New elementary school will get historic name in Oxford

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – A new elementary school in a north Mississippi city will bear a historic name.

The Oxford school board has voted to call a new campus Central Elementary School.

The Oxford Eagle reports that was the name of the city’s segregated high school for African-Americans that stood on the site. After integration, the campus was known as Oxford Junior High, and then as Central Elementary when it served fifth and sixth grades.

Superintendent Brian Harvey says many residents still call the property “Central,” so it makes sense to honor its history. Construction on the new school started earlier in February.

Workers salvaged bricks from the old school during demolition. The district plans to give away the bricks as keepsakes to graduates or others connected to the former Central High School.

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Information from: Oxford Eagle, http://www.oxfordeagle.com

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