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Pickens board approves 'Gateway to Innovation' name for Envision Pickens and directs committee to include Dr. Mendel H. Stewart in campus naming

2403130 · February 25, 2025

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Summary

The Pickens County School District board accepted the Envision Pickens naming committee's recommendation to call the former Pickens Annex the "Gateway to Innovation" and voted to have the naming committee return with official campus wording that includes former superintendent Dr. Mendel H. Stewart.

The Pickens County School District Board of Trustees voted to name the former Pickens Annex the "Gateway to Innovation" and directed the district naming committee to return with final campus wording that will include former superintendent Dr. Mendel H. Stewart.

The recommendation came from Tim Johnson, speaking for the Envision Pickens naming committee, who told the board the committee solicited public suggestions and narrowed more than 140 entries to a final recommendation. "Our recommendation is that this building be known as the Gateway to Innovation," Johnson said.

Why it matters: The board's action formalizes a central label for a multi-use campus the district describes as a hub for career-technical education, early-childhood programs and workforce development. Board members debated whether to attach Dr. Mendel H. Stewart's name immediately or direct the committee to craft a precise campus name that preserves the committee's gateway branding while honoring Stewart's service.

Board discussion and outcome Board member Haskett proposed an amendment to name the campus in honor of former superintendent Dr. Mendel H. Stewart, citing Stewart's decades of service and community roles. Several trustees said they supported honoring Stewart but wanted time to finalize how his name would appear in the full campus naming. After discussion, the board approved a motion authorizing the committee to return with an official campus name that includes Dr. Mendel H. Stewart, and separately approved the committee's recommendation that the building be known as the Gateway to Innovation. The votes were taken by voice/hand raise; no roll-call tally was provided in the meeting minutes.

What the committee reported Tim Johnson said the naming committee of about 20 people reviewed roughly 140 public suggestions and produced a top list that was ultimately recommended to the board. Johnson told trustees the committee envisioned the building as a districtwide gateway to opportunity — serving early-childhood, K–12 career and technical offerings, evening workforce education and other community programs.

Next steps The board directed the naming committee to return with exact wordsmithing for an official campus title that includes Dr. Mendel H. Stewart (for example, "The Dr. Mendel H. Stewart Campus of Innovation" or a variant that preserves the Gateway to Innovation brand). The committee will present the finalized campus name at a future meeting for formal adoption.