Public’s pick for new school’s name fails to win over district committee
Lake Country Middle School not among names suggested for consideration by school board
The most popular choice for the name of Lake Country’s newest middle school will not be forwarded to the school board for consideration.
The Central Okanagan school district is in the preliminary design phase for the Lake Country middle school, and it is currently looking for a name.
Construction is set to begin in the spring of 2019.
In total, 318 name suggestions were collected in September, with the top suggestion being Lake Country Middle School.
However, Lake Country Middle was not among the three names chosen at Wednesday’s planning and facilities committee meeting.
“I think the committee felt Lake Country Middle was too anonymous,” said school board chairperson Moyra Baxter.
Instead, the committee chose to put forward Hank Grenda Middle, Aspen Grove Middle and Eijiro Koyama Middle as the top suggestions.
Grenda is a former teacher and coach in Kelowna and Lake Country who died suddenly in 2006.
Koyama was the first Japanese Canadian settler in Lake Country in the early 1900s.
In 2013, a new West Kelowna elementary school was named after Chinese Canadian pioneer Mar Jok.
Naming schools after people creates dialogue and opportunities for learning, said Baxter.
“We found it has really led to many discussions about China and about the Chinese community,” she said of Mar Jok Elementary. “It has given the school a focus on learning about other countries and people who come to Canada and about everyone working together.”
Naming the school after Grenda would also inspire many conversations about people who have made a difference in the community, she said.
Aspen Grove is also being considered as the name for the new school, but the board will have to check if that name can be used or not since it is the name of a local golf course, said Baxter.
The name suggestions will go to the board at the first meeting in November.