Published: March 08, 2007 05:27 pm      

Officials still gathering names for middle schools campuses

Work is progressing on gathering potential names for Cleburne’s two future middle schools, but there are differing opinions about what those names should be, a Cleburne ISD school board member said Wednesday.

Names are coming in on what to name Cleburne Middle School and Cleburne Intermediate School, board member Brent Easdon said. CIS will convert to a middle school in the fall, bringing the district’s middle school total to two.

Easdon is heading up a committee to decide on the schools’ names and mascots, along with fellow board members Teddy Martyniuk and Jennifer Dugger.

“We are trying to put effort and give every consideration to it that we possibly can,” he said.

So far, the group has been able to collect a handful of name suggestions, but no one name has more favor over the others, Easdon said.

“It is really, really split as far as the public’s feelings go,” he said. “The board is going to have a hard choice making a decision off of the things we’re going to submit.”

Each campus has a transitional committee that’s helping the campuses make the move from one to two middle schools. These committees have been helpful in giving input on names and mascots, Easdon said.

The three board members are also collecting ideas from other educators, parents and citizens about the names and mascots.

The tentative plan is to present the options to the school board and let it make the ultimate decision, though there is no guarantee the choices will be ready or that the board will make a decision at the upcoming March 19 meeting, Easdon said.

While opinions vary on the names, the opinions on the schools’ mascots have been fairly straightforward, Easdon said.

“One opinion is everyone stays the same as Yellow Jackets, and the other opinion is that might cause confusion, but they want it to stay in the same family, like Hornets or Wasps or Stingers,” he said.

The idea of using other stinging insects builds on Cleburne’s past, when the now-gone Cleburne Junior High had similar mascots, Easdon said.

Though the names of the campuses are up in the air, there are a few guidelines that will likely be followed, Easdon said. The schools will probably have the same school colors, with one campus using black and gold and the other using gold and black. The campuses will likely also keep their respective school logos, and both schools should start with a “C.”

“Everybody’s been really receptive and supportive of all that, it’s just they don’t all agree on the same names,” Easdon said. “I really couldn’t tell you how it is going to go there. It’s almost straight down the line.”

Martyniuk and Dugger could not be reached for comment.