Board accepts public survey results on new Havelock/Tucker Creek middle school identity, approves red‑white‑blue colors

Board representatives reported the results of a community survey about the identity of the new middle school tied to the Tucker Creek expansion and the Havelock consolidation. The board voted to accept red, white and blue as the school colors; other identity elements (official school name and mascot) remained under development. Board members Jennifer Gibbs and Laura Kitzinger summarized survey responses: 246 total respondents, the largest respondent groups were parents or guardians of middle school students (26.2%), current or former students (26.1%), and parents of elementary students (22.8%). When given the option to suggest their own school name, the most common suggestion was "Alvin West Middle School" (291 suggestions among write‑ins); other name options receiving interest included "Freedom Middle School" and "Patriot Point Middle School." For mascots, the most common write‑in was "Rams" (226 write‑ins); among preset choices, "Aviators" and "Patriots" were also popular. On colors, red, white and blue was the top choice with 347 respondents selecting that palette; board members said the color choice aligned with public preference and local considerations and then voted by raising hands to adopt the colors for the new school. The board clarified that adopting colors is a near‑term facilities/painting decision and does not finalize the school name or mascot, which staff and board representatives will continue to refine with community input. Public commenters at the meeting urged sensitivity to students’ emotional and cultural concerns about mergers; board members said they appreciate public input and will continue outreach. Ending: The board adopted red, white and blue as the preliminary school colors and will return to the public with additional recommendations on the school name and mascot after further community engagement.