Maurice Pritchett, Sr. Academy opened Friday to a huge, lively crowd. (All photos from Jarek Rutz/Delaware LIVE News)
Hundreds of Wilmingtonians screamed the last name of a local legend in a “call and response” rhythm on the corner of East 7th and North Lombard streets Friday afternoon.
Speakers screamed “Maur-ice” as the crowd howled “Pritch-ett” back to celebrate the opening of the first school in the city of Wilmington in five decades.
Longtime Wilmington educator Maurice Pritchett Sr., who was the principal of the Bancroft School from 1975 to 2005 and died in April 2023, is the new school’s namesake.
A full-on block party, attendees gobbled up hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, cheeseburgers, water ice and more while children shouted “KOBE!” while shooting basketballs on a massive moonbounce with hoops.
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Some were waiving Christina School District rally towels – the district the new school resides in – or used them to cover their heads on the hot sunny day.
And while the event planners might need to get new speakers since many in the large crowd could not hear a word the speakers were saying – the day was full of joy and hope.
Pritchett’s impact
A few common themes were able to be picked up by the crowd however.
More than a dozen of Pritchett’s family members were in the crowd, and a couple spoke and talked about how proud Maurice Pritchett would be and how this is an amazing honor.
“He wasn’t just a principal, he was one of us,” said Sen. Darius Brown, D-Wilmington. “He grew up in this neighborhood.”
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The school is one of the lowest achieving schools in the state.
But, the district’s new interim superintendent, Bob Andrzejewski, said he was confident student achievement can be done at this new school, and said incremental progress is possible.
“The opening of school doors is just the first step in a much larger narrative around how we foster innovation in teaching and learning fueled by high expectations for our students and an unwavering belief that all of our children can be successful.” said Laura Burgos, executive director of the Wilmington Learning Collaborative .
Other legislators and education leaders spoke, all in one way or another acknowledging that Pritchett gave his life to educating the children of Wilmington.
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The celebration also included resource tables hosted by local community organizations.
The school’s campus will be bounded by East 6th and East 8th Streets, andLombard and Spruce Streets.
It cost $84 million and replaces the Bancroft School in the Christina School District .
All of the funding for the new building came from the state.
About 600 students in 1st-8th grades will attend the two-floor building with most of the staff from the old location transferring to the new location.
The 7th Street block containing the building is renamed Maurice Pritchett Way.
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