Historic figures among final choices for new name of downtown Lexington middle school

Five final recommendations were unveiled Tuesday for the new name of Lexington Traditional Magnet School, which will change to one that officials think better reflect its history.

According to Fayette schools district spokesperson Dia Davidson Smith and LTMS principal Bryne Jacobs, the finalist names include, in alphabetical order:

▪ Emmanuel “Manny” Caulk Middle School, for the late Fayette superintendent who died in 2020 while he held the post;

▪ Eastside End Middle School. “We sit in the heart of the East End Community which has a rich and diverse history. For over a century we have served this community, been a source of pride therein, and we chose to uplift our amazing neighborhood,” Jacobs told the Herald-Leader Thursday.

▪ Lewis and Harriet Hayden Middle School for Black abolitionists who escaped from slavery in Kentucky through the Underground Railroad;

▪ LEX for Lexington Middle School;

▪ Helen Caise Wade Middle School for the first Black student to integrate Fayette County Schools.

District officials want a school name that embraces the history and significance of Lexington’s East End, Jacobs, has said, adding “We also want a school name that embodies the spirit of our programming that exists now at LTMS.”

One goal of the project is to help restore pride in LTMS as a vital, positive and storied part of the Lexington educational community, Davidson-Smith said. The hope is to have the recommendation for a new name voted on by the LTMS school decision making council and ready to present to the Fayette Board of Education for final approval in the coming weeks.

Community members can vote until March 26.

The current initiative is to transform LTMS into an academic and arts powerhouse in downtown.

The school at Fourth Street and North Limestone has served East End Lexington for more than a century. It opened its doors as Lexington Senior High School, the first high school in Fayette County in the early 1900s.

On Tuesday, at the school, students made presentations on the recommendations.

Community sessions helped to generate the proposed names, Davidson-Smith said. Student research and family online surveys were used to gather suggestions and come up with name selections. The school leadership team partnered with the district family and community engagement department and the district office of Unity, Belonging and Student Efficacy to work on the project.

This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 3:01 PM.