Bibb County School District dedicates new school to the late Rep. John Lewis

The Bibb County School District dedicated a new school Tuesday to Rep. John Lewis, who passed away in July 2020.

Originally, the school, at 3522 Greenbriar Road, was named to be named Rileydale Elementary, a combination of the former Riley and Brookdale elementary schools, but after Lewis’ death, the Board of Education decided to rename the school John R. Lewis Elementary School in his honor, according to a news release.

“This is an exciting time for our faculty and staff, students and school community as we develop a vision for our new school and reflect on how we will be a legacy for our namesake, John Robert Lewis,” said Sonya Coley, principal of John Lewis Elementary School. “At John Robert Lewis Elementary School, we will teach the students the story of John Lewis. They will know he was an American who knew that change could not wait for some other person or some other time, whose life is a lesson in the fierce urgency of now.”

John Lewis served as the representative of Georgia’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than three decades, and he played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement leading the march on Selma, Alabama, in 1972 and helping organize the March on Washington in 1963. He was also one of the 13 original Freedom Riders, who challenged segregation policies in the interstate bus system.

“I have been in professional work now for almost 50 years, and there are few events that stand out that you remember, but this is going to be one of them for me. It’ going to be one because we did name this school after an outstanding individual in a way that our students who are going to grow will learn to demonstrate strength of character, and that is our vision for them,” said Curtis Jones, superintendent of Bibb County Schools.

Jones admitted he made one mistake while planning to dedicate the school to John Lewis: he forgot to ask the Lewis’ family’s permission. He made an apology and presented Henry Lewis, John Lewis’ brother, with a Victory in Progress pin, which is given to faculty and staff of Bibb County Schools after working with them for a year. The rest of Lewis’ family in attendance received swag bags from Bibb County Schools.

“Because of the dedication and the effort that your family has allowed us to do, I want to go ahead and give you your pin now,” Jones said.

Henry Lewis took a tour of the school ahead of the dedication and said the dedication was such an honor and very fitting for his brother because he preached to students about reading his whole life.

“I think the congressman right now is probably looking down with a smile,” he said. “He would be happy.”

The school took around 17 months to build, and it is 86,000 square feet with 46 instructional units, said Sam Kitchens, executive director of capital programs at Bibb County Schools, during the tour.