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Dripping Springs ISD’s second high school will be named Driftwood Springs High School following a 6-1 vote at a May 18 meeting.
“We want to get it right,” board President Dr. Stefani Reinold said at the meeting. “We’re very passionate ... We are also managing a lot of people’s opinions.”
The overview
DSISD officials, employees, students and community members have been discussing the naming and branding of the new high school since February, when the district sent out a community survey.
A 64-person High School No. 2 Naming & Branding Committee met four times over the past few months to discuss options for the school’s name, colors and mascot.
The committee submitted the following name recommendations:
All of the existing DSISD schools are named after a real spring within the district’s boundaries. While several board members, including Tricia Quintero and Reinold, said they assumed the inclusion of “springs” in a school name was codified in the district’s bylaws, that is not the case. However, board Vice President Mary Jane Hetrick said it was a district tradition and she “felt strongly” it should be upheld.
“It wasn’t in the policy, and yet they did it,” board member Shanda DeLeon said. “For me ... that is honoring tradition and the heritage and the history of the town.”
While Driftwood Springs follows the established naming pattern of including “springs,” it is the only school that is not associated with a natural spring in the area.
“Changing traditions that have lasted over 100 years is a decision that should not be taken lightly,” DSISD parent Kathryn Williams said.
Another viewpoint
Several community members, including future students of the school, advocated for the selection of Driftwood High School.
“The 'springs' naming convention is not a century-old tradition,” said Shellie Deringer, a DSISD parent and High School No. 2 Naming & Branding Committee member. “It began in 2007 with Walnut Springs Elementary ... A high school deserves more weight and consideration than simply extending a naming pattern created less than 20 years ago for elementary schools during rapid expansion.”
While Driftwood High School was the favorite name among many committee and community members, Reinold said the board heard feedback from Driftwood residents that they did not want the new high school to have that name.
“It’s really important to me that we remain as one town as much as we can through this growth,” DSISD graduate and parent Bonnie Hickman Rouquette said. “But I also think that Driftwood High Schoolers deserve to have their own identity.”
What’s next?
The Driftwood Springs High School mascot and colors will come back for further discussion at a later meeting.
“One thing you told the committee at the beginning of the committee was ‘do not box yourself in,’” said Nathan Prachyl, DSISD parent and naming committee member. “So when you’re thinking about the mascot and the colors, I encourage you to do the same ... don't box yourself in on perceived limitations of branding and color.”
