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Renaming Ceremony of Lori Mann Carey Elementary School

We are honored to celebrate the ribbon cutting and renaming of Southside Elementary to Lori Mann Carey Elementary.

The renaming and ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Tuesday, June 2nd. From inspiring student performances and heartfelt reflections from the Carey family to the unveiling of Lori's portrait and the official ribbon cutting, the event showcased what makes the South Side so special: a community that shows up for its students and invests in their future.

Constructed as part of the 2020 facilities referendum work, Lori Mann Carey Elementary serves more than 350 students and helped to address a need for an elementary school on the south side of Madison.

Lori Mann Carey

Lori attended our schools, graduated from Memorial, put her own children through this district and then advocated for everybody else’s children — there’s something really profound about that. I also love the idea of the school having a strong South Side name. 
— Nichelle Nichols, Board of Education President

Scenes from the Renaming and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

See the highlights

Watch the full ceremony

Renaming and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Celebration

A group of people, including children, gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of a colorful, geometric wall.
A group of people, including children, are gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of a colorful, abstract mural.
A man in a black suit cuts a red and yellow ribbon with large scissors, surrounded by smiling children and adults in a brightly lit indoor space.
A group of adults and children cheer and clap in the foreground as a man in a suit prepares to cut a ribbon in front of a blurred background.
A large group of people are gathered in a gymnasium with a colorful mural on the wall behind them.
White lettering spelling %22LORI MANN CAREY%22 is mounted on a brick facade above a tiled overhang, with a colorful stained-glass window visible in the background.
Silver letters spelling %22LORI MANN CAREY%22 are mounted on a beige brick facade above a red brick lower level, with a colorful mural visible through large windows in the background.
A close-up of a folding chair in the foreground has a %22RESERVED%22 sign from the Madison Metropolitan School District, with other chairs blurred in the background.
A sign with %22TOUR BEGINS HERE%22 in blue and white text is mounted above a large photograph of a modern indoor basketball court with polished wooden floors and bright lighting, displayed on a black easel against a light blue cinder block wall.
A blue event sign with an arrow pointing left stands on a tripod in the foreground, with a gymnasium wall in the background.
A woman stands behind a table with papers on it, with artwork displayed on the wall in the background.
A man in a suit and hat looks down at papers on a table in front of a red wall.
A group of young girls pose playfully on a bench in front of a textured wall.
Two women embrace in the foreground, with a plain wall and a bulletin board visible in the background.
Three smiling people stand in front of a light-colored wall and a wooden partition.
Four smiling people stand in front of a plain wall and a wooden partition.
An elderly Black couple, the woman in a striped shirt and the man in a plaid shirt, stand in a hallway adorned with photos and colorful artwork.
In the foreground, three women are taking a selfie, while in the background, an audience sits in chairs with balloons overhead.
A smiling young girl with dark curly hair gives two thumbs up in the foreground, while a blurred background reveals large windows with greenery and cars outside.
Two men in suits converse in the foreground, while blurred figures and a light blue wall form the background.
A woman in an orange shirt and glasses talks to a man in a suit, with other people blurred in the background of a gymnasium.
A young girl with blonde hair and a woman with blonde hair smile at the camera, with blurred figures in the background.
Three smiling people, two women and a young girl, are seated in the foreground with rows of empty chairs in the background.
A smiling woman in an orange headscarf waves to the camera in the foreground, while a blurred crowd of people fills the background of an indoor event.
A multi-generational family smiles at the camera in the foreground, while other spectators are blurred in the background.
A group of women in colorful attire pose for a photo in front of a portrait, with a golden balloon and a photographer in the background.
A smiling woman in a striped shirt stands in the foreground, while a camera crew and other people are visible in the blurred background.
Three smiling children in matching t-shirts pose in the foreground, with a blurred background of adults and other children.
Four smiling people, three women and a young girl, pose in front of a light blue wall.
A woman in a maroon dress laughs while speaking at a podium in front of an audience, with balloons and a colorful wall in the background.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium with balloons and seated guests in the foreground, while a gymnasium with a colorful wall and windows forms the background.
