A Washoe County School District panel selected three names Wednesday for an elementary school in Spanish Springs set to break ground this spring and open in time for the 2020-21 school year.
The School Naming Committee picked John Bohach, Marce Herz and Sessions “Buck” Wheeler. The three finalists will be forwarded to the district’s board of trustees, which makes a final decision on the name.
There were initially 25 suggestions submitted to the committee, which trimmed the list to 10 at its October meeting.
Bohach was a Reno police officer who was shot and killed in 2001
while assisting officers in setting up a perimeter outside a house following a pursuit. He spent time as a detective in the department’s Juvenile Crimes Division.
Herz taught school at Mount Rose Elementary School. She also won many awards in skiing and track and field. She was a co-founder of the Sky Tavern Junior Ski Program and was an advocate for youth athletic programs.
Wheeler was director of the state Fish and Game Commission. He taught biology at Fernley and Reno high schools and at the University of Nevada, Reno. He was also recognized by the National Association of Biology Teachers as Nevada’s top educator.
The 11-member School Naming 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.
The 745-capacity, two-story school will serve students up through fifth grade and is scheduled to open in time for the 2020-21 school year, with a groundbreaking in spring 2019. The projected cost is estimated at $23 million.
It will be located at the junction of Windmill Farms and David Allen parkways in the Kiley Ranch area near Sky Ranch Middle School, which is expected to open in fall 2019 and serve sixth through eighth graders.
The school is expected to relieve overcrowding at surrounding elementary schools, and provide capacity for this high-growth area.
