Five options for new Kingston high school name

As construction continues on Kingston’s new intermediate and secondary school, there’s still no name attached to it – but that’s about to change.

School Board trustees will discuss a list of five potential names at Wednesday’s Limestone District School Board meeting.

Among the finalists is Gord Downie Secondary School, to honour the late musician’s artistic talents as well as his efforts to promote reconciliation.

“He’s such a big icon, and there’s so much momentum to him,” Kingston resident, Kellina Pittman, said of the possible school name.

Another option is Namwayut Secondary School. Namwayut is an indigenous word meaning ‘We Are All One.’ However, the word originates from Canada’s Pacific Northwest, and not from a language spoken by local indigenous people.

“You have the Anishinabe people and the Haudenosaunee people who relocated to this area,” Kingston-area indigenous consultant, Georgina Riel, said. “You connect those ties and I think it makes sense to find a name that respects those respective nations.”

Rounding out the list of five are three Kingston-specific options. Kingston has had a high school named after it dating back to 1853.

Those options are Kingston Secondary School, Central Kingston Secondary School and Kingston Central Secondary School, which keeps the popular ‘K.C.’ acronym from Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute.

Construction on the new $35-million school is taking place on the grounds of the former Queen Elizabeth Collegiate and Vocational Institute, and it’s expected to open in time for the 2019 school year.