These 9 names will be considered for Pasco’s 2 new schools. When is a decision is expected?
The school board in Pasco, Wash., will consider a slate of nine names for two new high schools that will open in fall 2025.
During a special study session held Tuesday, the Pasco School Board heard from district staff as well as members who served on two naming committees for the schools.
The naming committees were tasked with submitting to the board 3-to-5 recommendations, and the teams sifted through more than 200 names suggested by the community.
Here are the five finalists made to name the district’s third comprehensive high school:
- Desert Vista High School
- Great Forks High School
- Harvest View High School
- Sageview High School
- Sunset High School
And here are the four finalists to name the district’s new choice career and college academy:
- Orion High School
- Pathways High School
- Sun Willows High School
- Tradewinds High School
The power to name the two schools rests on the school board, which will decide during the Oct. 24 regular school board meeting. The district hopes to have the details wrapped up by Nov. 1 to incorporate the names into the design of the schools.
Voters earlier this year approved a 21-year, $195.5 million bond measure to build a third comprehensive high school to serve 2,000 students and a technical high school to serve 600 in-district students.
These new schools will aim to not only alleviate overcrowding in Pasco schools, but also provide more program options for high school students.
Fowler General Construction has already begun work to construct the 300,000-square-foot high school, which will sit on a 65-acre campus at 6091 Burns Road.
Construction of the college and career high school will begin in spring 2024. In addition to their high school diploma, students there will also graduate with workforce-ready credentials, industry certifications and hands-on experience.
Many of the names suggested by the community over the summer included those of notable Pasco leaders, historical figures, and social justice and labor rights icons.
The committees used data and community feedback to narrow the list of names down, and also took into account changing perceptions and associations that a school’s name may carry.
Mascots and school colors will be picked at a later date.
The district has also begun the process to redraw its boundaries to incorporate the third high school among Chiawana High School and Pasco High School. A committee of community members will meet monthly from November to March to weigh feedback against boundary scenarios.
This story was originally published October 11, 2023 at 9:02 AM.
