School dedicated in honor of former slave

U.S. Rep. David Price" D-N.C. quickly surveyed the crowd at the Morris Grove Elementary School dedication ceremony before asking" ""Can any students tell me: What did Mr. and Mrs. Hogan do?""

After a pause" one girl said" ""Um"" they learned to read and write and then decided to open a school.""

Officials" alumni faculty and students gathered Sunday to honor Morris Grove Elementary which opened in August 80 years after a school with the same name closed.

The event recognized Morris Hogan a former slave who founded the original school" and his attempts to equalize education standards for children of all races.

""He was a pioneer in that he wanted to make an education system better" and that was inspiring" Principal Amy Rickard said.

Born a slave in 1853, Hogan was freed after the Civil War ended, whereupon he married and became a successful farmer.

Passionately spiritual and with a similar passion for bettering education, Hogan opened Morris Grove Elementary School for the area's local black children in the late 1880s.

Using his own land and funds, Hogan built and operated the two-room school with two teachers instructing several grades at a time.

Because we had parents that made education very important" we knew that by going to school we would be better citizens" said Marie Smith, who attended the original Morris Grove Elementary.

The original schoolhouse, now a private residence, closed in the 1920s and still stands adjacent to the current Morris Grove Elementary.

This school has a lot of values (Hogan) promoted in his community to educate all the children in this area"" said Jimmy Rogers, Hogan's great-grandson and a former student at the school.

The new school building boasts many energy efficient aspects, including natural day lighting, renewable energy for heating and cooling, and rainwater storage devices.

Following a ribbon cutting ceremony, the Morris Grove fifth grade chorus sang America the Beautiful"" which alumni from the original Morris Grove sang every morning.

Members of Hogan's family attended the event and were presented with white roses by the first kindergarten class of the new Morris Grove Elementary.

The school's colors, chosen by the students, are blue and green and their mascot is the gecko.

The ceremony concluded with fourth and fifth grade marshals conducting tours of the facility.

It is an absolutely beautiful school"" Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton said. I can't image what Morris Hogan himself would say or think if he could see this school right now.""



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