The new elementary school under construction in Eagle Mountain’s Overland community will soon have an official name and mascot.
At the March 14 school board meeting for the Alpine School District, three names were presented to board members for consideration. The names were presented by Aaron Stevenson, who was recently appointed principal over the new school in February of this year.
Prior to his appointment, Stevenson was the principal of Pony Express Elementary in Eagle Mountain.
“Aaron is super familiar with Eagle Mountain and the community here, and we are thrilled to have him placed as the principal for our new school,” says Julie King, Board Member with the Alpine School District.
Selecting the school’s name has been one of Stevenson’s first tasks as principal. A naming committee was formed consisting of parents and PTA members from Mountain Trails Elementary and Hidden Hollow Elementary who will now be located within the new Overland Elementary school’s boundaries.
Ashley Becar, a kindergarten teacher at Pony Express Elementary, was elected as co-chair of the naming committee.
“It is quite the process to be a part of,” said Becar at the meeting. “It was very fun and very interesting.”
According to Becar, the naming committee sent an online survey to parents in the new school’s boundaries on March 3. A separate survey was also given to students who will attend the new school. Out of 393 name suggestions, the naming committee had 229 unique names to consider.
Desert, animals, sky and stars were all common themes among the survey responses. The naming committee split into groups to review and consider every suggestion, according to Becar.
The top three school names and mascots under consideration are:
Desert Peak Elementary, Home of the Wildcats
According to Stevenson, this name was chosen because of the commonality of desert themes among survey responses. The street on which the new school will be located is Wildcat Peak, which inspired the mascot.
Desert Sky Elementary, Home of the Explorers
Stevenson says this name pays homage to the openness of Eagle Mountain and the City’s dark-sky ordinance. He says the “Explorer” mascot is a great representation of the “adventurous spirit” of the people in Eagle Mountain that love the outdoors.
Juniper Hills, Home of the Owls
According to Becar, Juniper trees were also commonly mentioned in survey responses. The Owl was also the most commonly suggested mascot for the new school. Becar says the mascot was also inspired by the “neighborhood owl” that is frequently spotted in the Overland community.
Other names suggested were the “New Cool School Hamsters,” the “Leaf Elementary Cockroaches,” the “Skywalker Elementary Skywalkers,” and “John Cena Elementary.”
“It really was quite an enlightening process,” said Stevenson at the meeting. “It was really powerful to have representatives from both communities working in these small groups… pouring over suggestion after suggestion and insight after insight. That really provided a comprehensive understanding of what the community’s thoughts and feelings were.”
While the public is not able to vote on the new name and mascot, King welcomes resident feedback prior to the next school board meeting.
“[Residents] are welcome to email me. They can also message me or text me if they want to send me their personal opinions,” King says.
The name will be voted on by the ASD board at the March 28 board meeting.
