I didn’t attend school in Richmond Public Schools, but even from a distance I was aware of the strong school spirit that some Richmonders have for their high schools. It’s similar to a sorority or fraternity, in some ways, except that the schools were less picky about who they let in.

Over time, high schools merge, get renamed or repurposed. That’s the way it goes. But that doesn’t sit well with some of the people who attended John F. Kennedy High School, who are asking the school board to add the name of their alma mater to the current school moniker, Armstrong High School.

Renaming a school isn’t cheap. It might seem like an empty exercise to some, with little or no reward. But ask alumni from Hanover County schools that shed the names of defeated Confederate generals — they’ll tell you otherwise.

With all the challenges that Richmond Public Schools faces, there are some who might say that the school board and concerned members of the community have more important matters to consider. They have a strong argument.

Still, this is Richmond. And we’re talking about high school—old high school, at that.

Names carry weight. And when people feel theirs has been erased, they deserve to be heard.