Highline School Board members selected names for two new schools this week, and the names are kind of familiar sounding and obvious – ‘Des Moines Elementary School’ and ‘Glacier Middle School.’
This comes after numerous meetings and a survey that received nearly 2,400 votes from community members. As we previously reported, the campaign to name the new schools began in Feb. 2018.
‘Glacier Middle School’ inherits its name from Glacier High School, which called the site home from 1960 to 1980.
The name ‘Des Moines Elementary School,’ will transition from the existing school to the new school being built at the Zenith site in Des Moines.
Two committees of volunteers gathered 89 names from neighbors, friends, staff, alumni and students. They submitted eight elementary school names and 10 middle school names for feedback in a community website survey. Close to 2,400 community members helped name the schools by participating in the survey.
The survey results and conversations with various community members, staff and students helped the volunteers create a short list of three to five names to submit to the school board. The board members voted at Wednesday’s school board meeting.
Final names for the new elementary school in Des Moines included:
- Des Moines Elementary
- Marine View Elementary
- Massey Creek Elementary
- Poverty Bay Elementary
- Saltwater Elementary
- Sound View Elementary
- Waterland Elementary
- Zenith Park Elementary
Final names for the new middle school in SeaTac included:
- Barack Obama Middle School
- Dolores Huerta Middle School
- Duwamish Middle School
- Ellen Ochoa Middle School
- Glacier Middle School
- Malala Yousafzai Middle School
- Michelle Obama Middle School
- Sonia Sotomayor Middle School
- Seike Middle School
- Sunset Middle School
“We appreciate the time our volunteer naming committees spent collecting ideas and input,” School Board President Joe Van said. “Our community members had the opportunity to voice opinions and help us name our new schools. Our students benefit from interest and support for our schools by alumni, staff and our whole community.”