Robert F. Munroe Kindergarten
History
As in many public school districts in the Southern United States, Gadsden County officials delayed their compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 order to end segregation in public schools. In 1965, the first Black students began attending previously all-white schools in county schools. That same year, groups of white parents began organizing private schools, dubbed segregation academies, to keep their children from being educated alongside black students. One such group came together in 1968; the following year, the board incorporated a non-profit organization to launch what was to be called Gadsden Day School. Founding board member Robert Fraser Munroe died before the school opened its doors, and the remaining members renamed their segregation academy to honor his work in creating it.
In 1970, the school began operations with grades 1 through 12 under headmaster S.M. Eubanks. The day kindergarten Quincy campus opened in 1977.
Campuses
The main campus is in Mount Pleasant, an unincorporated area near Quincy, while the kindergarten campus, the Robert F. Munroe Day Kindergarten, is in Quincy proper.
The main campus has 20 acres (8.1 ha) of land. Buildings on the Mount Pleasant campus include:
- Bates Science Building (1981). Named for George Davis Bates, Jr. and Mortimer Boulware Bates.
- Billy Don Grant Student Center (1990). Named for a donor.
- Angus T. Hinson Elementary Science Lab & Maker's Space (2019).
- Carolyn Brinson May Auditorium. Remodeled and renamed in 2005.
- Mary Gray Munroe Library (1983). Named for the mother of the school's namesake.
- Byron and Isabel Suber Complex (1971). School gymnasium remodeled and renamed in 1998.
- VanLandingham & Mahaffey Building (1997). Holds classrooms for grades 1 and 2; named for Jimmy Mahaffey and Hall VanLandingham.
- Julia Munroe Woodward Elementary Building (1997). Holds classrooms for grades 3-5
The Quincy kindergarten campus includes the John Allen Blitch Child Development Center (1987).
In 2021, the school planned to move to a new 40-acre site on the eastern edge of Gadsden County.
References
- ^ Flanigan, Tom (2021-06-14). "Gadsden County's Robert F. Munroe Day School Moving To A New Campus". WFSU News. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
- ^ White, Headley J. (2006). Effects of Desegregation on Gadsden County, Florida Public Schools 1968-1972 (PhD). Florida State University. p. 84. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "Robert F. Munroe -> About Us -> Traditions and History". 2018-08-02. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- ^ "About Us." Robert F. Munroe Day School. Retrieved on June 5, 2017. "Founded in 1969 in Mt. Pleasant, Florida, the campus[...]" and "91 Old Mt. Pleasant Rd. Quincy FL, 32352"
- ^ "Robert F. Munroe Day School 91 Old Mt. Pleasant Road Quincy, Florida 32352" and "Robert F. Munroe Day Kindergarten 1800 West King Street Quincy, Florida 32351"
- ^ "Robert F. Munroe Timeline." Robert F. Munroe Day School. Retrieved on June 5, 2017.