The Port Angeles School District Board of Directors advanced the public stage of a process to rename Stevens Middle School on Aug. 7, hearing a presentation from district staff and one public comment but taking no vote. The superintendent said the board would not decide on a new name that night and scheduled additional community comment for Aug. 21 and board action for Sept. 25.

The superintendent told the board the district is building a new middle school on the current Stevens site, that the new building will house grades 6–8 and that the existing Stevens building will be demolished after students move into the new school. The superintendent said a name change would not add design or construction cost.

The district-appointed Port Angeles Capital Advisory Committee for Stevens—made up of staff, students, tribal representatives and community members—selected four names to recommend to the board: Hurricane Ridge Middle School, Riverstone Middle School, Elwha River Middle School and Port Angeles Middle School. The superintendent said the committee included tribal representatives and noted that the Elwha River option “would need consultation with the tribe before moving forward.” The presentation said the Elwha River is culturally central to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and is the site of a major regional ecological restoration.

During public comment, resident Sydney Ray Charlier urged the board to choose a name that clearly identifies the city. The superintendent reiterated: “No decision is going to be made tonight.”

Board materials reviewed at the meeting describe the committee rationale for each proposed name: Hurricane Ridge ties to a well-known regional landmark; Riverstone invokes resilience and transformation without tying the school to a single geographic feature; Elwha River recognizes Indigenous cultural history and the river’s ecological significance but requires tribal consultation; and Port Angeles Middle School plainly identifies the school with the city.

Next steps identified at the meeting include a second public-comment opportunity on Aug. 21 and formal board consideration and possible action on Sept. 25. The superintendent and the committee emphasized that tribal consultation would be required before adopting a name that invokes Indigenous cultural sites.

Background: the committee was formed under district naming policy and presented its shortlist after meeting with staff, students and tribal representatives. No formal motion or vote on a new name occurred at the Aug. 7 meeting.