The Port Angeles School District Board of Directors heard a presentation and community comment Aug. 7 on a proposal to rename Stevens Middle School, but took no action and delayed any vote until at least Sept. 25. The board’s superintendent said the district is building a new middle school on the current Stevens site and that the existing building will be demolished after students move to the new facility.

The superintendent, speaking to the board, said, “No decision is going to be made tonight,” and outlined the process the district followed to produce a short list of names. The district convened a Port Angeles Capital Advisory Committee for Stevens consisting of staff, students, tribal representatives and community members; that committee recommended four names for board consideration.

The committee’s recommended names were Hurricane Ridge Middle School, Riverstone Middle School, Elwha River Middle School and Port Angeles Middle School. The superintendent described Hurricane Ridge as “a well known and unique landmark deeply associated with our peninsula.” The presentation said Elwha River is “culturally … sacred to the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe” and noted that the district would consult tribal representatives before moving forward with a name tied to the river.

A community member, Sydney Ray Charlier of 1128 West 11th Street, urged the board to choose a simple name that identifies the school’s location. Charlier said she has long ties to the area and asked the board to “consider Port Angeles Middle School,” and she provided the board with correspondence supporting the renaming.

Board materials presented to directors stated that a name change would not add design or construction costs to the new school. The superintendent also told the board that the new building will be configured as a traditional middle school serving grades 6–8.

The board’s public process will include another community comment period at the Aug. 21 board meeting; board discussion and potential action are scheduled for Sept. 25, according to the superintendent’s presentation. No formal motion or vote on the renaming was taken Aug. 7.

Background: The district’s naming guidance discourages naming schools after individuals except in narrow, established cases and asks the board to be sensitive to Indigenous names and to consult tribal representatives when a proposed name has cultural or spiritual significance.