The process of naming Daviess County Public Schools’ new Highland Elementary School is moving forward, with district officials now outlining the three finalist options.
Superintendent Charles Broughton shared an update Tuesday during a DCPS luncheon at Tamarack Elementary, explaining that the naming committee gathered approximately 130 responses from the Highland community.
“One continuous theme — Highland,” Broughton said.
The committee ultimately advanced three recommendations. Two of the proposed names would align the school’s mascot with Daviess County Middle School and Daviess County High School by adopting the Panthers identity. The recommendaitions are:
- Highland Grove Elementary School, with the Panthers as the mascot.
- Highland Trace Elementary School, with the Panthers as the mascot.
- Highland Elementary School, retaining the Hornets mascot.
Broughton said district policy requires community input when naming a new school and said the committee took its role seriously.
“The committee, two different times, got together, made up of parents, teachers, community members, administration, there at Highland,” he said. “One thing I feel very confident in — they took their role in this job very, very seriously.”
While many responses favored keeping “Highland” in the name, Broughton said feedback did not necessarily indicate unanimous support for maintaining the existing Highland Elementary School name exactly as it is.
“The feedback that I received from administration is they want Highland in the name in general, even if it was changed a little bit,” Broughton said.
Broughton is expected to make his official recommendation during Wednesday’s special-called DCPS board meeting. The board has final authority on the decision.
The new school will be built about a half mile from the existing Highland Elementary campus, with its main entrance facing Hayden Road — a move previously approved by the board as part of the relocation plan.
District officials first announced the naming process earlier this month, inviting members of the Highland community to submit suggestions and provide feedback.
