When Hopkinsville and Christian County high schools are shuttered to make way for one high school in the community, what should it be named?
That’s not going to be an easy decision to make. It could be hugely unpopular to have a name that seemingly recalls the legacy of one of the former schools and not the other when the consolidated high school opens.
So the school system is looking for ideas from the community, Superintendent Chris Bentzel said in a video posted on the district’s Facebook page.
An online survey is collecting ideas for the school’s name, mascot and colors.
The school board recently voted 3-to-2 to consolidate Hopkinsville and Christian County high schools, and the Gateway Academy, into one school with a capacity for 2,500 students. Local administrators estimate it will cost $115 million to build. Officials are considering an 87-acre tract on Fort Campbell Boulevard at Lovers Lane. They plan to have it completed for the start of the 2024-25 school year.
“The first thing we want to do in this phase is give our new school a name,” Bentzel said in the video.
He said a name has not been selected, and he added it’s important for the community to share in the decision.
The online survey and suggestion boxes in the community will collect ideas until late September. Then a committee of students, staff, parents and community members will review the submissions and give a report to the school board.
“The board will have the final say on the name,” Bentzel said.
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.
