Panel appointed to help name schools

Eleven people were appointed Monday night to explore ideas for the names of the fifth-and-sixth-grade center and junior high buildings set to open next fall in the existing junior and senior high schools.

It is the second time in as many years the Cape Gir-ardeau Board of Education has formed a facilities naming committee. The first was when the new elementary school opened on Sprigg Street.

School board president Bob Fox said in 1999 the board appointed a committee to gather ideas from the community and make a recommendation to the board, but the panel failed to narrow down a selection.

"Barbara Blanchard was on the committee," Fox said. "We looked at her and decided to name the building after her. She went through the Cape schools all the way from kindergarten, and she had the experience."

Blanchard also will serve on the new committee.

"It's a real challenge," she said. "The committee is going to meet and do some brainstorming. We'll just have to start from scratch."

The junior high building will become the fifth-and-sixth-grade center, and the high school will become the junior high building. A new high school is under construction.

Its first meeting will be the first week of December. Superintendent Dan Steska then will instruct the committee to solicit ideas, meet to review the names and make a recommendation to the board.

Steska said the panel will have to decide whether to name each of the two buildings separately, give the whole campus a name, or name each building and the campus. The committee then will have about a month to gather ideas before reconvening in January to decide on a recommendation.

"The board will have the ultimate responsibility to decide what names go on the school buildings," Steska said. "We hope to have a recommendation by our January board meeting or February at the latest."

The committee members were chosen by the board based on their community and school district involvement. "We wanted to get a cross-section of the community, a sphere of contacts people would feel comfortable giving their ideas to," Steska said.

Steska said most of the recommendations will be names of former school staff, but some might be people who have historical stature like presidents.

In addition to Blanchard, committee members are Charlie Herbst, Mike Price, Jane Womack, Tom Meyer Jr., Randy Lovelady, Kim McDowell, Geraldine Lee, Tanda Smith, LaFern Stiver and Mark Seesing.

Name suggestions may be made to any member of the committee.

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128