The Central Okanagan Board of Education has whittled down the name for the new Lake Country middle school to three options.
The trustees will make a final decision at tonight’s school board meeting from the choices recommended by the planning and facilities committee—Eijiro Koyama Middle School, H.S. Grenda Middle School or Aspen Grove Middle School.
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School district staff have made no final recommendation on the school name other than to indicate choosing a permanent name earlier rather than later helps ensure the project drawings and specifications are prepared with the actual name of the school, scheduled to open in September 2021.
“This provides continuity of information for staff and consultants throughout the life of the project,” said a staff report, citing a similar procedure was followed in naming the new Canyon Falls Middle School in Kelowna.
In a public call for submissions, the name topping the list was Lake Country Middle School, but the trustees agreed to look for a name with a stronger personal connection to the community.
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Aspen Grove is recommended as a reflection of name attachment for the neighbourhood, reflected most by the golf course that operated under that name for many years before being closed down last year to accommodate the new school.
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Eijiro Kuyama was a Lake Country pioneer who moved to the area in 1916, raised his family in Winfield, and his descendants still farm the family property today. His name nomination was endorsed by the Lake Country Heritage and Cultural Society.
Hank Grenda was a long-time Lake Country resident who worked as a teacher and sports team coach at George Elliot Secondary for many years before he passed away suddenly on March 31, 2006, considered the epitome of a true educator who believed in all his students and was always willing to give his time to support and inspire them.
barry.gerding@blackpress.ca
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