Hopkinsville Christian County Academy will be the name of the new consolidated high school. The community has a couple of years to get used to it — the new school is slated to open at the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
School board members chose that name — on the recommendation of district administrators — by a 4-to-1 vote at their Thursday meeting.
Mike Walker, who said he thought the use of academy would be confusing with two private schools in Hopkinsville already using that designation, voted against the name.
Board chairman Tom Bell said he favored using “academy” because it is a “statement” of what the district plans for the consolidation of Hopkinsville and Christian County high schools and Gateway Academy into one campus.
Tiffany Mumford-Brame said adults in the community need to demonstrate to students what it means to come together.
“At this point, we’ve got to move forward,” she said.
A survey of students, teachers and community members gave a slight edge to Hopkinsville Christian County Academy, with 3,716 votes, compared to Christian County High School, with 3,615 votes.
The board did not mention the school mascot and colors in its vote. However, the community survey’s top choices were Wolves or Wolfpack for the mascot and royal blue and black for the colors.
The school, with a capacity for 2,500 students, will be built on Fort Campbell Boulevard across from the new shopping center on Lovers Lane. The estimated cost is $115 million.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
