Posted by Communications staff on 4/30/2021
“Words have meaning and names have power.” ~Anonymous
After much research, deep discussion, and community conversations, a dedicated committee has whittled more than 1,400 school name submissions down to just a dozen.
“There were so many amazing suggestions with great rationale. So many examples of people who did fantastic things,” said Stephanie Lundberg, future principal of the new northeast middle school, and current principal of Holmes Elementary.
For the first time in the district’s history, SPS will name four schools at the same time: new middle schools on the northeast, northwest and south sides of SPS, and a new facility for On Track Academy.
Lundberg was part of the committee made up of SPS staff and students tasked with determining the three name finalists for each new building.
“I felt a huge responsibility,” Lundberg said. “It is a huge honor to be part of this process, to be part of something that will impact our community for such a long time.”
“A school name can bring a sense of dreaming for students,” added committee member Crimson Rice, a freshman at Shadle Park High School. “If you pick a good name, students can be inspired and want to leave their own legacy.”
The group’s first task was to set priorities and guidelines. Reading through the list of current SPS schools, they noticed an imbalance in those named for women, and for people of varying ethnicities. An additional focus was on geographical references near where the schools will be located.
“Our schools need to represent all students,” Lundberg said. “So many people made suggestions, and there was so much passion behind the entries. But we kept coming back to the focus. Our true north was to diversify the names of SPS schools.”
The group met four times for about two hours each time. After studying all the suggestions, committee members each chose their top three and shared their perspectives with the group. Spirited discussions led to more research and a vote for the top five contenders. After even more research, the group settled on three finalists for each site.
“We all took it very seriously,” Rice said. “We looked at all the details, all the ins and outs.”
“We really took into consideration all the options,” Lundberg said. The new building principals sought additional input from their own schools’ planning committees to be sure the names align with the mission and vision of the new buildings. The public can share feedback at the May 12 board meeting.
The SPS School Board will make the final name selections May 26.
“I can’t wait to see what the board picks!” Rice said.
