MINNEAPOLIS — As the weather changes over, so will the signs outside Jefferson Elementary School in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood this summer.
"The name change started in 2020 and we talked about whether Thomas Jefferson supported our values," said elementary school principal, Holly Kleppe.
For the past six years, Kleppe has roamed the halls of this school, but in 2020, as the world confronted topics of racial and social equity following the murder of George Floyd and the start of the pandemic, the process for a new school name for Jefferson also began.
One Kleppe says was initiated by students.
"In their social studies class, they spent a lot of time researching all different types of people, things, places," she said.
In the end, Ella Baker, an African-American civil rights and human rights activist, was chosen — a namesake that Kleppe says better represents the students' values.
"We started a really long process that finally got approved by school board," she said.
But they're not the only ones. Sheridan Dual Language Elementary was also approved to be renamed "Las Estrellas" - which translates to "the stars" in Spanish.
School principal Yajaira Guzman Carrero said in a statement, "Sheridan students strongly identify with our current star mascot, and this was reflected in the voting results, which showed overwhelming support for Las Estrellas."
"A lot of people don't know who Ella Baker is, so I strongly encourage you do research now, but we're excited to learn more about her," said Kleppe.
While Kleppe is looking forward to learning more about Ella Baker and her contributions, she's also looking forward to the new image, and name.
"We're excited, signage changing," she said. "And we're excited about things that signify a change in the image moving forward."
A spokesperson from Minneapolis Public Schools says the official name change will go into effect on July 1.