Naming Facilities and Mascots

File: FF

Naming New Facilities or Mascots

Names and mascots for new elementary, middle and high school facilities shall be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval.

The Board shall name each new elementary school by selecting the names of a deceased person famous for work in science, the humanities, letters, or education. The Board shall name a mascot for each new elementary school. Mascots shall be culturally sensitive and appropriate.

The Board shall name each new secondary school according to the neighborhood or district in which it is located, or by selecting the name of a deceased person or place related to local area, or Pacific Northwest history. The Board shall name a mascot for each secondary school. Mascots shall be culturally sensitive and appropriate.

In keeping with the district's policy of inclusion and recognition of diversity, at least one out of every three new elementary schools constructed in the Lake Washington School District shall be named to reflect diverse populations.

Renaming Facilities or Mascots

Existing facilities shall only be renamed at the direction of the superintendent. The superintendent may initiate a procedure to rename an existing facility due to programmatic changes or other reasons deemed appropriate by the superintendent.

A petition to rename existing mascots may be submitted to the Board of Directors. Upon approval of the Board of Directors, existing mascots may be renamed when agreed to by a majority vote of the current student body. Imagery, symbols, and costumes used in conjunction with a school's mascot may be modified at any time at the discretion of the school principal.

Naming a Portion of a School, Site or Facility

No portion of any building or site shall be named differently than the name of the school, unless such naming is initiated by the Board of Directors. Any such names needs to recognize that the names of public structures are expected to be in place for significant periods of time and should be reflective of the long-term use of the school or other facility. Therefore, any name selected needs to be meaningful to future generations of students and community users. Names with geographical historical reference would be appropriately considered. If a name of a person, living or deceased, is proposed because of a significant past or recent direct contribution to the school or portion of the facility to be named, such person’s direct connection with the district must have been discontinued for at least five years before the person’s name would be considered for Board approval.

Other Memorials/Dedications

Any site or facility improvement in memorial or as a dedication of outstanding service shall be in accordance with the following guidelines:

  • The dedication is for the purpose of a memorial of a deceased student or staff member of the school or in recognition of outstanding service of a retired staff member or former board member.
  • The dedication and any associated signage, statuary, landscaping, etc. has received the approval of the building principal and Director of School Support for the region of schools.
  • The costs of any signage, statuary, landscaping, or other facility or site improvements shall be borne by those seeking the dedication and shall not be paid for from school district funds. Any improvements to facilities or grounds shall require approval by the district facility staff and shall not incur any ongoing costs or create any additional liability for the district.
  • The dedication shall not be used to “name” facilities and shall not be used for identification of location or directions.

Dedications or portions of district facilities shall be considered to be active for a period not to exceed ten years. Future facility improvements will not be planned to retain the dedication/memorial. Replacement of any such dedication/memorial that is worn or is past its useful life, will be left up to the principal. Such replacement shall not be done at the expense of the district.

Adopted:
09/11/67

Revised:
10/21/91
11/04/91
04/25/11
02/13/12
11/06/17

Construction on the Eastlake High School property