On Wednesday, the Jefferson Parish School Board unanimously voted to change the name of Roosevelt Middle to Tom Benson School.
The school’s new colors will be black, gold, and blue. The new mascot will be the Bees.
The change will take effect for the 2019-20 school year, when Roosevelt Middle is converted into a PK-8 school, which will serve students in grades pre-kindergarten through eight.
Roosevelt Middle currently serves students in grades six through eight.
It was District 9 board member Sandy Denapolis-Bosarge whose reading led to the school being named after the late owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelican, businessman, and philanthropist.
This is the first public school to be named after Benson.
JP Schools Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley and JPSB President Larry Dale met with Gayle Benson and representatives from her organization to get her blessing to name the school after Mr. Benson.
Roosevelt is welcoming new leadership, faculty, and students as part of its PK-8 expansion for 2019-20.
Renaming the school after Mr. Benson will help provide a new energy for the new school.
Mrs. Benson expects this to be a world-class school.
The district is confident she will consider support for any specific need at the school, including access to professionals throughout the Saints and Pelicans organization for key initiatives.
“This rebrand is a wonderful way to establish a relationship between JP Schools and the Saints and Pelican’s organization,” said Tom Benson School Principal John Starr. “We look forward to working with the organization and the Benson family to create an uplifting, encouraging educational environment.”
