RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA : Board OKs Name of Intermediate School

The name will remain the same for Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate School when it opens this fall.

In a unanimous vote last week, the Saddleback Valley Unified School District Board of Education approved keeping the name the school has had during its construction.

The name was the overwhelming choice of students who will attend the school starting in September, Principal Walt Otto said.

A committee of parents, school employees and community representatives also favored the name out of a list of six finalists, although a close runner-up was Las Lomas Intermediate School, Otto said.

Students also picked as a school nickname “The Roadrunners,” with team colors of teal with silver and black accents, Otto said.

In other action, board members voted 3 to 2 to hire a communications specialist to help build business partnerships and increase communication with the community, filling a position that had been vacant for two years.

Elaine M. Carter, a former director of community relations for the Santa Margarita Co., senior administrator of community affairs for the Mission Viejo Co. and director of food services for the district, will start her new position this week.

Board members Debbie Hughes and Frank L. Ury voted against the appointment for financial reasons, stressing that they did not question Carter’s qualifications.

The position pays an annual salary of $59,500, district Supt. Peter A. Hartman said.

A South County resident since 1975, Carter is most recently credited with spearheading the formation of the Rancho Santa Margarita Civic Assn. and organizing numerous fund-raising and community activities.

Her community involvements include South Orange County Chambers of Commerce, Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center Advisory Board, Saddleback College Foundation Board, Saddleback Valley YMCA and Rancho Santa Margarita Lion’s Club.