School board makes correct decision

I want to thank the Rockingham County school board for the decision it made last Monday. The thing I want to thank them for most is the small piece of history they are leaving the black community and the rest of us who were a part of the School Desegregation Plan at Douglass School. It may be a small gift, but a very important gift.  I hope it will be used to display many mementoes from a past that was not so many years ago.
My family was living on the west side of Eden at the time and two of my sons were attending elementary school at Burton Grove while a third was at Leaksville Middle School. My two young sons were chosen to be moved to Douglass in the desegregation process. They were naturally upset to be taken from their classmates and familiar teachers into an unfamiliar atmosphere, but it proved to be a great experience for the whole family. My husband and I became active in the PTA and worked in many projects to raise money. We found a hospitable principal and black and white teachers worked in accord with all children to make it a successful transition. When it came time for our youngest child to enter school, she spent all her elementary years at Douglass School and still remembers memorable teachers and classmates who remained friends throughout her school years in Eden.
So, this is why I speak not only in respect for the black community, but for my family, specifically, that it is a wise move to preserve some part of this historic school to remember one of the great moments in the history of Eden. This moment in history is studied in books and should never be glossed over and forgotten. And it is one that many citizens in Eden today were a part of and should have the opportunity to preserve for their progeny to see. I consider it a victory in my life also, to have witnessed it first hand. So, thank you, Rockingham County school board, for getting it right this time!
Christine Myott
Eden