Monticello Renaming Update

July 19, 2025

Dear CH-UH Community,

At Wednesday night’s Board of Education work session, the Monticello Middle School Renaming Task Force presented their final list of three potential new school names to the Board for their consideration. The list the task force developed was the culmination of intentional research, reflection, and conversation, all with equity and representation at the forefront. The three names presented to the Board along with their historical contexts are as follows:

Baumgardner Middle School
Heights Middle School
Yellowstone Middle School

Following discussion, the Board approved a motion to change the name of Monticello Middle School to Baumgardner Middle School before the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

View Presentation Slides

The Baumgardner Story

Dr. Luther O. Baumgardner, a Black physician originally from South Carolina, moved to Cleveland in 1921 after finishing medical school at Howard University. He and his wife, Myrtle, and their young daughters, Gretchen and Jane, moved in 1938 to a house they had purchased on Wilmar Road in Cleveland Heights. Less than a week after moving into the home, they suffered a bombing attack one night after they had held a dinner party. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the explosion caused significant damage to the home, even breaking windows in neighbors’ houses. It was clear that the attackers intended to intimidate the family into moving away, simply because they were Black.

The couple refused to be intimidated into leaving, however, and Gretchen and Jane went on to attend Monticello Middle School and graduate from Cleveland Heights High School (classes of June 1948 and June 1955, respectively). Dr. Baumgardner lived in the Wilmar Road house until he passed away in 1976.

After graduating from Heights High, both Gretchen and Jane went on to earn advanced degrees, have careers, and raise their own families. Gretchen passed away in 2009 in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Jane is 87 years old and is a practicing psychologist in Michigan. After the task force placed Baumgardner Middle School on their short list, and prior to the Board’s final decision, District administrators were able to connect with Jane and her family to ensure they would be comfortable with the school’s name becoming Baumgardner Middle School. They expressed their full support, and now that a final decision has been made, have said that they are truly excited and honored to see their family’s legacy being commemorated in this way.

The Baumgardner family’s story is one of courage, tenacity, and achievement, and so are the stories of Heights students past, present, and future.

Next Steps

In the short term, District administrators are working with the state to officially change the name of Monticello Middle School to Baumgardner Middle School, and shortly thereafter we will begin the more “unofficial” tasks of changing our signage, online and print materials, etc. And of course, a dedication event is being planned for the near future (date to be determined).

Please know that this will be an ongoing process, but we will be sure to keep you informed and work collaboratively with staff, students, families, alumni, and community members. Thank you, as always, for your continued support, and we are truly looking forward to the next steps in this exciting new chapter for Heights Schools.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Liz Kirby