Drake alumni group opposes name change
Alumni from all generations walking towards their new identities and away from the Pirates
High School 1327 (HS 1327)’s decision to move on from the name “Sir Francis Drake High School” has prompted many alumni to step up and voice their opinions. Several graduated Pirates feel they are not being heard in the decision to change the high school’s name. As students shift away from “Drake” and towards “High School 1327,” alumni are speaking up on social media platforms to oppose the name change movement.
“I am so proud to be a graduate of Sir Francis Drake High School. These people that want to change the school name, the [boulevard] and remove the statue of Sir Francis Drake at Larkspur Landing are not even thinking about people like me that were born and raised in Marin County. Sir Francis Drake discovered Drake’s Bay,” said Nancy Bryan, graduating class of 1972.
The Sir Francis Drake High School Alumni Facebook page gives an accurate representation of the strong, divided opinions of the name change. The widespread perspectives of Drake alumni demonstrate how changing the name will affect the entire HS 1327 community.
Various alumni continue to feel a deep connection to “Pirate pride,” and feel as though that would be taken away from them if the name changes. Drake graduates will always remember their high school experience as Sir Francis Drake Pirates, creating conflicting views on whether or not they should be represented in the name change process.
The Drake alumni played a significant part in creating the school’s welcoming and prideful community. As the name change process advances, many Drake graduates desire to have an input in the transformation.
“The fact that there are people that are quite removed from Drake in years, feeling upset about the name change and thinking about it not from the view of who’s on the right or wrong side of history but on their self identity association with being a pirate, I think it’s bizarre,” said Ashleigh Emerick, graduating class of 1994.
As alumni speak up for how they feel the name change should be handled, HS 1327 students drift away from their identities as Pirates and work towards a new identity. These unique circumstances show the ideas and opinions of many people in the HS 1327 community from the past and the present.
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Danette Citti, PhD • Nov 12, 2020 at 1:35 PM
As a psychologist, I find it offensive that anyone would characterize how someone identifies as ‘bizarre” pretty offensive. It isn’t up to you to place any judgement on how people identify. I find it even more offensive coming from folks who consider themselves “woke”. How people identify is a profound aspect of who they are. Denigrating the identity of others is not OK in my field, it is damaging at worst and offensive at best. Moreover, it is the hallmark of eliminating racism and bigotry in any culture. How you miss that deeper understanding is beyond me.