New School Likely To Be Named Skyway

The Coeur d’Alene School District’s newest school is likely to be named Skyway Elementary.

And its mascot probably will be the eagle.

Those are the results of a committee’s search for the best name for the district’s 10th elementary school, which is under construction west of Lake City High School. It is to open in the fall of 2000.

The district asked the community for suggestions and received more than 125 potential school names. A search committee eliminated names that indicated a direction, (such as West Hanley), a date (such as the millennium) or those similar to other schools (such as Mountain View). They also rejected names that were not characteristic of the surroundings, such as those related to forests or trees.

“We all went out there and there are not a lot of trees,” said Pam Pratt, principal of Fernan Elementary School. Pratt, who led the search, will take over as principal of the new school in the fall. Pratt reported the committee’s choice to the school board Monday.

Though there are few trees, the committee noticed spectacular sunsets at the school site and decided on a name reflective of the sky’s beauty.

“To me, it represents that the sky is the limit,” Pratt said, adding that a search of school names nationwide revealed only one other Skyway, in Minnesota.

The school board will decide at its next regular board meeting whether to adopt the suggested name.