Fallen Army Cpl Andy Anderson's name is one of the 70 names on the ballot. This is a memorial honoring Anderson inside JEB Stuart HS. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/XBMGkYx3fl
— Kathy Stewart (@KStewartWTOP) September 16, 2017
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — It was election day on Saturday as residents from the J.E.B. Stuart High School-area cast their votes and picked the new name they want the school to be called.
Back in July, the Fairfax County School Board voted to rename the school following a contentious battle over the issue among those in the community. J.E.B. Stuart was a Confederate military leader.
Outside of the high school on Saturday, it felt like a regular political election was taking place, with people campaigning and handing out sample ballots before voters were ushered into the school to cast their votes.
There were about 70 names on the ballot, according to Marty Smith, chief of staff for the Fairfax County Public Schools.
“Last week, we put together a list of those community members who came out and offered names that we should vote on,” said Smith. “So we took every name from last week and added that to the ballot for this week.”
Andy Anderson High School was one of the potential names on the list.
Anderson was a star football player who graduated from J.E.B. Stuart High School in 2001. Anderson, an army corporal, was killed by mortar fire on June 6, 2006, while serving in Iraq.
“For me, it’s an honor, whatever happens, just to see his name on the list. We don’t want Andy to have to be forgotten,” said Anderson’s mother, Xiomara Mena.
“He’s our hero. Just to see his name there — we’re proud of that. We’re proud of that.”
The high school has a memorial that pays tribute to fallen Cpl. Andy Anderson.
Mena said her neighbor told her that her son’s name was on the list, since she had no idea. Mena’s husband and Anderson’s father, Harold Anderson, said he does not know who nominated his son’s name as an option for renaming the high school.
“My son is one of the candidates, Andy Anderson,” said Harold, with a tear in his eye. “He died in Iraq, so I’m here to support him. I definitely appreciate them nominating my son.”
Matt Fernandez, who graduated from J.E.B. Stuart in 2005, campaigned outside of the high school on Saturday, saying, “Vote for Andy Anderson, war hero.”
Fernandez knew Anderson’s twin brothers, and he now works as a substitute teacher at the high school. He says each time he walks into the building, he sees Anderson’s memorial.
Fernandez said he felt compelled to add Anderson to the list of new names for the school, although he was very against renaming it in the first place.
“‘Cause in my mind, and fellow peers’ minds, it’s not what everybody else says it is. To us, J.E.B. Stuart meant diversity and such,” said Fernandez. “But since the tide of change [is] upon us, I feel like Andy Anderson is appropriate because he went to school here.”
Fernandez said that it’s significant for him that Anderson died in Iraq while serving his country.
“That’s my generational thing. I was in this school as freshman when 9/11 happened. I just feel this connection to him and his brothers in the community because we all grew up together.”
On Saturday, Marty Smith says voters got to pick their top three choices.
“We have a weighted system where their first choice is worth three points; second choice is worth two points; and their third choice is worth one point. It’s part of the regulation,” said Smith.
“Regulation 8170 says we should have a weighted system for those names. That way, it gives the board the best opportunity to see what the community is looking at in terms of first, second and third choices.”
Fairfax County Public Schools posted the vote tallies for each name on their website Saturday night. Some of the top names, with points above 450, include: Stuart, Peace Valley, Barbara Rose Johns, and Justice — or some variation of Thurgood Marshall.
Andy Anderson got a total of 164 points.
The information will also be provided to the school’s superintendent, “who will make a recommendation to the school board on the top names that were selected today. Then, we’ll provide the board with the superintendent’s recommendation.”
The superintendent’s recommendation will be posted on Sept. 21, according to the school system’s website. A presentation to the school board is scheduled for Sept. 28.
The Fairfax County School Board has a work session ahead of the final vote — set for Oct. 26 — where the board will have the opportunity to discuss the names.
Once the new name is official, they have until the 2019-2020 school year to institute changes.
Smith also said that school officials will then work with the community to think about the colors for the school, the school’s mascot and the costs involved with the renaming.
WTOP’s Teta Alim contributed to this report.
