When McDonogh 35 opened its doors more than 100 years ago, it was the city’s first high school for Black students. Since then it has produced generations of notable alumni and maintained a prestigious academic reputation, according to the school’s alumni association.
“Our success has in the past, the present, and foreseeably in the future come from individuals that are deep, strong, and mighty borne of a pride that far outshines the name of the school,” the association
“Changing McDonogh 35 would not be a progressive thing to do nor will it erase the sordid history of the past. What it will do, is slowly erase the hard work and efforts graduates put in to make the name and thought of the school as revered as it is.”