The Everett School District board will consider four potential names for the new elementary school being built at the site of Gateway Middle School at its Tuesday, March 13 meeting. The school is now known as Elementary 17 and will open in September.
Students, parents and others suggested names this winter. Brenda Fuglevand, planning principal, and members of the naming committee narrowed the field to these four:
• Forest View Elementary. The school has views of a wooded area. The school’s landscape has the potential of becoming part of the learning environment, providing opportunities for education outside of the classroom.
• Pine View Elementary. The school is specifically designed with environmentally friendly features and won a grant for its green design. The school will have two outdoor classrooms, one with a view of trees, the other with a meadow view.
• Polaris Elementary. The North Star (Polaris) is a star in the Little Dipper and also the star most important for navigation at sea. Little Dipper is sometimes called Ursa Minor or Little Bear. Little Bear Creek is near the school.
• Thomas Creek Elementary. The school sits within the original boundaries of Thomas Lake School District – so named for John Thomas who in 1888 staked a 158-acre claim in the area. Thomas Lake is closer to Mill Creek, but Thomas Creek is near the school.
Fuglevand and her team received more than 863 submissions for names.
“The majority of those suggestions – about 800 of them – came rom our visits with students at their schools,” Fuglevand said. She told the board that many names suggested by students were creative and logical.
Gateway Middle School students felt that “Gateway Prep” was a good name and also “Gateway to Gateway.”
Cedar Wood Elementary students suggested “Cedar Wolf.”
Penny Creek Elementary students thought a good name for the new school would logically be “Nickel Creek.”
Silver Firs Elementary students saw good reason to combine a bit of their school name with that of Gateway Middle School to create “Silvergate Elementary.”
One student suggested “Washing Machine” as a play on the state name.
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