WORCESTER ― The merged Chandler Magnet School and La Familia Dual Language School will be called Worcester Dual Language Magnet School, despite different recommendations from the Worcester superintendent and students at the school.
The Worcester School Committee voted Thursday to choose the name after it came out on top in a survey of the general public. white purse magnet clips
In the survey, there were 195 votes for the name Worcester Dual Language Magnet School, 192 votes for La Familia Chandler Magnet School and 94 votes for Nuestra Dual Language School. The survey was open to anyone who wanted to vote online.
More:La Familia/Chandler school name still to be decided as different options are proposed
Worcester Superintendent Rachel Monárrez recommended that the name of the school be Nuestra Dual Language Magnet School, saying that was the preference of students at the school who had voted.
Monárrez said that in previous surveys, the top response was that the new name should reflect the core values of the school and that it should bring students together. Monárrez pointed out that Nuestra Dual Language School was the only name to get 60% of support from one group of voters: The school's students.
Nuestra is the Spanish word for "our."
"The children are saying that Nuestra is who we are because it is 'our' dual language school — and so that is the administration's recommendation for a name," Monárrez said.
School Committee member Molly McCullough, who chairs the subcommittee on finance, operations and governance, and coordinated the survey and naming process, said that while she understood Monárrez's recommendation, the intention of the committee was to use the results of the survey to name the school.
"I appreciate the administration's choice of Nuestra, it was a choice that I really liked as well. Based on the survey data, and based on the fact that motion that we made was to utilize the survey data, my motion is going to be to move forward with Worcester Dual Language Magnet School. It got the most first- and second-place votes from the survey and it is very hard to rationalize not using that data," McCullough said. "Additionally, when we look at longevity at the district, it is a name that can work, highlighting dual language and if another language were to be added, the name of the school is not just in Spanish."
La Familia Dual Language School merged with Chandler Magnet Elementary School at the start of the 2023-24 school year, following the abrupt end of La Familia’s lease at the former St. Stephen School at 355 Grafton St. La Familia had been created for the 2021-22 school year but was forced to merge with Chandler after its lease was not renewed by the Diocese of Worcester after two years at the site.
Together, La Familia and Chandler have operated as one school over the past two school years, with 548 students during the current school year.
The committee supported McCullough's motion by a vote of 7-1. The lone supporter of Monárrez was At-Large member Sue Mailman, who said that the survey did not necessarily encompass the core school community and that the spirit of the merging of the schools is reflected by naming it Nuestra Dual Language School.
School Committee member Vanessa Alvarez was absent.
"When I read the comments about what kind of school is this — it is a dual language school, Spanish for the foreseeable future and by far our largest language. I was pleased our administration colored outside the lines a little bit. The survey to me was a Facebook survey. Anyone could have responded," Mailman said. "I'm glad everyone did a bunch of surveys, but I think the spirit of what was trying to be created here is reflected by Nuestra."
Parents of students who attend the school spoke during the public comment period in favor of Nuestra. Aislinn Doyle, Parent-Teacher Organization Board Secretary for the merged La Familia/Chandler school, said that being a dual language, Spanish-speaking school is the core aspect of the school's community and the result of decades of advocacy, and a Spanish name should reflect that.
large magnetic hooks "We recognize that our school is built on that legacy. This is 'nuestra herencia,' our inheritance. We believe our school name should be imbued with that meaning," Doyle said.