The School Renaming Committee has announced its recommendations for new names for the schools formerly known as Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School.
The committee, made up of community members, parents, and students,
has selected Twin Rivers for the high school and Mechanicsville for the middle school after receiving community input on its three finalists from August 28 through September 3.
Twin Rivers pays homage to the Pamunkey and Chickahominy rivers, which provide the natural boundaries for the school community. The committee said in its rationale for selecting Twin Rivers that it provides a unique name that does not overlap with any existing Hanover County Public School or currently any high school in Virginia. It also meets the requirements of School Board
policy, which stipulates that schools cannot be named after any person (living or deceased) and lists geographic location, environmental features, and historical considerations as factors for consideration.
Mechanicsville is also in line with School Board policy and reflects the geographical location served by the school and is easily identifiable to anyone in the Mechanicsville community, the panel said.
The committee received more than 3,000 nominations, narrowing those suggestions down to 14 for a poll it conducted from August 21-27. The panel chose three finalists – Creek Run, Mechanicsville, and Willow Branch for the middle school, and Clearview, Mechanicsville, and Twin Rivers for the high school – from its 14 selections.
The School Board will consider the new names at its September 16 meeting, which is being held in the Board Room at the Hanover County Administration Building. This School Board is solely responsible for making the final decision on all school names, as outlined in School Board
policy.
Once the School Board has chosen new school names, new mascots will also be selected. That is a school-based decision and more information about the mascot selection process will be shared with the community as it becomes available.