St. Albert residents can now weigh in with their ideas on what to call the new Rundle/Simpson joint campus in Grandin.
St. Albert Public officials launched an online survey in early December to find a new name for the joint Sir George Simpson-Robert Rundle campus. The survey was initially aimed at school community members but opened to the general public around Dec. 8.
Speaking in an editorial board meeting with The Gazette, superintendent Krimsen Sumners said the public board reconfigured three Grandin-area schools in 2020 to address overcrowding at Simpson and low enrolment at Wild Rose and Robert Rundle. Wild Rose became a K-to-3 school, while Rundle became a Grade 4-to-6. Since Rundle is next to Simpson, administration also merged the two schools to become a single campus, with plans to eventually build a physical hallway between them.
The board is now seeking suggestions for a name for the merged school through an online survey. “We’re excited to see what some of the potential ideas for naming might be for that area,” Sumners said, adding that the district hopes to avoid names that might have to be changed down the road (such as the names of specific people).
“We’re looking for some things that are a little more general and really respect and reflect the community in the area.”
The survey itself specifically suggests names which reference plants, places, objects, or symbols meaningful to the school district, city, or province.
A Dec. 8 report to St. Albert Public trustees said the name survey would remain open until January, with a recommended name going before trustees this February.
The survey can be found at connect.spschools.org/new-campus-new-name.
