Los Angeles, United States - September 27, 2024

09/27/2024 02:05 pm (GMT-0800) | FONTANA, Calif. – Randall Pepper Elementary School will be renamed O’Day Short Elementary School in memory of the Short Family who lived where the school was built. The new name will take effect for the 2025-26 school year.
Southridge Tech Middle School seventh-grader Cyrus Moss proposed the idea during a March 13 board meeting, where he presented a petition signed by 132 community members.
Second District County Supervisor Jesse Armendarez supported the name change, pledging $50,000 to cover the renaming and rebranding.
Armendarez said, “It’s important to show that we’re committed to justice and healing,” Armendarez said. “Let’s remember the Short family not just for what they suffered, but for the hope they give us in building a kinder, more just world.
“This name change will remind us that our history has not always been pretty, and it is our duty to make sure our future generations and students know and learn this history. The renaming of the school is a crucial step in acknowledging a painful chapter in our local history.”