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New School To Be Named 'Memorial Elementary'

By MARC VALERO | Highlands Today

Published: October 25, 2007

SEBRING — In honor of the county's veterans, the School Board of Highlands County unanimously approved naming its new elementary school "Memorial Elementary."

The school is under construction on the west side of Memorial Drive, just north of Lakeview Memorial Gardens.

The school district has a preference for naming schools with a geographic element in the name, Superintendent Wally Cox said at Tuesday's school board meeting.

School Board Vice Chairman J. Ned Hancock said in the future a workshop to solicit community input would be ideal so that not just any name is suggested.

"I don't disagree with the name," he explained. "I just don't think the way we've gone about it is appropriate."

School Board Member Richard Norris suggested calling the school "Veterans Memorial Elementary."
School Board Member Andy Tuck agreed.

"I would really like it to be known that this is "Memorial Elementary" in honor of all veterans," he said.
School Board Chairwoman Donna Howerton said, "Some people have asked me whether it was in reference to the memorial gardens."

School Board Member Wally Randall said, "I always thought it was in reference to Memorial Drive. I never really considered the cemetery across the way."

The board indicated that "Veterans Memorial Elementary" would be a bit cumbersome.
The "Memorial Elementary"" moniker was unanimously approved for the new school, but Hancock paused before offering a half-hearted "yes" vote.

Then Hancock immediately asked, "now if we ever wanted to change the name of that, what would the procedure be?"
Joe Dionne, director of Highlands County's Department of Veterans Services, supported the name choice.

"It is a good thing to recognize the veterans, without us ... we wouldn't be able to do something like this – meet in a forum expressing ideas and being able to say what we want to say," he said.
Memorial Elementary's school colors could be red, white and blue and the mascot or emblem could be a patriot, he said.

"Maybe somewhere down the road we will have a veteran in Highlands County who we will want to name a public place after," Dionne said. "An elementary school could be used for something like that."

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