CARIBOU, Maine — Naming a new school proved to be more difficult than anticipated for RSU 39 school board members who asked committee members tasked with the job to go back and try again.
The naming committee presented the board with three possible names on March 21 for a new PreK-8 school in Caribou that is scheduled to be built in August 2020. The school board asked the panelists to go back and work within a new set of guidelines.
Members of the committee said they had similar discussions amongst themselves about the issues raised by the school board and indicated that the additional parameters would help in finding the best title for the new facility.
The three final names presented and rejected were: Caribou Community School, Caribou Elementary School, and Eastern Aroostook Elementary School.
Members of the RSU 39 board and Superintendent Tim Doak felt that Caribou should not be mentioned in the new school’s name, as the RSU also currently serves the communities of Limestone and Stockholm as well as Caribou and could serve other municipalities in the future.
Board member Tamara Cote felt strongly that “Caribou” should not be part of the new school’s name.
“This is a regional school unit, and I feel very strongly that no individual town should be identified in the naming,” she said. “Period.”
“I agree,” said Doak.
“I find it to be an isolating factor,” Cote continued. “There are, right now, three towns involved. The new school being within the borders of one particular town is a big win for that town, and the name should not address that.”
The board also had issues with the word “elementary,” as the school will include both elementary and middle school students.
Board member Clifford Rhome said he liked the idea of changing the suggested name “Eastern Aroostook Elementary School” to “Eastern Aroostook Community School.”
Board Chair Tanya Sleeper said the new name should not bind the facility to one specific idea.
“Fortunately, and unfortunately, this school may have to evolve over time and that may mean other communities coming, or changes in grade levels,” Sleeper said. “There are a number of reasons why the school may have to evolve.”
She said the name should capture what will occur in years to come, adding that she is “very proud to be a citizen of Caribou,” but that the name needs to indicate the school’s potential for evolution.
Both Doak and Sleeper commended the naming committee members for their efforts, and some board members even were apologetic for asking them to come up with more potential names.
“The effort of the committee is tremendous,” Doak said. “They went into it without any parameters.”
Members of the naming committee included Assistant Superintendent Jane McCall, Business Manager Mark Bouchard, fourth grade teacher Bethany Thibeault, former RSU 39 Board Member John Sjostedt, Elementary Physical Education teacher PJ Gorneault, and Middle School physical education teacher Evan Graves.
Thibeault said she and fellow teachers are not as familiar with the concept of regionalization as board members, and that many of her colleagues assumed the new school would be named after Caribou since that is where it will be located.
Gorneault agreed that he did not see an issue with naming the school after the city.
“I’ll speak for myself,” Gorneault said. “I’m a Stockholm boy, but I still thought it should be named after Caribou. When I went from there to Caribou [High School as a student], I didn’t think the name should be changed to reflect Stockholm or other communities.”
But board member Clifford Rhome said, “Students should feel included in the new school. It’s an eastern Aroostook area school, and should be named appropriately.”
Doak said the philosophy behind originally not placing parameters on the name was inspired by the hope that the perfect name would be submitted by a student or community member. Displays requesting suggested names were set up between Oct. 20 and Nov. 22 last year at various locations in the three member communities.
“We thought we were going to get our name that way,” Doak said. “That’s how Valley Rivers Middle School [in Fort Kent] got its name, it came from students, but the names we were getting were ‘Glitter’ and ‘Peanut Butter and Jelly.’” That threw us for a loop and boxed the naming committee into a corner. They didn’t have a lot to go with.”
RSU 39 Board member Betheny Anderson came back to say she did not see anything wrong with including “Caribou” in the new school’s name.
“It happens to be the name of our city and also of a regional animal,” she said. “We did get the money [for the new school] because of who we are. Caribou was a community in need; our schools were falling apart.”
“We got the money as an RSU,” said Sleeper, “even though it came to replace a school in Caribou, I’d say it came to replace a school within the RSU.”
Doak added that “a percentage of that school is owned by every [RSU 39 member] community.”
In discussing guidelines, Cote said the school should not be named after an individual, regardless of their stature or connection to the community.
“They could be squeaky clean today, but something may happen with them that we don’t want associated with the school,” she said. “That could be problematic.”
Sleeper said she could likely create some criteria with naming guidelines by the 23rd of March, and that the name should embrace the past while acknowledging the present and future.
Anderson said she thought it was hard for the naming committee to present the results of its work, only for the board to “put criteria on them” and that it “throws a lot of their work out the window.”
“I think this defeats the purpose of the committee,” she said. “Why even have one?”
“I want the committee to come back to us,” Sleeper responded. “At this stage if you’re asking for a vote, these names would be turned down so it would be futile anyway. I’m asking them to go back and think about our feedback.’
Cote that everyone’s personal time is valuable and that she would understand if members of the naming committee decided they had put in their time and were done.
Bouchard said he and other committee members “want to get it right, whatever it takes.”
“We should commend their work,” said Doak. “This is not easy. No matter what you pick for a name some will like it and some won’t, but you want to tilt the scale a little bit so more people like it.”
Doak said he hopes the committee will be able to come back with three more suggested names in time to have the board approve one and to hold a groundbreaking ceremony in mid-May of this year.
“I’d like to have a nice sign for the groundbreaking,” he said, “with the name of the school and a futuristic picture. It’s only appropriate we do that for the committee, and we should commend them for their work and encourage them to go back with a few parameters.”
