YCSD working to rename school in honor of William Holmes McGuffey

The Youngstown City School District (YCSD) is working to rename a school after a man with heavy ties to the Mahoning Valley.

According to a letter addressed to YCSD Board of Education President Juanita Walker, the former West Elementary School was renamed in honor of William Holmes McGuffey back in 2008. The plaque from that renaming is pictured above.

Now, WHMHS is requesting another school building to be renamed, this time Chaney Middle School at McGuffey.

"I hope you and the board of education will see fit to continue the McGuffey legacy by renaming a building in his honor," the letter reads.

According to a press release from YCSD, the district is moving Volney Rogers Elementary School to the former McGuffey building next school year, and Chaney Middle School will move to the current Volney Rogers building.

YCSD Superintendent Jeremy Batheclor says plans call for that campus to be renamed "Volney Rogers Elementary at the McGuffey Campus."

"We are working diligently to preserve the McGuffey legacy within the school district," Batchelor said in a response to WHMHS.

McGuffey was educated in Youngstown and eventually became known as "America's Schoolmaster" and "America's Storyteller."

According to the letter, McGuffey Eclectic Readers, which was published in 1836 and still in print, were inspired by McGuffey's childhood here in the Mahoning Valley.

McGuffey has quite the history in the Valley with McGuffey Road in Youngstown being the path McGuffey's father made through the woods for him to attend school in Youngstown. Rayen Early College is now located at that site.

Additionally, the McGuffey homesite, now the McGuffey Wildlife Preserve in Coitsville Township is a national historic landmark donated by WHMHS to Mill Creek Metroparks back in 1998.