New High School Naming Choices Divisive in Milton

Redistricting for Milton's new high school on Bethany Bend Road caused hubbub among residents, and now the means of choosing the school's name, colors and mascot are creating a little grumbling as well.

As the school for some 1,650 students takes shape at Cogburn Road, principal Ed Spurka's community updates have supplemented well-circulated photos of the 65-acre facility to relieve crowding at Alpharetta and Milton Highs. The campus is on course toward its scheduled opening in August and ambition to immediately launch varsity teams in all sports, as well as band, choir and drama programs.

But with construction necessitating determination of school colors and mascot in the next few weeks, some parents have objected to the means of choosing those, as well as the name. Feeling disenfranchised from the school's identifying process, they urged for a vote of area households, but Spurka said Fulton County School District policy provides for the formation of committees of students and parents to help decide.

Required to form a committee of only 10 students and parents, Spurka, Roswell High's principal of 10 years before taking on Bethany Bend, empaneled five students and 19 parents to formulate the school's name. With input from Milton's historical society, city council and the community at large, the committee whittled 23 initially suggested names to just two -- Cambridge and Providence Highs -- which is scheduled for a vote by the Fulton County School Board on Nov. 15.

Similarly, though he said no district policy exists for choosing colors and mascots, he's formulating a committee of 50 students from area elementary, middle and high schools to do so. He said all students are invited to vote on the most popular half dozen or so color combinations and mascots from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Northwestern and Hopewell Middles on Nov. 2 and 3, respectively.

But that hasn't sat well with parents like Micah Thomas.

“Why go through a (naming) process which seems to exclude so many and just include a little group of people?" she told WSB TV.

Likewise, parent Kelly Brown told the station, "We are on the same team, so I just want my community to remember that and not be so divided and to have almost that anger to one another that I'm sensing."

Katie Reeves, who has seen many schools created since becoming a school board member in 1999, recalled little controversy over the naming of Alpharetta High in 2004, nor decision to name John Creek's Northview, instead of Liberty, in 2002. She said no objections arose to Spurka's update at her monthly community meeting Tuesday, but applauds the passion of north Fulton parents.

"We have passionate and involved parents," she said. "It's a hallmark of our community and it's such a positive force in our school system.

"That's one of the best things in north Fulton," she added. "If we didn't (have that), I'm not sure our schools would be as good as they are. It's a positive force other school systems would envy."

Tara Hays, a former teacher and parent of a fourth grader at Summit Hill, was on the naming committee. She agreed with Spurka that recent grumblings might linger from redistricting.

Naming committee member Lisa Mueller, parent of eighth- and fifth-graders, pointed out it's hard to reach consensus, especially on something as prideful as a new school.

"You're never going to get a room full of people agree on something, no matter what the issue is," she said.

Spurka said he welcomes as much input as possible, but acknowledged such enormous challenges must be made manageable. His thinking is similar to Reeves', who said of Northview, "That was the name we gave it, and nobody's ever looked back."

Spurka expects the community to coalesce once these decisions are made.

"We'll all have to adjust whatever the name is," he said. "Once we get the name, some spirit wear going and some identity, I think it'll be a good thing for everybody."

What's in a name?

From the school's website, here are origins of the final two names -- Cambridge and Providence Highs -- the Fulton County School Board will decide between on Nov. 15:

Cambridge High

The committee felt it was important to select a name for our new school that 
honors the history of the area and at the same time would be inclusive and
 unifying for the students in the newly created attendance zone. The name "Cambridge" has prestige, but it also has a deeper meaning for our school. The "C" in Cambridge is in honor of the Cogburn family, the original owners 
of the school site. The "A" represents the students coming from Alpharetta
 High School; the "M" represents the students coming from Milton High School. The "bridge" is both metaphorical and physical. It represents all of the 
students coming together to form a new school community as well as representing the 126-foot bridge on the property, a defining feature of the 
school site.

Providence High

The committee felt it was important to select a name for our new school that 
honors the history of the area. The community of Providence was established around Providence Church. The main mail in Milton County ran from Roswell to Cumming and went right through the community of Providence. Providence was an agricultural community up until post World War II. Providence High School would represent the Providence Community.