February 17th 2021
A new name recommendation has been submitted to the Superintendent.
After much deliberation The Renaming Committee came up with the recommendation to rename Madison High School after Leodis V. McDaniel. Over the last few months, the committee engaged in numerous community outreach efforts, we gathered nearly 2,500 community comments, made hundreds of phone-calls and we spent countless hours in careful consideration of the most appropriate name that fits our C.R.E.E.D (Community, Respect, Education, Equity, Diversity) values.
“Leodis V. McDaniel was a greatly respected, well-loved, and highly celebrated Portland
community leader who gained an impeccable reputation as an administrator at Madison
High School in the 1970s and 1980s. Prior to becoming principal at Madison, McDaniel
worked as a science teacher at MacLaren School for Boys, a counselor at Adams High
School, and then as vice-principal at Madison. McDaniel was one of only a handful of
Black High school principals in Oregon in the 1980s and was tasked with leading Madison
through desegregating and bussing. McDaniel embraced this challenge as he did all of his
administrative duties with the singular purpose of fairness to all. He was well-known for
his kind demeanor, contagious laugh, absolute integrity, and his instinctual ability to
deeply connect with all people. McDaniel was wildly popular with students and staff
while earning numerous awards and accolades from the many community organizations
to which he contributed.
A staunch supporter of athletics and the arts, McDaniel believed wholeheartedly
in education and the value of opportunity. His sudden death in 1987 left the Portland
community reeling and his school heartbroken. In addition to the many lives he touched,
McDaniel's impact lives on. To this day, a $10,000 annual scholarship is awarded to a
Madison senior in his name to students who have struggled. An annual reunion of
hundreds called “The Gathering” is still held, where the initial invitation list was created
from McDaniel’s funeral guestbook. McDaniel has two adult children who continue to
exemplify their parents’ teachings of integrity and respect for others.”
We look forward to sharing information on how our renaming process aligned with district guidelines, how we requested and reviewed community input and how we determined our final name decision of Leodis V. McDaniel.
We want to thank all of you who participated in and helped guide this historic process. Please see some of the community comments that we received in appreciation of our new school name Leodis V. McDaniel
February 8th 2021
We're in the home stretch for selecting the new name for Madison High School
The Renaming Committee has embarked on the final phase of choosing a new name for James Madison High School, putting forward the names of eight finalists culled from the more than 400 public nominations made earlier this fall.
The public discussion accompanying the choice of a new name is occurring through open public comments on this survey https://bit.ly/3k7bvnU
Be sure to make your voice heard! The deadline for the survey ends February 15 at 9am
Our school name is changing, your voice is important to us.
The name of our school is changing! The Renaming Committee has met three times, discussing at length the principles in which the committee will follow while selecting a name for recommendation. Two central decisions, based on community feedback, have resulted from these deliberations. First, that we will consider only place names local to the Pacific Northwest region. Second, IF we choose the name of a person, that we will prioritize honoring a person who identifies with a race, ethnicity, gender, and/or sexuality that has not historically been represented in seats of power or has not historically been broadly recognized through building names. Take the survey today.
November 18th 2021
Envisioning a new name. Let us know your recommendation(s)
Madison Renaming Committee is looking forward to having your participation. We are grateful in advance for your engagement in this important student/community-led project.
The Madison Renaming Committee is committed to the values of Madison: community respect, education, equity and diversity (C.R.E.E.D). We are also committed to a process that includes the perspectives, ideas and lived experiences of our Madison community. After you share your ideas below with our committee, please take a minute or two to tell us about yourself.
Link to Survey HERE.
For any questions please email naming@pps.net
February 18th 2021
Join us as we present our name recommendation to the Portland Public Schools Board of Education.
February 17th 2021
A new name recommendation has been submitted to the Superintendent.
After much deliberation The Renaming Committee came up with the recommendation to rename Madison High School after Leodis V. McDaniel. Over the last few months, the committee engaged in numerous community outreach efforts, we gathered nearly 2,500 community comments, made hundreds of phone-calls and we spent countless hours in careful consideration of the most appropriate name that fits our C.R.E.E.D (Community, Respect, Education, Equity, Diversity) values.
“Leodis V. McDaniel was a greatly respected, well-loved, and highly celebrated Portland
community leader who gained an impeccable reputation as an administrator at Madison
High School in the 1970s and 1980s. Prior to becoming principal at Madison, McDaniel
worked as a science teacher at MacLaren School for Boys, a counselor at Adams High
School, and then as vice-principal at Madison. McDaniel was one of only a handful of
Black High school principals in Oregon in the 1980s and was tasked with leading Madison
through desegregating and bussing. McDaniel embraced this challenge as he did all of his
administrative duties with the singular purpose of fairness to all. He was well-known for
his kind demeanor, contagious laugh, absolute integrity, and his instinctual ability to
deeply connect with all people. McDaniel was wildly popular with students and staff
while earning numerous awards and accolades from the many community organizations
to which he contributed.
A staunch supporter of athletics and the arts, McDaniel believed wholeheartedly
in education and the value of opportunity. His sudden death in 1987 left the Portland
community reeling and his school heartbroken. In addition to the many lives he touched,
McDaniel's impact lives on. To this day, a $10,000 annual scholarship is awarded to a
Madison senior in his name to students who have struggled. An annual reunion of
hundreds called “The Gathering” is still held, where the initial invitation list was created
from McDaniel’s funeral guestbook. McDaniel has two adult children who continue to
exemplify their parents’ teachings of integrity and respect for others.”
We look forward to sharing information on how our renaming process aligned with district guidelines, how we requested and reviewed community input and how we determined our final name decision of Leodis V. McDaniel.
We want to thank all of you who participated in and helped guide this historic process. Please see some of the community comments that we received in appreciation of our new school name Leodis V. McDaniel
February 8th 2021
We're in the home stretch for selecting the new name for Madison High School
The Renaming Committee has embarked on the final phase of choosing a new name for James Madison High School, putting forward the names of eight finalists pulled from the more than 400 public nominations made earlier this fall.
The public discussion accompanying the choice of a new name is occurring through open public comments on this survey https://bit.ly/3k7bvnU
Be sure to make your voice heard! The deadline for the survey is February 15th at 9am