NEW ORLEANS — The K-12 charter school formerly known as Lusher will officially unveil its new program name and individual school building names at four separate events on Sept. 2 and Sept. 3 at three Uptown campuses.
In 2021, after a grassroots demand for change made national headlines, the school’s board voted to stop honoring the school’s original namesake, Robert Mills Lusher. The former Louisiana state superintendent of education was an avowed white supremacist.
The three-campus program’s new name is the Willow School. Each individual school building is named in honor of a notable New Orleanian.
At 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 2, there will be a name celebration and arch reveal at the Elijah J. Brimmer Jr. campus at 5624 Freret Street. High school students will gather on Freret to celebrate the new “Willow” arch over the front gate entrance.
At 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, there will be a ribbon cutting celebration at the Dr. Everett J. Williams Jr. campus at 7315 Willow Street. The school community will attend a “morning meeting” featuring musician Phillip Manuel, who will perform his song “Learning the Willow Way.” Willow Interim CEO Nicolette London and others will speak.
At noon on Saturday, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Elijah J. Brimmer Jr. campus on Freret. NOLA-PS Superintendent Avis Williams and others will appear. The Fortier Alumni Band will perform.
At 4 p.m. on Saturday, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Willow’s Ellis Marsalis Jr. campus at 5625 Loyola Avenue. Speakers will include London, members of the Marsalis family and school community. There will be a jazz band performance and the unveiling of the Ellis Marsalis Official Portrait.
Willow was founded in 1917. Under the leadership of former CEO Kathy Reidlinger, the A-rated program expanded to serve more than 1,900 students. It is the highest ranking K-12 school in the state.
