From Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, High School 1327 (HS 1327) students, staff, parents, and other members of the community voted from an expansive list of about 80 possible school names. When the voting concluded the names were narrowed down to the top eight. HS 1327’s Small Learning Communities (SLCs), made up of 9th and 10th graders, now tasked with researching each of the final eight names, will produce a “voting guide.” 

The voting guide will be sent out to the HS 1327 community for a final name change vote after research has concluded on Feb. 23.

The top eight names are Archie Williams High School, Awani-wi High School, Bon Tempe High School, Creekside High School, George Lucas High School, Redhill High School, Ross Valley High School, and San Anselmo High School. “George Lucas High School” has not yet been approved by Lucas, and will be replaced by “Olema Trail High School” for the final vote if rejected.

Each SLC will take on the responsibility of researching their designated name as an assignment. These students will follow a procedure to research the names and come up with a “voting guide” so voters can make an informed decision.

“…I expect some small groups, individual, and whole-class approaches. The topics SLC students will be looking into for their respective name candidate include the name origins, etymology, history; possible names, drawings and images for would-be mascots; and ways that this name might be honored if it doesn’t win the tournament…The unifying outcome is for each SLC to produce a clickable document for voters to read up on the names prior to voting in the quarterfinals,” HS 1327 teacher and member of the Drake Leadership Council (DLC) Jasper Thelin said.

The names will be released with the voter guide, created by students, on Feb. 24 when the quarterfinalist voting begins. The voting will take place through Mar. 3. HS 1327 students, staff, parents, and community members each hold a 25 percent weight of the final vote.

The rest of the timeline includes two semi-final votes taking place Mar. 4-11 and Mar. 12-19, and a final vote from Mar. 22-24. During the semi-final weeks, 11th and 12th graders will be invited to a live seminar where debates will be held about the semi-finalist names.

“Since we haven’t had any rallies or time together this year, I’m excited for the school population to get excited about something and to model rich civil discourse,” Thelin said.

The final name will be approved by Drake Leadership Council and submitted to the superintendent. The submission by DLC finalizes the school name. However, the voting will not be over as the community must choose a school mascot. 

For the past 8 months, HS 1327 has hosted a thoughtful conversation about rebranding the community to fully represent its values. With this era coming to a close, the HS 1327 community can now focus solely on finding its representation in the final name.