Lake Country Middle School sounds best to most for name of new school

School board set to discuss naming of middle school to be built in 2019

The majority of Lake Country residents want the name of the district’s newest middle school to be named after the district itself.

The Central Okanagan school district is in the preliminary design phase for the Lake Country middle school.

Construction is set to begin in the spring of 2019.

In total, 318 name suggestions were collected during September.

The top suggestion, with 57 submissions, was Lake Country Middle School, followed by Hank Grenda Middle School (53), Aspen Grove Middle School (26) and Wood Lake Middle School (21).

Hank Grenda is a former teacher and coach at Kelowna Secondary School and George Elliott Secondary.

“Hank Grenda was an incredible teacher and mentor to so many of the members of our little town,” one person wrote.

Grenda, who died suddenly in 2006, played one season with the B.C. Lions.

“Choosing a permanent name earlier rather than later helps ensure that the project drawings and specifications are prepared with the actual name of the school,” said assistant superintendent Rhonda Ovelson.

The school is currently known as Lake Country Middle School in planning documents.

The Lake Country Heritage and Cultural Society has nominated Eijiro Koyama as the namesake for the new school, in honour of the first Japanese Canadian settler in Lake Country.

Koyama was born in Japan in 1881 and came to the Okanagan in 1903, moving to Winfield in 1916.

He farmed the land across Lodge Road from the property on which the middle school will be built.

The Japanese community was significant to the success of the growing agricultural industry in Lake Country following the Second World War, said Duane Thomson, president of the Lake Country Heritage and Cultural Society.

“Eijiro Koyama was the acknowledged leader of the Japanese community in the area, and his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue to contribute to community life in lake Country,” he said.

The nomination was supported by Mayor James Baker, the Kelowna branch of the Okanagan Historical Society and the Central Okanagan Heritage Society.

Staff is recommending the planning and facilities committee either recommend a name to the board for approval, shortlist names and forward the list to the board for review or request additional information.

The committee will discuss the naming of the school at Wednesday’s meeting.