a powerful message to our students, parents, and community. A message that reiterates our social justice, inclusive and tolerant core beliefs. I am honored to be part of this exciting and important process.”
Getting to this name was an involved process which included various opportunities for community engagement. Here is the summary of events that led to tonight’s outcome:
It began with a student-led petition which gained over 1,500 signatures in the Summer of 2020.
In the fall of 2020, the School Committee voted to decide to rename the school, ensure students and community voices were heard and that awareness was created for the initiative to move forward.
Weekly FPS-led planning meetings were held to create an outline and timeline, age-appropriate lessons were planned for students, communication was shared with staff and students - not just at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, but also across the District and throughout the Framingham community.
In March, a collaborative event was held virtually with support from the Framingham Public Library, The Framingham History Center, and an Associate Professor of History from Framingham State University and at the same time, a trilingual submission form was circulated throughout the community to collect name submission ideas that met the desired criteria for the new name. Click here to view video from this event.
More than 478 community members, staff, and students suggested 111 unique school name options.
Volunteer Community Members continued to gather virtually in April to review all submissions and narrow them down for the May 5th School Committee meeting where a presentation and Public Hearing were held. Click here to view the presentation.
On May 19th 2021, the School Committee voted on the new name of the school.
Transition to the new name
A Renaming Celebration is scheduled for Saturday August 28th 4:00-6:00pm when the new name will take effect at the start of the fall 2021 school year.
About Harmony Grove Elementary School - A Global Academy
Many Thanks to Everyone Involved in the Renaming Process!
Student Leaders who initiated the Renaming Process
Laysa Mourao
Gaina Jean Pierre
Layla Rivers
Renaming Committee
Joseph Corazzini
Purnima DeMorais
Heather Flugrad
Tiffanie Maskell
Laysa Mourao
Najee Nunnally
Darlene Pugnali
Rochelle Santos
Priscila Sousa
Name Reviewal Committee
Lino Covarrubias
Michael Delarosa
Purnima DeMorais
John Dwyer
Heather Flugrad
Maisi Garcia Santhler Rosa
Emily Miller
Laysa Mourao
Joyce Ng
Najee Nunnally
William Packard
Darlene Pugnali
Margareth Shepard
Mildred Smith
Priscila Sousa
Ashley Torres
Frederic Wallace
Emmanuella Wonya Alako
Joel Wonya
Joshua Wonya
Celebration Planning Committee
Vanessa Austin
Raquel Cezar
Anita Chaves
Purnima DeMorais
Kelsey Duffy
Liz Emmons
Jade Espina
Heather Flugrad
Beth Gibson
Juliana Kessler
Vivian Lee
Lucy Loveridge
Laysa Mourao
Najee Nunnally
Peggy Olegario
Lucia Panichella
Larissa Patrocinio
Laura Rankin
Amy Salinger
Rochelle Santos
Ashley Torres
Lara Vilahomat
Presenters at the Renaming Webinar
Purnima DeMorais
Heather Flugrad
Dr. Lori Gemeiner Bihler
Tiffanie Maskell
Laysa Mourao
Laura Rankin
Priscila Sousa
Dr. Robert Tremblay
Lara Vilahomat
Harmony Grove staff who facilitated student participation in the process
Vanessa Austin
Heather Flugrad
Amy Salinger
Presenters at the School Committee Meeting
Heather Flugrad
Vivian Lee
Laysa Mourao
Community Partners supporting the Renaming Process & Celebration
Framingham History Center
Framingham Public Library
Jewish Family Services (JFS)