OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — The Oshkosh community is one step closer to naming its new public middle school, slated to open in Fall 2023. Students, families, staff members and interested Oshkosh community members are invited to cast their vote for one of three finalists, selected based off of previous community submissions.
The District narrowed the choice down to three individuals: Jessie Jack Hooper, Paul H. Poberenzy or Vel Phillips:
- Jessie Jack Hooper (1865 - 1935) was an American activist and Suffragist. Hooper served on the executive board of the National American Woman's Suffrage Association and worked to pass the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, giving women the vote. Hooper served as the first president of the Wisconsin League of Women Voters and made history as the first woman to run for one of Wisconsin's seats in the United States Senate in 1922.
- Paul H. Poberezny (1921 - 2013) was an American Aviator, military veteran, aircraft designer, and entrepreneur. Interested in aviation from a young age, Poberezny's first aircraft as a teen was a glider. He served in the Air Force in World War II and the Korean War and the Wisconsin Air National Guard in an over 30-year military career. Poberezny dedicated his life to aviation and the promotion of homebuilt aircraft, founding the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and EAA AirVenture annual fly-in in Oshkosh, WI.
- Vel Phillips (1924-2018) was a civil rights leader, legal pioneer and philanthropist. Phillips was the first African American woman to attend and earn a law degree from the University of Wisconsin's Law School. In addition, Phillips was the first woman and African American to be elected to the Milwaukee Common Council, was Wisconsin's first African American Judge when appointed in 1971, and served as Wisconsin's first woman and non-white Secretary of State for two terms.
“I think it's a tough race," said Bryan Davis, Superintendent. "I think they all represent something significant for Oshkosh, and for Wisconsin, and I don't think we can go wrong with any of them.”
The final naming survey will close at Noon on Monday, November 22, 2021. You can cast your vote here.
The new middle school will be located adjacent to the current Merrill Middle School site on the corner of Kentucky Street and Nevada Avenue. Slated to open for the 2023-24 school year, it will feature state-of-the-art spaces and resources. Once open, this new middle school will become home to students currently enrolled at Merrill and Webster Stanley middle schools.
