Board to weigh names for school

BENTONVILLE — The School Board plans to narrow its list of names for the School District’s 13th elementary school to two at its meeting today.

The board will pick a name during its meeting Nov. 16, according to its meeting documents published online.

The school is under construction at Southwest Barron and Opal roads, near the Benton County Fairgrounds. It is scheduled to open next fall.

The district received 201 responses when it solicited name suggestions on Facebook last month. The top three suggestions were Barron, with 25 nominations; Sam Walton, 16 nominations; and Steve Gunter, 14 nominations, according to board documents.

Leslee Wright, district director of communications, said she’s consulted several people with knowledge of the area’s history, but has been unable to uncover anything about the Barron name.

Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, is a frequent suggestion whenever Bentonville looks to name a new school. Last time, the Walton family asked the name not be considered, Wright said. She said she has not heard from the family about the current naming process.

Gunter, 70, was a teacher at Bentonville High School from 1978 to 2003. He said Monday it was “very, very exciting” to learn he’d been nominated, but added there are others who deserve the honor. Some other names submitted for consideration included Vaughn, Hugh Tater Black, Frederick Douglass, Asa Hutchinson, Rosa Parks and Helen Walton, according to board documents.

Vaughn is the unincorporated community in which the 13th elementary school is located.

District administrators plan to choose a principal for the new school by December. A mascot and colors are expected to be chosen by

February. The board’s meeting today is at 5:30 p.m. at the district’s administration

building at 500 Tiger Blvd.