The chance to name two new West Shore schools is up for grabs.
The Sooke School District (SD62) is letting the community have a say in what their new elementary and middle schools will be called.
Residents are asked to submit a name and provide a short explanation behind the name idea on SD62’s voting platform - available at sd62.bca.ca, under news and events.
READ MORE: Province funds $88.6M for two new schools in Langford by 2022
Participants will be asked to rate other names so the board can determine what’s important to the community as a whole. Submissions are confidential and multiple submissions are welcomed.
As of Thursday, Westhills Elementary, Sarah Beckett Memorial, and Stewart Young are some of the popular votes for the elementary school. As for the middle school, Westhills Middle, Westshore Middle, and Langford Lake lead the pack.
But joke names notoriously appear during public naming contests. In 2015, when BC Ferries was looking for name suggestions for their new vessels, some suggestions included S.S. ShouldveBeenABridge, Queen of No Other Choice, and Spirit of the WalletSucker.
In this case, the popular vote won’t have the last laugh. Three possible names will be moved to the SD62 board for consideration. The final name choice rests with the board.
Residents can submit their name ideas for the elementary school at bit.ly/SD62elementaryname or at bit.ly/SD62middlename for the middle school.
Submissions and votes are being accepted until Nov. 1.
Earlier this year, the province announced funding for two new schools in Langford to the tune of $88.6 million. A 500-seat elementary school and a 700-seat-middle school will be built on a 6.5-hectare site on Constellation Avenue off of West Shore Parkway. The land was purchased in November 2017 with $32.3 million provided by the provincial government and $1.6 million from the Sooke School District. The schools are expected to be completed by September 2022.
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aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com
@iaaronguillen
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