A name has been selected for Kingston’s new $38.3-million high school. On Wednesday night, trustees with the Limestone District School Board were presented with five names to choose from:
- Central Kingston Secondary School
- Kingston Secondary School
- Kingston Central Secondary School
- Namwayut Secondary School
Those five names were selected from a variety of suggestions provided through two phases of consultation. Voting was done by secret ballot and in the end, trustees voted to name the new school Kingston Secondary School.
“Kingston Secondary School is a wonderful choice that strikes a balance between creating a new name for this new beginning while honouring our past history,” Paula Murray, chair of the Central Kingston integration committee, said.
The naming process was overseen by the integration committee, which includes student, parent and staff representatives from Module Vanier, KCVI and the former Queen Elizabeth Collegiate & Vocational Institute.
The committee sought input from students, families, staff and the broader Kingston community through two phases of consultation.
During Phase 1, the committee received 560 submissions which were then narrowed to the nine names that received the most support.
During Phase 2, more than 2,400 responses were received, including 739 from students. Based on a review of those results and through consensus-building discussions, the committee selected five names that it said best represented the suggestions and aligned with the board’s naming of new schools administrative procedure, for submission to the board of trustees for consideration.
“The integration committee did a fantastic job at considering the many names and ideas submitted, including soliciting robust participation from hundreds of students who will attend the new school,” said Murray. “We appreciate their work on the naming, and we look forward to their coordination of the new school colours and mascot, the next pieces of the transition process.”
The new school will accommodate 1,340 students and will include English programs in university, college and workplace pathways. The building will feature 34 secondary classrooms and nine intermediate classrooms including several special and multi-purpose spaces.
Bondfield Construction began work on the $38.3-million facility designed by ZAS Architects Inc. in November 2017. The new school is expected to be complete for the 2019-2020 school year.