The Osseo Area Schools Board voted 6–0 on Sept. 23 to name its newest elementary school in northwest Maple Grove “Aspen Ridge Elementary School.” Superintendent Dr. Kim Heil and Kaye Villila, executive director of community relations, described a months‑long community naming process that gathered 1,298 participants and nearly 25,000 ratings.

The nut graf: the district convened a community committee, set naming parameters consistent with board policy and a community thought exchange, and recommended a nature‑inspired name that committee members said reflected local geography, indigenous meaning, and a design motif already planned for the building.

Dr. Heil and Villila told the board the naming engagement ran Aug. 4–Sept. 11 and that the committee reviewed community submissions under parameters that discouraged replicating existing district place names and required the words “Elementary School.” Villila said the most common community submission — Arbor Ridge — risked confusion with Arbor View Early Childhood Center and many other local uses of “Arbor,” so the committee selected Aspen Ridge as an alternative that met the parameters.

Dr. Heil said the aspen tree has indigenous meaning (unity and protection), is common in Minnesota, and the school site sits on an elevated area near Arbor Ridge Parkway; she also noted the building is the district’s first two‑story elementary facility and that interior design plans already include tree imagery. Following a motion by Director Sarah Mitchell and second by Director Kelsey Dawson, the board approved the superintendent’s recommendation 6–0.

Ending: district staff said students will be invited to propose mascot ideas in an upcoming meeting, and communications updates and construction photos will be posted on the Building a Better Future project webpage.