LA PLATA, Md. (June 8, 2010)—A school naming committee is meeting to make recommendations to the local Board of Education for the name of the next new high school in Charles County.
The eight-member committee is composed of individuals selected by Board members, including the student member. Naming committee members are Jason Henry, Andrea Turner, Keith Linville, William Pike, Heidi McGee, Deborah Carrington, Violet Simmons and Cecil Marshall. The group elected Marshall to serve as its chairman.
The committee accepted naming nominations from the community as well as solicited ideas. The group is considering nearly 30 naming suggestions for the new high school, which has been approved for construction by the state and will be built in St. Charles off Piney Church Road. The school is expected to open in the fall of 2013 and includes a digital classroom and Science on a Sphere.
The Board of Education has asked the committee to offer three recommendations, in order of priority, to the Board for naming the school. Board policy requires that all schools and/or other buildings or property be named for either deceased persons or places of significance to Charles County.
The naming committee plans to present its recommendations and report to the Board on June 28 during a work session to be held at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. with a public forum, which provides an opportunity for people to speak on any education-related topic. Speakers have three minutes to speak and must sign up prior to 6 p.m. The committee’s report, including its suggestions, will be posted on BoardDocs by June 21. There is a link to BoardDocs, which contains all Board of Education agendas, report items, policies and minutes, on the Charles County Public Schools Web site at www.ccboe.com.
The Board of Education will vote on a name at its August meeting, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Starkey Building. Public Forum at the August meeting begins at 3:30 p.m. The early Board meeting time is due to conservation efforts by the school system, which opens and closes buildings earlier during the summer.