The Garden City Telegram
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Good choice
Published 2/6/2010 in Commentary : Editorial
Seize opportunity to honor educators
As superintendent of Garden City schools from 1969 to 1984, Horace Good saw the district through significant change.
Good was in charge as the number of students in the district ballooned from 500 to 8,000 in a community experiencing rapid growth. It all led to a new junior high school named after Kenneth Henderson, and a pair of elementary schools named for Gertrude Walker and Florence Wilson.
Now, thanks to more change in the district, a prominent school in Garden City USD 457 will carry Good's name.
A number of local school names were considered as part of a school facilities upgrade plan featuring a new high school and other building changes. With a unanimous vote, the USD 457 Board of Education recently selected Horace Good Middle School as the name of the school that will move into the current high school building at 1412 N. Main St.
A Facilities Naming Committee submitted its recommendations for building names to the school board. For the middle school move, the board eventually chose between Good and another well known Garden City resident, former U.S. House of Representatives member Clifford R. Hope Sr.
But with Hope's name already on the local post office and high school auditorium due to his outstanding contributions, it made sense to honor Good this time.
Culling the list of possible names for schools in the facilities upgrade plan was an eye-opener in helping the community learn more about individuals who made significant contributions to local education and the community.
For longtime residents, the process no doubt conjured up positive memories. And newcomers were able to learn more about people who helped shape Garden City.
As the local school district moves forward, it should pursue ways to honor the other individuals whose names were considered by the Facilities Naming Committee.
Only a few names can appear on buildings. Let's hope the district can go in other directions -- naming popular gathering places or annual events, for example -- to recognize more educators as part of a good tradition of honoring people who left the local school district and community better off.
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