The Sims Elementary School community in East Austin will be able to continue honoring Mary J. Sims for years to come, as Austin ISD trustees May 18 officially renamed Norman Elementary School as the combined Norman-Sims Elementary.

Norman-Sims Elementary is currently being modernized through the district’s 2017 bond program, and beginning in January 2021 will be the home campus for families that previously attended both Norman and Sims elementary schools. Sims Elementary—which will be permanently closed in 2021—is temporarily the home campus for both groups during construction.

"I would like to thank these two school communities who came together recently to create a shared vision for all students, living their motto of 'two schools, one vision,'" said trustee LaTisha Anderson, who represents East Austin and made the motion to rename the school. “Thank you for all of your hard work."

According to district documents, of the 160 name submissions for the campus made by the public, 140 of those were for Norman-Sims, while additional submissions recommended Sims-Norman as an option.

Mary J. Sims and G.W. Norman were both educational leaders who served their community’s for more than 100 years combined, according to the district.


The other finalist for trustees to consider was Draylen Mason Elementary. Draylen Mason was a former AISD student and was one of the individuals who died as a result of the Austin bombings in 2018.