The new middle school planned for Newtown Township.
What will be the name of Newtown Township’s new middle school?
After Thursday evening’s Council Rock School Board’s facilities committee, it appears the name for Newtown Middle School will stay the same. In addition, the name for Holland Middle School will also stick once the massive renovations are completed. Work on the two schools are slatted to be reopened by September 2018.
The decision to hold steady for now on the names was made following lengthy discussions at the committee meeting and the previous school meeting.
Last month, board member Mark Byelich suggested naming Newtown Middle School after fallen borough police Officer Brian Gregg, who was shot dead in the line of duty in 2005. At the same meeting, board member Jerold Grupp made public the possibility naming Holland Middle School after fallen Army Master Sergeant Kenneth B. Elwell, a Northampton resident who was killed in a 2011 IED attack in Afghanistan.
During discussions, there was also some talk of additionally reworking Holland Middle School’s name as the building will take on students from the expected-to-close Richboro Middle School.
There was some concern from some board members about naming schools and being fair with dolling out the honor.
Byelich, a veteran and former elected constable, and Grupp made their disappointment about keeping the school names the same clear Thursday evening. Byelich called it a “huge embarrassment for this district.”
Board member Denise Brooks said she was disappointed on how the process was handled. She wanted a committee formed to talk about the issue. She said the name can always be updated going forward but a hard deadline on school signage is closing in.
