Three Poughkeepsie City School District buildings will be renamed for historic figures of national importance who can serve as inspiration for students.
Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, Samuel F.B. Morse Elementary School will be called Sojourner Truth Elementary School, Gov. George Clinton Elementary School will be renamed Roberto Clemente Elementary School, and Christopher Columbus School, which currently serves as the district administration building, will become the Jane Bolin Elementary School.
Each of the three new namesakes broke barriers, stood up for human rights and conveyed values of decency, resilience and achievement. Two of them were from Poughkeepsie and the Hudson Valley, and another has been a hero for the Latino and Afro-Caribbean communities for decades.
The Board of Education approved the new names at Wednesday night’s meeting, concluding a multi-year process in which the namesakes of each of its six elementary school buildings were investigated in regard to how their actions and examples aligned with the values the district currently holds and encourages from its community members.
The changes are subject to state Education Department approval.
Along with those changes, the board determined the current Jane Bolin building property will be renamed following the completion of a multi-million-dollar renovation of the site.
In its report to the board in advance of the vote, the Ad-Hoc Committee Building Names Study Group tasked with evaluating the six building namesakes explained its rationale for recommending which building namesakes should stay intact – George W. Krieger, William W. Smith and Charles B. Warring – and the three ultimately renamed, as well as its reasoning for suggesting the new names.
Morse, Clinton and Columbus were each found to be historical figures who had little to no connection to the City of Poughkeepsie, made no direct contribution to city schools and either owned slaves or supported slavery, placing them “out of alignment with our most important community values today,” according to committee co-Chairpersons Fatimah Carmen Martinez Santiago and Dr. Andrew Rieser.
Conversely, the committee’s research found George W. Krieger, W.W. Smith and Charles B. Warring “made direct, positive and significant contributions to education in the City of Poughkeepsie,” the co-chairs said.
The three new figures not only made positive contributions to their communities but represent the changing demographics of the district.
Sojourner Truth, the report explains, was born into slavery in Ulster County and grew into “a powerful abolitionist, women’s rights activist, and … one of the most influential voices for justice in 19th-century America.” She traveled the country delivering speeches, including one of her most famous addresses at the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention, “Ain’t I a Woman?,” in which she challenged both racial and gender discrimination.
The many honors and memorials dedicated in her memory include a statue on the Ulster side of the Walkway Over the Hudson and a new state park recently named for her in Kingston.
“Renaming the school after Sojourner Truth will inspire students to recognize that success comes through perseverance, self-education, and civic engagement. Her enduring legacy teaches them the importance of self-esteem, lifelong learning, and the courage to stand up for justice,” the report reads.
Roberto Clemente isn’t being honored for being a star baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “Throughout his career, Clemente used his platform to advocate for racial equity, speaking openly against discrimination faced by Latino and Black athletes and ensuring that underprivileged communities received the support and recognition they deserved,” the report reads.
“For Poughkeepsie's growing Latino and Central American population, Clemente’s name serves as a beacon of representation and cultural pride. Students must see themselves reflected in the names of the institutions they attend, fostering a sense of belonging and connection to their history. His story teaches the power of determination, compassion, and standing up for justice, making him an inspiring figure for students of all backgrounds.”
Jane Bolin, meanwhile, was born in Poughkeepsie in 1908, graduated from Poughkeepsie High School and became the first Black woman to earn a degree from Yale Law School. She was also the first such woman to join the New York City Bar and the country’s first Black female judge.
“Jane Bolin is at once a national historical figure and a local hero. The committee believes that naming a school building for Jane Bolin would highlight her historical contributions and serve as a powerful expression of our belief in equal opportunity,” the report reads.
The Board expressed its belief these names, and the others to have buildings named in their honor, should be incorporated into curriculum to become a source of pride and inspiration for students. Already, the district is sifting through ideas for how to teach their stories.
On Monday, as part of a pre-planned class parade tied to a lesson on women’s voting rights, students in Cheryl Haines’ Morse Elementary first-grade class carried an enormous banner celebrating their new school name, linking Sojourner Truth’s contributions to what they had learned.
The renaming process began with community members drawing attention to the possibility some of the district’s buildings should be renamed, and since its creation last April, the board’s Ad-Hoc Committee Building Names Study Group kept the community in focus throughout. The committee visited numerous school community events to engage residents, circulated two bilingual surveys to gauge opinions, actively sought media coverage of the process to encourage feedback and held a town hall event in October.
“Let it not be said that this district is unresponsive to the community’s appetite for change,” Rieser said Wednesday, referencing the many decisions made at the meeting before addressing the renaming effort. “We authorized three new building names more closely aligned to our values today … I’ve never been more proud to be a board member than this meeting and this night.”
