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The new edition at Burks
Middle School will be called the “Uffelman Wing. It is scheduled to be complete sometime between October and December,
officials say. Photo: Dale Welch/Hilltop Express SCHOOL NAMING COMMITTEE CHANGES
MIND... NEW SCHOOL NAME TO BE 'BURKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL' By Dale Welch
Hilltop Express
dawelch@charter.net
dale@hilltopexpress.net
The school naming committee, made up of several school and community
people in Monterey, had voted to change the name of “Burks Middle School” to “Monterey Elementary School”
last December. They met last week, again, to reconsider those actions because a few of the members could not be at the December
meeting.
The results – in the new vote, Burks Middle School will be named Burks Elementary School (because
it will no longer be a middle school once the new edition is complete) and the school colors were changed back to purple,
white and teal.
Putnam County Executive Kim Blaylock, daughter of State Sen. Charlotte Burks and the late State
Sen. Tommy Burks, told the committee, “I have lived here my entire life. I never thought that the name would be changed.
You can call it what you want to…but everybody here will call it Burks. I am sorry that Uffelman will no longer be
that, but I never thought I needed to be here to say that. The school was named after Momma and Daddy both. They together
have served our state for 44 years. She was in Atlanta about a month ago serving on an education committee. She and dad both
served on the education committee. All that aside, the school is Burks. And We do not need to change “the colors.”
Wanda Thurmond, a committee member added, “I was shocked that the name came to be Monterey Elementary. It is
a generic name with no distinction from the High School. Monterey High is a traditional town school.
'I am going
with what I am hearing people say. I am all for giving recognition to the Burks family. They have made a great contribution
to our community and our society. Mrs. Burks made pots and pots of spaghetti for a fundraiser for the library and Tommy Burks
got water for Pfiefer Mtn. Tommy also helped us get a sensible retirement plan for teachers. I feel that it is important to
keep the Burks name on the building.
“People will always think of that building, Mayor Jeff Hicks said,
“as Burks, no matter what we call it.”
Committee member Lowell Vaughn said, “I think that it
dishonors Mr. Burks by changing the name. Mr. Burks helped our community and Charlotte has also done so. It will be
dishonoring the Burks name to take the name down.”
Suzy Jackson, a committee member, Uffelman teacher and
granddaughter of Columbus Uffelman asked, “how do you honor the Uffelman name? He was the one of the first members of
the first school board of Putnam County.”
Mayor Hicks made the motion to rescind the previous motion of
naming the school “Monterey Elementary School” and finally changing the name to “Burks Elementary School.”
It was also clarified that the outside signage be “Burks Elementary School.” The old Uffelman plaque will be removed
from that school and placed inside the new wing to be named the “Uffelman Wing.”
The committee had
changed the Burks School colors to purple and white from purple, white and teal in the December meeting, but since the school
is already full of purple, white and teal, the school colors were changed back. The mascot is still the Panthers. However,
there will be no sports teams, because it will once again be an elementary school with kindergarten – sixth grades.
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