The discussion surrounding the possible renaming of Salem Elementary School in honor of Tom Garner revealed two very different perspectives on what it means to leave a lasting legacy in Washington County.
During a recent work session, Board Member Mike Guessford expressed opposition about renaming the school after doing a Google search. He noted that many schools named after individuals were dedicated to people who donated significant amounts of land or money, or whose impact extended across the entire county rather than a single community. While stating that he did not want to take anything away from Tom Garner, he proceeded to mention several other notable individuals whom he believed might be equally deserving of such recognition. He suggested alternative ways to honor Garner’s memory, including creating a plaque of his face, dedicating the hallways to him, or renaming the street in front of the school. He also pointed out that there were and are other educators had devoted 40 to 50 years of service to our county schools.
Community members and staff who spoke in support of the renaming painted a broader picture of Tom Garner’s impact. They shared stories of a leader whose influence stretched far beyond the walls of Salem Avenue Elementary. Garner served the Salem community for more than 20 years and remained a steady presence through four different superintendents. He was involved in the Boy Scouts and became a cornerstone of the Salem community, helping shape generations of students, families, and staff.
Supporters emphasized that while Garner may not have donated land or financial resources, reasons Guessford gave as justification for the naming of E.Russel Hicks Middle School, Emma K. Doub Elementary School, and Barbars Ingram School for the Arts, he dedicated something equally valuable: two decades of leadership, vision, and service. Under his guidance, Salem Elementary earned recognition as a 2024 Model School, an achievement that reflected years of commitment to student success and school culture.
Several speakers challenged the notion that Garner’s influence was limited to Salem Avenue Elementary. They highlighted how Salem’s work impacted educators throughout Maryland and across the nation. Garner presented at the Common Ground Conference, sharing Salem Avenue’s practices and successes with more than 1,000 educators from across the state. He was also invited to present at the National School Leadership Conference, where administrators and educators from around the country learned about the culture and systems developed under Garner’s leadership.
In addition, Salem Avenue Elementary was invited to speak before the Maryland State Board of Education in 2023 because of accomplishments that distinguished the school among Title I schools statewide. These opportunities were not simply recognition of a single school; they reflected the impact of leadership that resonated well beyond one building or one neighborhood.
At its heart, the debate is not simply about naming a school. It is about how a community chooses to define legacy. For many who spoke before the Board during the public comment portion of a recent Board of Education Business Meeting, Tom Garner’s contribution was not measured in acres of donated land or financial gifts, but in the lives he influenced, the school culture he built, and the example he set for educators across Maryland and beyond. They believe that Salem Avenue Elementary itself stands as the clearest representation of Tom Garner’s legacy and that naming the school in his honor would recognize a lifetime of service that transformed both a community and the profession of education.
After Guessford’s comments, some spoke at the board meetings, others wrote in to Rising to Learn. One educator shared the following:
“My primary concern regarding the renaming proposals involves the suggestion to rename “Blue Ribbon Way” (the street fronting Salem Avenue) to “Thomas Garner Way.” Retiring the name “Blue Ribbon Way” would diminish the legacy of the staff whose efforts earned that distinction during the 1998-1999 school year. We should avoid replacing one notable honor with another simply for the sake of compromise; the recognition of our status as a Blue Ribbon School of Maryland should not be erased to honor Mr. Garner’s contributions and legacy.
Furthermore, the proposal to rename a portion of our school facility after Mr. Garner appears less suitable for an elementary setting. While naming a high school gymnasium, auditorium, or athletic field can provide meaningful recognition due to their frequent use for district-wide or regional events, these spaces within an elementary school serve a more internal, localized purpose. Our gymnasium and media center are primarily utilized for school-specific gatherings where the formal naming of these spaces would likely go unnoticed and unrecognized. The proposed name would not carry the same weight or visibility that it would in a larger, high-traffic venue or space which hosts district and/or state-level events. Therefore, this suggested proposal is not worthy of the honor and attention deserved by Mr. Garner’s contributions and legacy.
Regarding Mr. Garner’s contributions, some Board members suggested his impact was confined to the Salem Avenue community. I strongly disagree with this notion. Washington County Board Policy FF on Renaming Schools states that facilities may be named after an individual who has made a "significant contribution to the community, the state, or the nation," a standard Mr. Garner exceeded. His leadership resonated locally, across Washington County, the state of Maryland, and on a national scale. Statistics given by Fox 45 News highlights, ‘in 2018, Salem Avenue was one of two Maryland schools with 100 percent student poverty, yet it outperformed state averages. By 2023, it remained the sole school among 98 with similar demographics to achieve a four-out-of-five-star rating on the Maryland Report Card.’ This success caught the eye and led Maryland State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury to feature Salem Avenue at the April 2023 State Board of Education meeting to examine the school’s strategies for success, compared to other Title 1 schools in Maryland. Additionally, Mr. Garner and his administrative team also presented at The Common Ground Conference in Ocean City to share their work with educators across the state of Maryland. These examples show the impact and significance Tom Garner had within education across the state of Maryland.
