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Contentious school naming process arrives at four possible names By Ron Giofu The Amherstburg School Naming Committee has arrived at four names for the new public high school – none of which include the word “Amherstburg.” A fourth meeting of the committee was held virtually last week. The River Town Times confirmed after the meeting was held the four names that the committee will be forwarding to the Greater Essex County District School Board for consideration. Those names are North Star, Southwest Unity, Southwest Alliance and Great Sauk Trail. Ron LeClair, the Amherstburg/LaSalle trustee who stayed on as committee chair despite an earlier request to step down, said he attempted to have the committee focus on how to proceed forward from the previous meeting. LeClair said the new public high school is a $25 million investment and will be a “great amenity” in Amherstburg. “It’s going to be very modern and have very robust technical offerings,” he said. LeClair said students will have a great learning environment and said while it is a great amenity for the town, it will not define the town. He believed the town is defined by its many festivals, events, restaurants and other features. Of the four suggested names, LeClair stated “each of the names have a specific reason of how it ties into the community.” He said the board will consider the four names and have the option of sending the matter back to the committee if they feel more work needs to be done. However, while such a decision has occurred in previous school naming discussions, he does not believe that will happen in this case. Reaction has been “mixed” to the four suggested names, LeClair added. “It’s always hard when you are naming a school,” he said. LeClair believes some of the concerned residents
Four names will be put forth to the Greater Essex County District School Board for consideration as the new high school name. North Star, Southwest Alliance, Southwest Unity and Great Sauk Trail will be discussed by public board trustees at the Oct. 19 meeting, which will be livestreamed starting at 7 p.m. RTT Photo by Ron Giofu
that have contacted him about the four names were more open to the names after he explained the rationale behind them. Southwest Unity reflects the fact they are bringing two schools – General Amherst High School and Western Secondary School – together in the southern part of Essex County. Southwest Alliance contains the same geographical reference with “alliance” referring to Indigenous and British coming together to defend what ultimately became Canada. The name Great Sauk Trail was put forth because
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it’s a trail that leads to Amherstburg and involves the Indigenous and British meeting to exchange gifts, said LeClair. North Star was chosen due to the town’s being a destination on the Underground Railroad, with LeClair pointing out fleeing slaves used stars to guide themselves to freedom. He added the board uses the North Star in its logo and that stars “have a very important meaning” to the Indigenous Peoples.
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