News
In the News: Construction Begins on New Roof for Ralph Bunche High School
Claudette T. Jordon
President
On December 21, 2022, Fredericksburg, Virginia’s local news agency, The Free Lance-Star, reported on a major advancement in the restoration of the Ralph Bunche High School. The article, titled, “Ralph Bunche Supporters Raise the Roof with Enthusiasm” begins as follows:
It’s not often that people get so excited about a new roof. But since mid-October, when a contractor dropped off supplies to replace the leaking roof at Ralph Bunche High School, people who live around or drive by the aging building have been contacting Claudette Jordon with updates. She’s president of the school’s alumni association and lives in Maryland. She got another round of phone calls recently when a crew from Old Dominion Roofing and Construction started working at the site.
“I got five or six calls from people before I even got up in the morning,” Jordon said, as people told her blue tarps and shiny ladders were set up around the school and workers were on the roof.
As Jordon has told the King George Board of Supervisors repeatedly in regular progress reports: “Everyone is just so excited about this. It’s all the buzz.”
Dyson, Cathy. “Ralph Bunche supporters raise the roof with enthusiasm.” The Free Lance-Star, 21 December 2022.
The article describes how King George County officials applied for and received several grants to fund the restoration of the aging Ralph Bunche High School building, which has fallen into extreme disrepair. The funding to restore the roof was received from the National Park Service.
The article also talks of the ongoing involvement of NFL-standout Jermon Bushrod, who’s father attended RBHS and who has become a major benefactor to the restoration effort. His foundation, Visualize & Rize, will also use part of the restored facility to provide coaching and support services to King George County youth.
Thank you to Cathy Dyson, reporter at the Free Lance-Star, for doing such a wonderful job telling the story of Ralph Bunche High School and the effort to restore and revitalize such an important part of our community’s history!
Read the full article online by following the link below!
Online Edition (fredericksburg.com)
Online Edition (Paywall Removed)
Related Articles
Interested in more information about the renovation of the Ralph Bunche High School building? Have a look at these articles, as well!
In the News: Super Bowl Champ Will Help Tackle Restoration
In the News: Free Lance-Star Article on Restoration of RBHS Gymnasium
Slides from the Wiley-Wilson School Building Refurbishment Presentation
Watch The Road to School Desegregation Documentary
Produced by the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association and King George County School Board, The Road to School Desegregation is a documentary video detailing the struggle for educational equality in King George County, Virginia and across the United States. Deepen your knowledge of this part of our nation’s vital history and support the mission of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association in the process!
TAKE ACTION
Your contributions and involvement with the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association directly fund historic preservation, community education and the college scholarship award. Find out more about how you can get involved and make an important difference.