The new schools in Maricopa now have names

Names for all three of the schools opening in Maricopa for the 2008-2009 school year have been approved by the Maricopa Unified School District Governing Board.

A naming committee of community members, school administrators and students met twice before making their final selections which the governing board approved Wednesday.

The elementary school in the Villages is now Butterfield Elementary School. The name stems from the Butterfield Overland Mail Line that ran through Maricopa Wells during the 19th century. John Butterfield, the line’s namesake, organized and operated the first overland mail service from St. Louis to San Francisco in 1858.

The second elementary school in Glennwilde Groves has been named Saddleback Elementary School. Students from Maricopa High School nominated the name in remembrance of the time in Maricopa history when every one walked or strapped saddles to horses to get around. The choice is also in appreciation of Saddleback Farms, just east of Maricopa.

Finally, the middle school at Tortosa has been named Desert Wind Middle School. According to the Maricopa Wells students who nominated the top choice, it comes from the gentle winds that chase one another across the Maricopa desert. The students added that those flurries can “quickly transform into powerful dust devils wreaking havoc on all who do not pay attention.” The activities director at Wells, Shannon Hull, noted that the students would like to see the dust devil become their school mascot.

The governing board approved the names by unanimous decision of those present. Tim White and Shannon Johns were absent.

Photo by RuthAnn Hogue