Washougal School District’s newest school will be named Columbia River Gorge Elementary School, as voted on by the school board at Tuesday’s meeting.
The board voted 4-1 in favor of the name, with Jaron Barney the one board member to prefer a different name. He voted in favor of Nch’i Wana Elementary School, one of two other finalists along with Gibbons Creek Elementary School. The district formed a naming committee, which reached out to the public for suggestions for the school name. The board received 140 total nominations, although with some overlap, residents suggested 84 different school names.
“Ultimately, the board felt that because the elementary school is located at the beginning of the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area that the name gave it a real sense of place and would be immediately recognizable by most adults and kids,” Elaine Pfeifer, school board member, said in a release from the district. “It also honors the significance of the Columbia River Gorge to Washougal in both our past and our future.”
The School Facilities Naming Recommendation Committee, led by Washougal School District Assistant Superintendent Patricia Boles, originally suggested Columbia Gorge Elementary School, but the board modified it to Columbia River Gorge Elementary School.
