THE ISSUE: Itâs Monday, the day we take a few moments to highlight the good news in Lancaster County. Some of these items are welcome developments on the economic front or for neighborhoods across the county. Others are local stories of achievement, perseverance, compassion and creativity that represent welcome points of light in a still-difficult time. All of this news deserves a brighter spotlight.
Renaming schools is bound to be a contentious matter, and there were more than two great options available for the School District of Lancaster at last weekâs school board meeting.
But we believe the board hit home runs with the two choices it made. The district âwill rename two of its schools after Black women as part of a districtwide effort to rename buildings named after slave owners and others who donât fit the city school districtâs values,â LNP | LancasterOnlineâs Alex Geli reported Friday.
4 new principals named in the Bethlehem Area School District
Updated 1:13 PM;
Today 10:13 AM
The Bethlehem Area School Board approved these new principals Monday, April 26, 2021: (top row) Dr. Theodoro Quinones, Lisa Young, (bottom row) Laurie Sage and Amanda Hinkel.Courtesy Bethlehem Area School District
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The Bethlehem Area School Board approved four new principals Monday night, who should all be familiar faces to district students and families.
The openings at Freedom High, Northeast Middle and Governor Wolf and James Buchanan elementary schools are all being filled by current district employees.
The board in March approved the retirement of four principals with many years invested in the district: Freedom’s Michael LaPorta, Northeast’s Joseph Rahs, James Buchanan’s Jill Moran and Miller Heights’ Deborah Roeder.
Dear Dr. Scribblerbuck:
During the 1990s, I was a docent at James Buchananâs home, Wheatland. I was taught exactly what was the prescribed story of his life to tell to tourists. They especially stressed that Buchanan was never a slave owner and abhorred the institution. I repeated this story to many visitors.
I have recently read that he indeed bought two enslaved people and âkeptâ them for the years it took for them to work off the cost of buying them. Calling them indentured servants does not change that this was indeed slavery and I am so sorry that I was a part of the myth of James Buchanan at Wheatland.