The Rocky View Schools (RVS) board of trustees met Thursday, Oct. 19 to discuss the creation of an ad hoc naming committee for the new Langdon school.
It is planned that the new school will open in time for the September 2024 school year.
Naming for new schools is typically done via the creation of an ad hoc committee, according to Superintendent of Schools, Greg Luterbach. Parents, guardians, and community members were invited to an Oct. 17 meeting held by RVS to learn more about the naming process. In turn, Luterbach then presented the desire to create a meeting committee formally to the RVS board.
Participation in the committee will most likely be advertised in school newsletters, and ideally will include five to seven people from the Langdon area, who are either involved in the community or are parents and guardians themselves.
“We have to look at who expresses interest,” said Luterbach, “then we have to pick…based on a combination of representation from across the region.”
Five to seven volunteers is the magic number for the committee, but if say, 12 put their names forward, RVS wouldn’t be inclined to shrink the size of the committee.
Ward 2 Trustee Shelley Kinley, who represents Langdon on the board of trustees, was the one to get the committee issue rolling in discussions on Oct. 19.
“I think it’s really important to have people that are knowledgeable about the area, representing the area,” she said.
Once the ad hoc committee is convened, names will be brought forth, debated, and then finally selected for consideration. The date set by RVS for suggested names is Feb. 1, 2024. The specific area of focus for the committee will be to consult with the community to review suggestions, and then ultimately bring forward two suggestions for the board to vote on.
“I’ve been pushing to get this committee going and I’ve really thought about getting this name sooner,” said Trustee Kinley, “but I have spoken with people who have gone through this process before and I recognize that [a month like] December is a really difficult time to get everyone together.”
The new school in Langdon will also feature an outdoor sports area, which is also in need of a name. That, however, will be discussed by the board separately and at a later time. For now, just the school name is under consideration for February.
A vote was formally held by the RVS board to consider the creation of an ad hoc committee that would work towards the creation of a name for the new school. The vote passed unanimously. Trustee Kinley voiced her pleasure with the board’s decision, but also made sure to note that the timeline for such a thing is a little longer than she hoped for.
“[I] wish it was sooner,” she said.
