Rochester City School District
Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 22, 2021
Editor Contact:
Marisol Ramos-Lopez
585.455.2844 (m)
Nathaniel Rochester Middle School Renamed In Honor of Dr. Alice Holloway Young 
(July 22, 2021) The Rochester City School District is pleased to announce the Board of Education has voted to rename Nathaniel Rochester Middle School in honor of Dr. Alice Holloway Young. 

The Dr. Alice Holloway Young School of Excellence, formerly School No. 3, will open its doors to students in September in honor of an individual who was a pioneer for African American women. Dr. Holloway Young was one of the Rochester City School District’s first African American teachers, as well as the District’s first black vice principal and principal. Additionally, she was the only African American reading specialist in the District, and the first Title I Director, where she oversaw programs for educationally and economically deprived children. She also supervised the District’s first integration programs including the Urban Suburban program, which is still in existence today. 

In 1961, Dr. Holloway Young was named as a founding trustee of Monroe Community College, where she served for more than 40 years, including as its Chair of Trustees from 1978 until 1998. The college also has an internship named in her honor to encourage talented individuals from underrepresented ethnic or racial groups to consider a career in a community college. 

Superintendent Dr. Lesli Myers-Small said, “Dr. Holloway Young has made significant contributions to our school District and to the community. At the age of 97, she is still active and vibrant in our community. How powerful is it to have someone who is still living, who our students can hear from, and understand who she is and the contributions she has made. She is full of such wisdom.”

In order for Nathaniel Rochester Middle School to be renamed the Dr. Alice Holloway Young School of Excellence, a petition with more than 100 signatures was presented to Superintendent Myers-Small asking for a name change to be considered. As a result, a community forum was held on June 23, 2021, where seven speakers participated.  
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