Sylvia Mendez Newcomers School in High Point is the first NC school named for a Latina person
Sylvia Mendez was joined by Gov. Roy Cooper, Guilford County Schools officials, and a few students for the Sylvia Mendez Newcomers School ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday. AMY DIAZ/WFDD
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Sylvia Mendez was joined by Gov. Roy Cooper, Guilford County Schools officials, and a few students for the Sylvia Mendez Newcomers School ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday. AMY DIAZ/WFDD
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Sylvia Mendez is a civil rights pioneer who, as a child, was part of a federal case that ended school segregation of Hispanic children in California. On Wednesday, Mendez, now 87, attended the ceremony for the new school in High Point bearing her name. AMY DIAZ/WFDD
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The new Sylvia Mendez Newcomers School in High Point is the first school in North Carolina to be named after a Latina person. AMY DIAZ/WFDD
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Several copies of the book Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation have been placed throughout the classrooms in the new Sylvia Mendez Newcomers School. AMY DIAZ/WFDD
High Point is now home to North Carolina's first school named after a Latina person.
Guilford County Schools hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Sylvia Mendez Newcomers School on Wednesday.
Sylvia Mendez is a civil rights pioneer who, as a child, was part of a federal case that ended school segregation of Hispanic children in California and paved the way for integration across the country.
Mendez, now 87, spoke at the ceremony for the new school bearing her name.
“I am so honored and feel so privileged to have a school named after me, Sylvia Mendez," she said. "Especially right now as we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. Muchisimas Gracias to everyone, because I know it took a village.”
The Newcomers School is for students who are recent immigrants and refugees. They’ll spend one year there, getting acclimated to the country and learning English, before transitioning to a traditional or choice school.
At the ceremony, Superintendent Whitney Oakley thanked Mendez for her bravery and resilience.
"I know that the students here and across our districts will be inspired by her actions, and will gather strength from her examples when they face their own challenges," Oakley said.
Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.
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