DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 18, 2021 / Uplift Education excited to unveil a new name of our long-standing East Dallas Prek-12^th grade school. Uplift Peak Preparatory will now be known as Uplift Atlas Preparatory. Many of us as individuals and organizations, have more deeply reflected on our role in creating more racial equity in our communities. Throughout the country we have seen buildings and streets renamed to more appropriately honor and recognize those who have been positive contributors to our history.

As Uplift has been doing its own equity work this summer, we learned Peak Street was named for Junius' father, Jefferson Peak, who was a Dallas pioneering landowner. Junius Street is named for Junius. Many streets in the Peak neighborhood are named for Jefferson Peak's kids or relatives. Junius Peak was in the Confederate Army, was a Texas Ranger, and is alleged to be the founding member of the Dallas KKK.

When Uplift Peak was opened in 2004 as the second campus in our network, the school was named to honor the historic district in East Dallas. The name "Peak" also aligned to our goal for our scholars to reach new heights as part of the school community.

As a network, we aspire for each of our schools to be inclusive, respectful, and caring communities. We do not believe Junius Peak for whom the Peak historic district was named aligns to our values at Uplift or our school community at Uplift Peak.

Hence, Uplift network and Uplift Peak school leadership believe it is in the best interest of our school community to change the name of our beloved and well-known school to Uplift Atlas Preparatory. While this was an easy decision in many ways, we also have heavy hearts because Uplift Peak has been a part of our identity for so many years as a school community and as a network. However, we know that a name does not define one of our schools, their staff, or our scholars who go there. What has made Uplift Peak an amazing school for educators, families, and scholars for so many years is the deep sense of community, pride in striving for excellence, and compassion for one another. These things will not change when Uplift Peak changes its name starting with the upcoming 2021-22 school year.

The Uplift Peak leadership team has shared this news with their families, scholars, and staff. Uplift is grateful for the support of our longest-tenured staff at Uplift Peak who believe the name change is the right course of action.

For those who remember their Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan who was forced to hold up the world/ heaven for eternity. Atlas also means a book of maps and speaks to the global nature of our IB framework. We are a stronger network because of all the perspectives and backgrounds that we are made of.

Uplift Education

Uplift Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of teachers, families, and, most importantly, students. With a network of 43 college preparatory, public charter schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Uplift offers students of any background the powerful chance to study within a multidisciplinary curriculum and prepare for the college career they deserve. Uplift is the largest International Baccalaureate district in Texas and the #2 IB district in the nation because of the number of holistic extracurricular and educational programs. The incredible educators in the Uplift network guide and teach nearly 20,000 students in Pre-K- 12^th grades, with the majority being low-income and minority students who will be the first in their family to attend college. For more information Uplift's mission and their blind lottery selection system, visit uplifteducation.org or facebook.com/uplifteducation.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Deekay Fox
Senior Marketing and Communications Director
dfox@uplifteducation.org
661-378-2353

SOURCE: Uplift Education

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