Names of five new schools selected

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005 | 9:05 a.m.

After years of campaigning by his supporters, Clark County School District's first black superintendent will have a campus bearing his name.

The Clark County School Board on Thursday approved five names for new campuses, including Claude Grandford Perkins Elementary School. Perkins was superintendent of the district from 1978 to 1981. His tenure was marred by run-ins with the teachers' union and some community members.

But he also was credited with improving the rigor and quality of the curriculum and increasing the number of minority and female administrators.

Urban Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Louis Overstreet led lobbying efforts on Perkins' behalf. The 2005 Legislature issued a joint resolution urging the district to recognize Perkins, and Gov. Kenny Guinn -- who, as superintendent, hired Perkins as an assistant in 1971 -- also voiced his support.

"It was most refreshing to see the School Board do the right thing in honoring Dr. Perkins," Overstreet said. "Now if we could only restore student achievement to the levels realized during his tenure as superintendent, all would be well at the district."

The School Board also approved naming an elementary school after Sister Robert Joseph Bailey. The Dominican nun, a longtime teacher, became head of dietary services and later community education for the Rose de Lima campus of St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson. She spent 37 years establishing and overseeing programs that provided free dental and medical care to children from low-income families. Sister Bailey also created a volunteer program pairing seniors with children struggling to read.

The other school facility names approved are:

* D.L. "Dusty" Dickens Elementary School. Dickens retired this summer as director of zoning and demographics after more than 30 years with the district. She was responsible for $1.5 billion in land acquisitions and recommended site locations for 200 schools.

* Edmundo "Eddie" Escobedo Middle School. A native of Coahuila, Mexico, Escobedo served in the U.S. Air Force before launching a successful career as an entrepreneur. He brought Hispanic radio and film to Las Vegas and for more than 20 years has published El Mundo, a Spanish-language newspaper.

* Robert Forbuss Elementary School. Forbuss began his professional career in Las Vegas as a teacher, supplementing his income by driving an ambulance. He later became an emergency medical technician and later owner of Mercy Medical Services. He has been chairman of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce three times, raising more than $25 million for scholarships as vice president of the Nevada Public Education Association.

* C. Owen Roundy Elementary School. A longtime educator whose career with the district spanned 36 years, Roundy served as a teacher, counselor and principal. One of nine children and the son of a coal miner, Roundy raised his family in Las Vegas. His five children are all graduates of Clark County schools.

School district regulations allow elementary and middle schools to be named after local educators, community leaders and pioneers while high school names must reflect geographic features. An exception was made in 2001 for Liberty High School after students said they wanted to memorialize the events of Sept. 11.

Emily Richmond can be reached at 259-8829 or at emily@lasvegassun.com.