A4 • Friday, August 16, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
SignalViewpoints
Naming the new schools
SEEN FROM SEASIDE
SCHOOL NAMING TIMELINE
R.J. MARX
At Gearhart Elementary School registra-
tion on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, proposal
forms will be available. Proposal forms
will also be available at the elementary
schools, the Seaside Farmers Market,
football games and online. In October, the
B.E.S.T. Team, Parent/Community Members
will narrow down suggestions.
P
erhaps the most unheralded local elec-
tion is the one scheduled for Nov. 5 at
the elementary and middle schools.
That day, students will decide on the
names of their new schools after relocation
in 2020.
Gearhart Elementary will join The
Heights and the middle school will com-
prise one wing of the new high school and
middle school structure at the new campus
site in the Southeast Hills.
The purpose for a new name, Seaside
School District board committee members
said in May, is to represent “a merge and
true new start.”
Broadway Middle School — named
after the street where it has stood since it
was built in 1949.
In preparation for the transition,
the Bringing Our Elementary Schools
Together, or BEST, committee wants to
guide the community through a process of
selecting a new name, mascot, and school
colors to encompass elementary students
The Seabreeze Sandcrabs of Seabreeze High School in Del Ray, Florida. Along with a new name for
starting in the 2020-21 school year. Mid-
dle-schoolers will vote on a name for their the schools, the Seaside School District is rebranding the middle and elementary school teams.
new campus, which, although under the
same roof as Seaside High School, will
seek its own identity.
The committee started developing the
idea of a name and branding change during
the summer of 2018.
They attended a workshop on school
culture and climate hosted by the North-
west Regional ESD and gathered ideas for
blending staff and student bodies together.
Next, they distributed a survey to staff
members to gather their opinions on the
pros and cons of the transition to the new
Home of the Sharks!
Logo of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, a
campus and subsequently held two joint
member of minor league baseball’s Southern
staff meetings.
League.
The decision will be up to students, who
will vote on Nov. 5.
“We wanted to tie it in with election day
include, Willard and Weiser,
in November so our students could experi-
immortal members of the 1805-
ence and learn about the voting process as
06 salt making expedition in
well,” Heights principal Juliann Wozniak
Seaside, immortalized in a his-
said.
torical marker at the south end
The website nearbymountains.com
of the Prom at Avenue U. These
offers some lovely examples of local
guys were making salt before
names in those hills, and any of those could
the Morton’s girl carried an
give birth to a new name. Consider “Twin
umbrella.
Peaks Elementary School,” the mountain
From the Clatsop and Chinook
near Klootchy Creek — with apologies to
tribes, there are chiefs Concomly,
fi lmmaker David Lynch.
Coboway and Cuscular, who wel-
Klootchy High even has a cool ring to it,
comed the Corps of Discovery to
even if it does sound slightly vulgar. More
the Coast, and Tsin-is-tum, also
euphonious mountain areas include Davis
known as Jenny Michel a source
Point, Rippet Mountain and Clark’s Moun-
of folklore of the Clatsop people.
tain. Saddle Mountain School has a nice
Imagine naming the school after
ring to it.
a Clatsop tribe member — and a
Seaside might choose to honor a found-
woman at that. Tsin-is-tum mar-
ing father (or mother) — or a man who
ried the last chief of the Nehalem
gave his life to the community, a histor-
people. Wah-tat-kum — a rather
ical fi gure. The Lewis and Clark brand
unwieldy name at that for an ele-
is spread thin, but what about naming a
mentary school.
school in honor of Robert Gray, the com-
The committee could also
mercial seaman who completed the fi rst
turn to contemporary fi gures for
American circumnavigation of the world
inspiration.
in 1790 before coming on and naming the
I am told that the Dooley Bridge
Columbia River on his second voyage two
on 101 is named after a former
years later.
Department of Transportation offi -
Lessons learned from the
Or Washington Irving, whose “Asto-
cial — perhaps a building offi cial
Texas City (Texas) Sting
arees.
ria, or Anecdotes of an Enterprise beyond
would be appropriate for naming.
time? And of course the author
the Rocky Mountains,” published in 1836,
My hat’s off to these guys who are put-
of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
introduced more readers to the Pacifi c
ting pyramids on our precarious hillside.
Other historical footnote favorites
Northwest than any single book up to that
Perhaps students and staff would like
Oct. 18 will be the fi nal date for commu-
nity input, and on Oct. 22, members will
create the ballot for student voting. Votes
will be tallied after Election Day, and the
information will be delivered to the board
on Nov. 12, with presentations to follow at
both schools.
The middle school will deliver name
survey forms during registration and open
house, at the Seaside Farmers Market
information booth, at school and online.
Oct. 18 will be the fi nal date for complet-
ing surveys; from Oct. 21-25, the name
review committee will narrow choices.
On Oct. 28, the school will create a student
ballot for a naming vote on Nov. 5.
to pay tribute to a person who made an
overall contribution to the community?
The Bob Chisholm Community Center is
an example, named after a former public
works employee and fi refi ghter who died
trying to save a drowning victim.
So is the Don Larson Library, named
in 2017 after the former mayor who was
infl uential in the construction of the new
building in 2008.
