Almost 100 suggestions on what to name a new South Reno elementary school have poured in and a committee on Wednesday is expected to narrow that list significantly.
The School Naming Committee is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at the Washoe County School District administration building, 425 E. Ninth St. Committee members will be tasked with drafting a semifinalist list with up to 10 names, which will be forwarded to district trustees to make a final decision.
Scheduled to open by fall 2019, the elementary school will be in the South Meadows area near the Corona Cyan subdivision on land donated by the subdivision’s developer. It’s expected to relieve overcrowding at Brown and Double Diamond elementary schools.
Schools are generally named after a region or an individual.
Examples of regional and geographical submissions were South Meadows, Vista View, Sierra Valley, Steamboat and Desert Meadows.
The following are some individual names that were submitted: Former superintendent Paul Dugan, former Reno Mayor Bob Cashell, University of Nevada president Marc Johnson, late state Sens. Bill Raggio and Debbie Smith, late Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn and late district trustee Nancy Hollinger.
However, the most support has come in for the late Michael Landsberry, a Sparks Middle School teacher who was killed in fall 2013 while trying to protect students from a 12 year-old who opened fire on campus.
Nomination forms asked submitters about the nominees’ role in education, how they impacted children and how they served the public. If suggesting a regional name, they were asked to provide geographic significance.
Committee members are expected to rate each based on one’s role in education, impact, public service, historian and geographical significance and contributions to the community.
The 11-member committee is made up of one district representative selected by the superintendent, seven members of the public (one from each trustee district), one high school student and two at-large members. Terms are staggered and expire in either June 2018 or June 2019.
Also to be discussed at the meeting is a timeframe for naming the next schools. Middle schools in Spanish Springs and Sun Valley are also scheduled to open in fall 2019.
Funds for school construction to alleviate crowding are coming from November’s 0.54 percent voter-approved sales tax increase. Such dollars can go only toward construction of and refurbishing of facilities. This money cannot be used for teacher or administrator salaries or other school operations.
For more information or for a list of name submissions:
https://www.washoeschools.net/cms/lib/NV01912265/Centricity/Domain/630/School%20Naming%202017/2017-09-06_Naming-Packet.pdf
For more information on the naming committee: https://www.washoeschools.net/Page/6534
