ARLINGTON – It won’t open until 2006, but Arlington’s second middle school now has a name, and it’s not Johnny Cash Junior High, as one student suggested.
Haller Middle School, a reference to a bygone town along the Stillaguamish River from an era of oxen teams and canoes, was chosen from among 62 submissions.
The Arlington School Board agreed on Haller after being given three names from the district’s advisory committee of staff and residents. The board also set geographic boundaries for students who will attend Haller and those who will go to Post Middle School.
Haller City, named for an early real estate speculator, Maurice Haller, was a rival to Arlington in the late 1800s, according to historical accounts. It started its own school district, which eventually was incorporated into what is now the Arlington School District.
“It’s just history that is always good to be remembered,” said Milissa Jones, one of two Arlington residents who suggested the Haller name. “The town is into history.”
Other finalist names were Amelia Earhart Middle School and Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School.
Superintendent Linda Byrnes said the district has been reaching into its past to name schools, including Pioneer and Kent Prairie elementaries.
Post Middle School will enroll students from Eagle Creek, Trafton and Kent Prairie elementary schools; Haller will have students from Pioneer and Presidents elementaries.
The district’s Advisory Council for Education said those boundaries separate students living in areas with the greatest long-term growth potential – Pioneer and Kent Prairie. It also allows Presidents students to attend their neighborhood school.
Haller will be built on the site of the old Arlington High School, with some buildings renovated and others demolished.
Construction of the school will begin this summer. Both middle schools will serve students in the sixth through eighth grades.
Post now serves seventh- and eighth-graders.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
Here is a sample of names residents suggested for Arlington’s second middle school:
* Amelia Earhart Middle School
* Arlington Middle School
* Byrnes Middle School (after Superintendent Linda Byrnes)
* Eagle Pride Middle School (after the Arlington High School mascot)
* Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School
* Garfield Middle School
* Glacier Peak Middle School (after the landmark east of town)
* Johnny Cash Junior High
* Justin Hebert Middle School (after the Arlington High School graduate-turned soldier who died in combat in Iraq)
* Larson Middle School (after Mayor Margaret Larson and her late husband, John, who also served as mayor)
* Mahatma Gandhi Middle School
* Pastor Jason Martin Middle School (for his dignified response after a cross was burned in his yard earlier this year)
* Post Middle School II (to show the district has a sense of humor)
* Ralph Nader Middle School
Here is a sample of names residents suggested for Arlington’s second middle school:
* Amelia Earhart Middle School.
* Arlington Middle School.
* Byrnes Middle School (after Superintendent Linda Byrnes).
* Eagle Pride Middle School (after the Arlington High School mascot).
* Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School.
* Garfield Middle School.
* Glacier Peak Middle School (after the landmark east of town).
* Johnny Cash Junior High.
* Justin Hebert Middle School (after the Arlington High School graduate-turned soldier who died in combat in Iraq).
* Larson Middle School (after Mayor Margaret Larson and her late husband, John, who also served as mayor).
* Mahatma Gandhi Middle School.
* Pastor Jason Martin Middle School (for his dignified response after a cross was burned in his yard earlier this year).
* Post Middle School II (to show the district has a sense of humor).
* Ralph Nader Middle School.
Naming a school
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