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Papago equity team recommends 'Agave' or 'Iron Mountain' as replacement names; board asks for wider community input
Summary
Papago School's equity team presented two recommended replacement names (Agave and Iron Mountain) and requested further outreach; the board agreed to additional family and community feedback and set a timeline to return with results for consideration.
The Creighton School District equity team presented updated recommendations for renaming Papago School and asked the governing board for permission to solicit one additional round of community input.
Equity-team members presented two frontrunner names: "Agave," a plant used for food, fiber and medicine by indigenous peoples (and that also holds cultural meaning for Latino community members), and "Iron Mountain," a geographic name presented as an English translation of the original Indigenous name (Vainamdog) associated with the peak commonly known as Piestewa Peak.
Staff described a multi-year process that began with examination and community education in calendar years 2022'24, expanded outreach to Native American family nights and staff, and included consultation with local tribal representatives and community groups. The team reported outreach to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community language department and attempts to contact the Piestewa family; staff said some tribal leaders cautioned against renaming places using a deceased person's name out of cultural norms, which informed the recommendation to consider an alternate geographic name.
Equity-team lead Sylvia Earle and coordinator Isaiah Washington said the committee had previously presented other name options and has since gathered more input; they requested time to run a focused preference poll comparing the two suggested names and to share the update at a subsequent board meeting. The team also asked the board to consider signage and on-site displays that would record the history and community work behind any change so the reasoning is not lost to future visitors.
Board members agreed to allow the team to collect further feedback and suggested distributing the district's Google survey link at family nights, in the school newsletter and through neighborhood associations; the equity team said they could return with results by the next board meeting for a second presentation, after which the governing board could vote if it wished. No vote was taken at this meeting.
School staff noted students overwhelmingly support keeping the current mascot (Panthers) even if the facility name changes; staff asked that mascot branding remain unchanged.
