BURBANK : Disney Elementary Won’t Change Name
On Mickey Mouse’s 65th birthday, Burbank’s school board president said that Walt Disney Elementary School will not be allowed to change its name after all.
School officials had asked that the name be changed because potential corporate donors, thinking that the school was affiliated with the entertainment company, have turned down requests for grants or contributions.
“It was an honor when this school was named after a man who really put Burbank on the map,” board President Elena Hubbell said.
Hubbell said Thursday that the board did not want to change the name of the school because of the pride they felt in having the Disney association. Instead, the school district is tackling the problem as a simple funding issue and is working harder to arrange partnerships with local businesses to help upgrade the school.
On Thursday afternoon, 29 fifth-graders from Walt Disney Elementary sang “Happy Birthday” as well as songs from Disney movies to open a special $2-million art show of Mickey Mouse artwork at the Howard Lowery Gallery in Burbank.
Afterward, the gallery owner gave Walt Disney Elementary School Principal Linda Reksten a check for $500 to repaint the school library.
Lowery’s check on Thursday was one of the first steps in getting more funds for the school. Reksten said that to refurbish the library entirely with a new computer system and other improvements is expected to cost up to $15,000.
“We’re working very hard in making contacts,” Reksten said. “We want these improvements for the children and that’s really the bottom line.”
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