Furthermore, Mr. Garner’s influence extended well beyond Maryland. He and his team presented at major venues, including the Coalition of Essential Schools National Conference in San Francisco and the National School Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, inspiring educators nationwide. In 2024, Salem Avenue’s recognition as a “model school” at the National Conference in Orlando, an honor bestowed upon only 28 schools nationwide, further validates the reach of his work. To characterize his influence as merely local is inaccurate and overlooks his significant professional legacy.
Ultimately, Mr. Garner’s professional accolades are secondary to the profound human impact he fostered. His mentorship and unwavering support of people created a nurturing environment that made students, families, and teachers want to be in his building. He was recently honored with the MAESP Connect Leader Award alongside principal Mindy Reeves, who is among the many dozens of leaders he mentored. These individuals have since carried his vision forward, instilling his core values of compassion and excellence in schools across Washington County, Maryland, and beyond.
In conclusion, I hope that these points effectively address the concerns raised by some Board members and clarify the profound scope of Mr. Tom Garner’s impact. Renaming Salem Avenue in his honor is not merely a local tribute; it is a fitting recognition of a leader whose vision and mentorship transformed educational standards across Maryland and the nation. Failing to move forward with this proposal would be a missed opportunity to celebrate a legacy that has touched countless lives and continues to inspire excellence within our school system. I urge the Board to honor his significant contributions by approving the renaming of Salem Avenue Elementary.”
Another shared:
“Tom was a fierce leader that was passionate about everything he did. He created a climate and culture in our building, like no one else could. He went above test scores and the building itself, to build relationships with staff, students and parents that will last forever. His impact goes further than just the building, he built a community that reached farther than the walls of Salem Ave. He built a community in the west end that trusted and dearly loved him.
Our staff every August did something Tom coined, The Blitz, where we went out and visited each students house. Each year Tom went out, sat on porches, hugged kids and built a community that trusted him. This community is still thriving today because of this.
Tom not only built the community around him, he built leaders that carried what he did to other buildings. He built sustainability in the WCPS. If you talk to any of the principals and APs in other buildings, you will hear the same thing. His legacy lives on in many schools across our county and beyond.
Tom was a person Who truly left behind something that was better than when he found it. He created a vision for us and students of high expectations because he truly believed in every person he met.
When I listened to the last board meeting, I did not argue that all the people named after schools had a huge impact, but so did Tom in a way different way. There was no money involved, but what he gave, reached people in a way that will last forever. He gave people a lifelong lesson of what you can truly do when you just believe in them.
No one is more deserving of this building name change than Tom Garner.”
Taken together, the testimony from educators, community members, former staff, and families presents a compelling case that Tom Garner’s impact extended far beyond the boundaries of a single school community. While Board members are right to carefully consider any request to rename a public facility, many were left questioning whether the full scope of Garner’s contributions was adequately considered during the discussion. Comparisons to land donors or financial benefactors may overlook the reality that some legacies are built not through gifts of property, but through decades of service, leadership, mentorship, and the lives changed along the way.
The suggestions offered as alternatives, whether a plaque, a hallway dedication, or a street renaming, were viewed by many supporters as well-intentioned but insufficient when measured against the magnitude of Garner’s influence. More importantly, they do not address the central argument made by those advocating for the renaming: that Salem Avenue Elementary itself stands as the most visible and enduring reflection of Tom Garner’s life’s work.
People may disagree on how communities should honor their leaders. However, the overwhelming sentiment expressed by those who worked alongside Tom Garner and experienced his leadership firsthand suggests that this conversation deserves further consideration. Before closing the door on the proposal, the Board should revisit the evidence, listen carefully to the voices of those most impacted by his work, and weigh whether its initial assessment fully reflected the extraordinary legacy being discussed.
If naming a school is ultimately about recognizing individuals whose contributions leave a lasting mark on a community, then many believe Tom Garner has met that standard. The question now is whether the Board is willing to acknowledge that fact.
There is also an important reality that cannot be ignored: Tom Garner’s legacy was still being written. Unlike many individuals whose names appear on buildings decades after retirement or death, Garner’s career and influence were cut short far too soon. By all accounts, he was deeply engaged in his work, mentoring future leaders, strengthening school communities, and sharing successful practices with educators across the state and nation.
Had his life not been tragically cut short, there is little doubt that he would have spent another 10, 15, or even 20 years continuing to shape students, educators, and schools throughout Washington County and beyond. The accomplishments already attributed to his leadership represent not the end of a completed legacy, but the remarkable achievements of a leader whose greatest contributions may still have been ahead of him. That reality makes the impact he did have all the more extraordinary and worthy of recognition.
