North Hills School Board Votes to Rename Junior High School

By a vote of 7-0, the North Hills School Board  voted Monday night to begin the process of renaming the Junior High School  to North Hills Middle School.

Board member Jeff Meyer abstained and Sharon Schrim was absent.

"Last evening's vote allows the district to file paperwork with the state Department of Education to formally change the building's name to North Hills Middle School from North Hills Junior High School," said North Hills Communications Coordinator Amanda Hartle. "An additional vote at another meeting with board discussion will be taken in reference to new signage should the state Department of Education approve the district's request."

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Johannah Vanatta said the name change is important for several reasons.

"First and foremost, it opens the doors to grants and recognitions for which the building is not eligible as it is viewed as a junior high not a middle school by the state Department of Education," she said.

With the approval of new start and dismissal times next year, all of the 9th graders will be moving to the senior high building.

"We can really embrace the whole cultural aspect of a middle school," she said. "Those kids are not elementary kids, those kids are not high school kids, they're in the middle and they have very specific social needs. They have very specific emotional needs. They have very specific learning needs. This is the perfect time to build those programs to the meet the learning styles of those 7th and 8th graders. There are so many opportunities for those kids."

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