LAKE FOREST : School Likely to Be Named After City
The first elementary school to open in the city since its incorporation last month will be called Lake Forest Elementary School.
Although the Saddleback Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees will not officially vote on the name of the district’s 22nd elementary school until next month, trustees last week eliminated two other names which had been submitted by a residents committee.
The committee had narrowed down a list of 37 names to three finalists--Lake Forest, Meridian and Northcrest.
Although the name Lake Forest appears to have the unanimous support of the board, Trustee Dore J. Gilbert expressed displeasure that not one of the three names submitted by the committee reflected the area’s Spanish heritage.
“Northcrest sounds like an Irvine school, and Meridian sounds like a hotel,” said Gilbert, who said he would vote in favor of Lake Forest since that was the choice of the rest of the board.
“The name signifies the newest elementary school in a new city, so it has some value in that way,” Gilbert said. “But it has been the direction of the school board in the past to have a Spanish surname that is consistent with the heritage of the community.”
The school, which is currently under construction, will be at 21801 Pittsford Drive.
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