We are pleased to announce that in April, our Board of Education officially approved the new school names for South, West, Central, the new school, and the preschool. We want to thank all of the people who have participated in this process, which started in August of 2023.
We are proud that this process included over 50 different personal interviews with Licking Heights staff and community members, and that we included the voices of both longtime district members and newer staff and families. People included in this conversation included teachers, support staff, current students, alumni, lifelong district residents, families new to our district, administrators, booster organizations, and more.
We appreciate every second of their time that went into our renaming and rebranding process and their feedback has directly informed our recommendations. It is of utmost importance that we incorporate the voice of our community into this process. We wanted our new names to accurately encompass the views and desires of those we represent.
Change of any kind can be difficult, especially in a district with as much history and heritage as Licking Heights, which is why we want to specifically address the question of “Why these names?”
We call ourselves Licking Heights, and it is a name in which we have always taken pride. Heights means something to us–we stand above the rest as an exemplary school district, striving for the highest level of achievement and opportunity for our students. This idea and mindset of excellence largely informed our decisions.
First, please know that from the beginning, the Board of Education members directed that schools would not be named after people.
Second, it was of utmost importance that we incorporate the voice of our community into this process. We wanted our new names to accurately encompass the views and desires of those we represent. Throughout the process, we heard from different corners of our community that people preferred modern, creative names evocative of the high levels of achievement our students and staff are known for. What might have once appealed to our community no longer speaks to them in the same way. People wanted fresh, new, original names to reflect the diverse experience of being a Licking Heights Hornet.
Third, while we may have wanted to take a more progressive and symbolic approach to school naming, we also wanted to honor our history as a district and pay homage to those students, staff, and community members who came before us. This is why we incorporated historic names like Summit Station and Lima Township into our school names. Like Licking Heights itself, we are balancing our new realities with the history of our past.
Following are the new names approved by the Board of Education at their April 16 meeting:
Our preschool will be renamed Pathfinders Preschool. Our preschool team sets students on their educational path for the rest of their lives. They provide an outstanding experience for our students and their work has been recognized with the highest achievement, being named a Step Up To Quality Five-Star preschool. Each preschool student is set on the right path towards a life of learning and intellectual enrichment, whatever that may look like for their unique skills and abilities.
Some favored names that would point to the geographic position of a building. South Elementary will become Broad Peak Elementary, signifying its location along historic Broad Street, which stretches for over 25 miles across Licking County and was first laid out in 1797.
As noted, some favored names that reflected our history. Central Intermediate will become Summit Station Intermediate as a tribute to the village of Summit Station in which it is located. The name also harkens back to a time when North was called Summit Primary and Central was known as Summit Elementary.
The new elementary school will be called Lima Ridge. This name memorializes its location in what was once Lima Township. Though Lima Township no longer exists, the name familiar to so many will live on in the new elementary school.
Some favored more forward-thinking names that would honor the changing landscape of Licking Heights Schools and reflect that Licking Heights has become a community that reflects a world-wide population. West Elementary will become Everest Elementary, named after the world’s highest mountain. It is a deeply symbolic natural landmark all around the world, symbolizing adventure, accomplishment, challenge, determination, and majesty. For us at Licking Heights, it also symbolizes our diversity, as Everest is an iconic natural landmark bordering Nepal.
As a district, it is our constant desire to challenge and encourage our students to accomplish their personal goals at the highest level possible. We are constantly challenging our students to find and climb their own personal Everest. This was and is our motivation for selecting these names.
We sincerely thank the Board of Education for their support and continued leadership during our renaming and rebranding process. We are more than just directional names. Our new names are symbolic of purpose, character, and excellence that honor the past while looking to a bright, bold future.
While we will refer to these new names over the next few months, these names will become official on July 1. Please know that if you have any questions or feedback, you are always welcome to contact our district office at 740-927-6926.