Return to Headlines

Official Ribbon-Cutting at Dr. David and Ruth Anderson Academy School No. 16

(September 9, 2024) The Rochester City School District proudly celebrated a significant milestone on Friday, September 6, 2024, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the official renaming of John Walton Spencer School No. 16. The school is now named Dr. David and Ruth Anderson Academy School No. 16 in honor of Dr. Anderson and his wife, Ruth.

In September 2023, the Board of Education voted to rename the school in honor of two outstanding individuals. Dr. David Anderson, a renowned Frederick Douglass historian, has an incredible legacy of making long-term contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of African American history, culture, and heritage. A former visiting scholar at Nazareth University’s School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences, Anderson has received the Liberty Medal, which is New York’s highest civilian honor given to recipients for lifetime achievement and exceptional community acts. He has built strong relationships in Rochester through his work with the Urban League of Rochester and Action for a Better Community.

Ruth Anderson, an elementary teacher in the Rochester City School District for 23 years, earned her teaching certification from the University of Rochester and a Master of Science Degree in Education from Nazareth University. During her teaching career in Rochester, she produced educational materials, including the multimedia interactive curriculum “Our Stories/Our Selves 19th Century Afro-Rochester.” She has served as Executive Director of AKWAABA: the Heritage Associates, Inc., a non-profit educational organization founded in 1999 to perpetuate the history of the Underground Railroad in the Rochester area.

“All the work my folks tried doing in the community to make it better. You always try to come in and leave the place better than when you found it, and they stuck to that from day one,” said David Anderson, Jr., Dr. David and Ruth Anderson’s son.

The celebration featured former student Antonia Wynter, who attended School No. 16 during Dr. Anderson’s visits in the 1990s. She spoke to students about Dr. Anderson’s impact. Additionally, the school announced new partnerships with the ROC Royal Foundation, which will offer after-school programs for youth and families, and Tru-Impact will provide tutoring for math and reading. The 19^th Ward Community Association will also participate by reading to students during school hours and in the after-school program.

The Rochester City School District does not discriminate on the basis of an individual's actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, age, marital status, partnership status, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, sexual orientation, gender (sex), military status, veteran status, domestic violence victim status or political affiliation, and additionally does not discriminate against students on the basis of weight, gender identity, gender expression, and religious practices or any other basis prohibited by New York State and/or federal non-discrimination laws in employment or its programs and activities. The District provides equal access to community and youth organizations. NYS CR Part #154 requires the District to provide communications to ELL families in the home language that they best understand. In order to request interpretation or translation services, employees may visit www.rcsdk12.org/translationservices. For emergencies or immediate communication needs, please use the Language Line at 1-866-874-3972. School secretaries in each school or program can provide the access code for this service.