In the foreground, smiling women in red attire and a man in a baseball cap are seated, while the background shows a blurred crowd of people attending an event.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium with balloons and seated guests in the foreground, while a blurred background shows a wall with artwork.
A group of young girls in white t-shirts and athletic shorts stand on a wooden floor in the foreground, while an audience of children and adults sits in the background.
Four young girls in white t-shirts stand in the foreground with a blurred background of a gymnasium.
A man in a suit stands at a podium in the foreground, while a group of people clap in the background.
A balloon arch and large white letters stand in the foreground, while an audience watches a ceremony in the background.
Young girls in white t-shirts and colorful shorts are performing a dance routine on a wooden floor, with a blurred background of balloons and spectators.
Children in matching t-shirts perform on a stage with a microphone in the foreground and a gray curtain in the background.
Children in white t-shirts sing in front of a balloon arch.
Children in white t-shirts with a phoenix logo raise their arms in a dance class, with a blurred background of windows and a dark curtain.
A young boy speaks at a podium with a microphone, while two adults and another child watch from the background.
A group of young children in matching t-shirts sing and gesture in front of a brick wall with educational posters.
A young boy stands at a podium in the foreground, addressing an audience seated in the background.
A young girl and boy stand at a podium with a school logo, while adults clap in the background.
A young woman in a white shirt speaks at a podium in the foreground, while another woman stands behind her in the background.
A young woman with curly hair and sunglasses smiles as she stands at a podium with a microphone, while a man in a suit laughs in the background.
A young girl with curly pigtails speaks at a podium with a school logo, while a man's face is visible in the blurred background.
A woman speaks at a podium in the foreground, with balloons and a blurred audience in the background.
Two people unveil a red and yellow banner in front of a balloon arch, with an audience watching in the foreground and a window overlooking cars in the background.
A portrait of a woman is unveiled by two people in the foreground, with a balloon arch and a blurred background of a room.
A woman stands next to a framed portrait of herself, with balloons and a star decoration in the background.
A woman with curly blonde hair speaks at a podium with a school logo, while a man stands behind her in front of a window with blinds.
A woman in a blue shirt films a ceremony with children and adults on a stage in the background.
In the foreground, three women are seated, facing away from the camera, while a festive balloon arch stands to the right, and a framed portrait hangs on the wall in the background.
A woman in a red top and glasses smiles with clasped hands in the foreground, while a camera on a tripod and other people are visible in the blurred background.
A bald man in a suit and tie speaks at a podium in the foreground, while two people, a man and a woman, smile in the background.
A bald man in a suit and tie speaks at a podium in the foreground, with a blurred background of a room with blinds.
Three women are seated in the foreground, looking to the left, with a blurred background of a room with signs on the wall.
A man in a black suit speaks at a podium in front of a blurred audience and a windowed wall.
An elderly man in the foreground photographs a framed portrait of a woman seated in a chair, with other people and a wall visible in the background.
A group of people of various ages pose for a photo in front of a windowed wall.
Two women embrace in the foreground, while other people stand in the blurred background.
Two women embrace in the foreground, while a framed portrait of an older woman sits to the right, with a classroom or meeting room visible in the background.
Two young girls pose for a photo in front of a backdrop with balloons, while another person photographs them.
Two smiling women in the foreground wear name tags, while a blurred background shows other people and colorful posters.
Two women in red embrace in the foreground, while blurred figures and chairs fill the background.
A framed portrait of a smiling woman in a white sweater sits in the foreground, with balloons and a star decoration in the background.
A woman in the foreground holds a baby in front of a maroon backdrop with school logos and text.
Exterior shot of Lori Mann Carey Elementary School

About the Lori Mann Carey Elementary Renaming Process

On Feb. 24, 2025, the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education approved the renaming of Southside Elementary to Lori Mann Carey Elementary School, honoring a dedicated education advocate who grew up on Madison’s south side.

Learn more about the renaming process

Lori Mann Carey Elementary School Invite

About Lori Mann Carey

Lori Mann Carey was a native of Madison's south side and a staunch supporter of MMSD. She participated in the selection process of the West High School principal in 2014, when the role was vacant; created Mission 4.0, an "after-school enrichment program that provided students a suite of culturally-sensitive interconnected support;" and co-founded the Mann Opportunity Fund, which provides financial support to three to five rising ninth-graders, primarily of color, to achieve academic success and, ultimately, graduate.