Several weeks ago, Christian County Public Schools Superintendent Chris Bentzel asked the community to give the district some ideas about a name for the new consolidated high school that will be built on Fort Campbell Boulevard at Lovers Lane.
That request brought in more than 1,500 submissions, and now the district wants the community to help narrow the choices.
An online survey lists five options each for the school’s name, colors and mascots, and community members have until Nov. 19 to respond, Assistant Superintendent Josh Hunt says in a district video that outlines the process.
“The Christian County New High School Naming Committee is comprised of Christian County students, parents, CCPS board members, staff and faculty,” Bentzel said in a press release issued Tuesday. “This committee has been working on this project since early October of this year. We want to thank CCPS board members, Mike Walker (Hopkinsville High School ’75) and Jeff Moore (Christian County High School ’80) for their oversight and participation in this process.”
In addition to Walker and Moore, the committee includes staff members Megan Kem, CCHS, Philip Bader, HHS, Penny Knight and Christina Russell, Gateway, and Kevin Crider, Christian County Middle. The student members are Tristan Dillard, Hopkinsville Middle, Kemarion Ford, Christian County Middle, Katherine Cunningham, CCHS, Kylie Batts, HHS, and Jesse Gilkey, Gateway. Diversity Administrator Mancell Elam is a district representative on the committee.
Using the online survey form, respondents may vote for three options for name, school colors and mascot. Respondents also have the option of selecting just one option in each category, or they may select one option three times in each category.
The school board will have the final say about the school’s name, colors and mascot.
The five options for the school name are:
- Christian County High School
- Hopkinsville Christian County Academy
- Hopkinsville Christian County High School
- Hopkinsville High School
- Pennyrile High School
The options for colors are:
- Black and Royal Blue
- Royal Blue and Orange
- Red and Black
- Navy Blue and Gold
- Yellow and Royal Blue
The options for a mascot are:
- Bulldogs
- Thoroughbreds
- Tigers
- Titans
- Wolves/Wolfpack
In mid-August, the school board by a 3-to-2 vote approved the plan to consolidate Hopkinsville and Christian County high schools, and the district’s technical and vocational programs, into one high school with a 2,500-student capacity. The estimated cost is $115 million. District officials want to open the school at the start of the 2024-25 school year.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