Sgt. Jason Goodding, the police offi cer
killed in the line of duty in February 2016,
could prove a fi ne choice.
Raise your hand if you know all the
local school nicknames. They’re the Gear-
hart Eagles, The Heights Beavers and the
Broadway Middle School Sharks.
I love the name the Seagulls, a name
shared with Seaside by the San Francisco
collegiate baseball Seagulls, the Salis-
bury (Maryland) Seagulls, and the former
Mobile (Alabama) Seagulls, a professional
indoor football team that went defunct in
2001. (If anyone suggested changing that
name, I’d imagine they’d best leave town.)
Maybe the elementary school should be
known as the “Little Gulls.”
But of course other nearby birds — puf-
fi ns, osprey and plover — all carry a cer-
tain cachet.
And once you turn to the sea, well
you’ve got the Whales, the Seals — and
maybe even the Razor Clams, Sand Crabs
or Jumbo Shrimp.
Students, staff and community mem-
bers will submit their ideas, Wozniak
said, before a committee of teachers, par-
ents, school board members and commu-
nity members narrow the choices. “Then
students will get to ‘vote’ on election day
for their favorite,” she said. “Then we will
bring the new name, mascot and colors to
the board for fi nal approval.
A website will be up for input.
Forms will be made available at the Sea-
side Farmer’s Market, fall conferences,
registration, and online. The committee —
with the inclusion of a community member
and board member — will narrow down
the suggestions to two choices.
Throughout December through June
2020, the committee will work to develop
branding and new T-shirts for the students.
So pick carefully.
How jewelry can take on many meanings, powerful effects
I
t’s been a couple weeks since I purchased
a magnesite sideways cross bracelet from
Jennifer Lynn Loper, jewelry designer,
mixed media artist, Reiki master, and propri-
etor of Zen Living Arts, a mindful accesso-
ries business.
Loper’s work is creating accessories that
assist the wearer to be more intentional,
focused, and present. We met at the Sea-
side Farmer’s Market, which happens this
summer every Wednesday through Septem-
ber 25 at the Broadway Middle School from
2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Among Loper’s collection of hand-
crafted wares are wire-wrapped necklaces,
Mala beads, and beaded bracelets. She loves
working with crystals and gemstones, not
just because they are beautiful, but because
of their powerful effects.
“Their energy resonates with yours
and your vibration changes,” Loper said.
Depending on which stone or crystal you
choose, you can feel more grounded, or
protected or, if you’re so inclined, invite
abundance.
Mala beads are mostly used for setting
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
Kari Borgen
R.J. Marx
VIEW FROM
THE PORCH
EVE MARX
Eve Marx
This bracelet is drawing new friends.
intention. They are the latest fashion trend
with the yoga set, and their origins can be
traced back to the birthplace of yoga, which
is to say the foothills of the Himalayas along
the sacred Ganges.
Loper is a full time vendor not just at the
Seaside Farmer’s Market, but the Astoria
Sunday Market as well.
“This is my second year in Seaside and
I’m very grateful for the opportunity,” she
said. “I’ve connected with so many beauti-
CIRCULATION
MANAGER
PRODUCTION
MANAGER
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
Jeremy Feldman
John D. Bruijn
ADVERTISING
SALES MANAGER
SYSTEMS
MANAGER
Sarah Silver-
Tecza
Carl Earl
Skyler Archibald
Darren Gooch
Joshua Heineman
Rain Jordan
Katherine Lacaze
Eve Marx
Cara Mico
Esther Moberg
ful souls, forged so many new friendships,
and discovered so much about myself. Angi
Wildt and the other vendors have been so
generous with their help and advice, and
made a newbie feel very welcome.”
I am a certifi ed Reiki Master myself,
trained in the Usui method. This might be
a good time for me to say that ever since
I started wearing the magnesite sideways
cross bracelet, I’ve had some striking con-
versations. It’s an old joke in my household
how I will talk to anybody and that any-
body will talk to me, but ever since I started
wearing this bracelet, my experiences have
shot to a whole new level. These are not just
random conversations. Don’t ask me how
or why, but within moments, things get …
deep.
“My business isn’t just about mak-
ing things, it’s about making a difference,”
Loper said. “The essence of Zen living is
making the most of your life: noticing it,
appreciating it, understanding it, and even
becoming a master in the art of living fully.”
Because of the nature of the conversa-
tions apparently inspired by my bracelet, I
did a little research into the meaning of the
sideways (or horizontal) cross.
Ross Simons, one of the largest online
jewelry retailers, says the sideways cross is
a modern take on the traditional symbol of
faith. For many, it’s simply a fashion state-
ment. Poking around on line, I discovered a
fair amount of documentation the sideways
cross been embraced by evangelicals. My
personal feeling about the matter falls some-
where in between; in any case, I love how
well the bracelet looks added to my exist-
ing stack.
Next time you’re at the Seaside Farm-
er’s Market, check out Zen Living Arts. Jen
Loper is happy to help you fi nd a meaning-
ful accessory that might just change your
life. Or visit her store online at www.zenliv-
ingarts.com.
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