Thursday, June 26, 2008

New High School North of Leesburg

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Fall 2009 will see another new high school open in Loudoun County, just four years after the opening of Freedom HS in South Riding. The new school, currently code-named HS-5, will be located just north of Leesburg(see exact location) across from Smart's Mill Middle School.

You may be interested in the HS-5 Site overview presentation developed by the LCPS Construction Department. There is a particular emphasis in the presentation on energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.

This week there is also attention on a possible name for the new High School, particularly since the naming committee deadlocked after several weeks of consideration. There are now three potential names on the table:
  • Tuscarora High School, after the Tuscarora Indian Tribe which lived in this region. Advantages: Regional, Historical, Distinctive. Disadvantages: Tuscarora means "hemp gatherers." Confusion with Tuscarora Mill Restaurant. Neighboring Frederick County MD already has a Tuscarora High School. Can't use native American symbols for mascots.
  • Old George Town High School, after the original name for Leesburg. Advantages: Local, Historical. Disadvantages: Too many words. Confusion with present-day Georgetown. Just doesn't strike me well.
  • Leesburg High School. Advantages: Obvious name. Resurrects the name of the old Leesburg High School on North Street (1925-1970). First choice of a certain man who has dedicated 40 years of his life to LCPS and whose opinion is universally respected. Disadvantages: Leesburg has two other High Schools (County, Heritage). Second choice of naming committee.
Smart's Mill Sixth Grader Chiarra Solitario was a member of the naming committee, and spoke from the podium at Tuesday's meeting:
When I did the survey for my whole school they gave recommendations and we went through them and to the tally of the top 12. The highest was Tuscarora, and it came up the most often when I would talk to my friends about the names.
I'm going to experiment with a poll on this blog to see what my readers think. I won't vote based on this poll, but I am interested in your opinions. I'll try to support the preference of the representatives of the kids who will attend the new High School, Leesburg's Tom Marshall and Catoctin's Jennifer Bergel, but in the event that they can't agree I'll be developing a preference.

The Board votes on the new name on September 9th.
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10 comments:

  1. I've lived in Leesburg for 24 years. Two sons graduated from LCHS and one from SBHS. Since there are already multiple Leesburg high schools - how about North Leesburg High School - NLHS?
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  2. One reason you haven't gotten more comments about the possible high school names is that the choices just aren't appealing. The committee couldn't come up with anything more interesting??? Let's just call it H.S.5 and be done with it. Sorry, but all of them are mediocre. How about starting over with a different committee?
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  3. First, thank you for creating a forum for input and discussion on this - I appreciate that.

    I don't really see the problems with either Old George Town (same number of words as Frances Hazel Reid across the street, and it has lots of character), or Leesburg (I *really* don't think that people would get confused - schools are always referred to by their name, not the town they are in).

    Some say that "Leesburg High School" lacks creativity, but that's not the point. The appeal of the name is that it immediately invokes the history, character and uniqueness of the town itself, perhaps more than any other single word, so what better name to use? Also, while it can clearly be used in an historical context, it isn't limited to all things colonial - it can also be used in modern / contemporary tones, representing what Leesburg has and will become. Probably my favorite.

    The problems with the Tuscarora name, however, are real (and a little amusing).
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  4. Many of the schools with multiple names are NOT called by them. They are called Reid, Mercer, Tolbert, etc. To me Old George Town sounds like a bar and Tuscarora - uh maybe a restaurant. I think Leesburg is the best of a pretty poor bunch. Maybe they could fancy it up by making it Leesburg Meadows or Leesburg Ridge or Leesburg View!
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  5. The Tuscarora tribe was a member of the the Six Nations joined with the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. Together these noble peoples comprise the oldest living participatory democracy on earth. Much heritage can be drawn from a Tuscarora High School name because the original United States representative democracy drew much inspiration from the Six Nations. Additionally, the negativity surrounding the name Tuscarora reported by you John and your collegue Tom Reed is disrespectful. Instead of using this opportunity to bring the historical connection between the Tuscarora and the development of our nation's government into the discussion, you focus on the most negative possible interpretation of hemp. The Tuscarora should be regarded for their resourcefulness because they used it to make clothes and useful items such as rope.
    My second choice is Leesburg. In addition to the simplicity of this name, the facility will be situated on the Leesburg Conglomerate. This interesting geologic unit has been in the local news lately because of the sinkholes and water supply well contamination associated with it.
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  6. My vote is for Leesburg High School. Both of the names Old George Town and Tuscarora remind me of bars and restaurants. I also think that it is important to note that there is already a Tuscarora High School just over the river in Frederick, MD. I also think that the current choices of names are all too long and complex. Of the choices, Leesburg High School is the simplist and most appealing. I like that it resurrects the old Leesburg High School on North Street.
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  8. Definatly Tuscarora!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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  9. school is big and beautifull.
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  10. ELL students are not happy in Tuscarora High School.
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