Schools

Help Name Lemon Grove's New Magnet School

District officials want to hear ideas from members of the community.

What would you name Lemon Grove’s new magnet school?

With a $10.4 million project under way, the clock is ticking on school district officials who must soon choose a name for the facility.

A decision is needed this month so that the district can move forward on receiving a school code from the state, as well as the funding that will open the school’s doors, according to Superintendent Ernie Anastos. The district is also eager for a name so that it can begin marketing the school under its new image.

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Before that happens, however, the school board wants to hear ideas from the community.

In line with the governing board’s policy on naming facilities, each board member selects a person for a citizens’ advisory committee, which will meet and then make a recommendation. That plan was put in motion at the school board’s Dec. 13 meeting.

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Meantime, members of the community are invited to email the superintendent with possible names for the former Lemon Grove Middle School site, which is being renovated to open this fall as a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) school. Improvements include new science labs, locker rooms and other upgrades, as well as a revitalized lunch courtyard.

The only proposed name made public so far was offered at the Dec. 13 meeting. Rick Oser, the principal of Golden Avenue Elementary School who has been named principal of the STEM school, along with parents Emma Rios, PTA president, Scott Caneday, PTA treasurer, and Yadiria Mauricio, ELAC president, presented a letter to the board suggesting the school be named “Lemon Grove Leadership Academy.”

Anastos says the idea is based on leadership as an overarching theme, with students keyed in on being academically powerful and growing into their best selves.

All suggestions are open to discussion, according to Anastos, who says there may be a desire in the community to hold onto the Lemon Grove Middle School title. Or, the school name could honor a person.

“Naming a facility after an historic figure is often a nice way to go,” he says.

Also undecided is the school’s configuration, which will be determined this month, as well.

The school board is currently necessary for the next school year due to continued budget restrictions. Budget cuts and shrinking enrollment have cost the K-8 district about $10 million over the last four years, and school officials anticipate an estimated $1.6 million to $3.1 million in additional reductions for 2012-2013.

The school district operates seven of its eight schools, and must shutter a campus in order to bring the magnet school online. The board has held a series of , with the final forum scheduled at 6 p.m. Jan. 18 at , 8425 Palm St.

Work on the dual projects, which will also bring a new library to Lemon Grove in early 2013, began in earnest Tuesday as heavy equipment started knocking down a group of buildings where the new joint-use library will take its place on the campus.

In a celebration of the city's history, the Mission-style library, to be operated by the school district and the San Diego County Library, will be constructed on School Lane and Lincoln Street. Legacy Building Services Inc. of San Diego was chosen by the school board to design and build the twin projects.

Funding for modernizing the middle school and building the library comes from Proposition W, the $28 million school bond measure passed by voters in 2008.

The school board meets the second and fourth Tuesday of the month, starting at 6 p.m. at the , 3146 School Lane. The Jan. 10 meeting will feature a presentation of awards to the winners of the Eighth Grade History Essay contest, sponsored annually by the Lemon Grove Historical Society.

Those who wish to suggest school names can email the superintendent at eanasto@lgsd.k12.ca.us.


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