New High School to Be Named Pacifico

And the name of Oxnard’s next high school campus is . . . Pacifico.

Tired of referring to the campus--scheduled to open in the fall of 2000--as “the growth school,” Oxnard Union High School trustees chose the name.

A committee of 20 parents and educators presented the following options to board members: Costa de Oro, Spanish for gold coast; Madeline Miedema, after a longtime teacher and district trustee; Millennium; Playa Vista, Spanish for beach view; and Mar Pacifico, Spanish for Pacific Ocean.

Trustees narrowed their choice to Playa Vista and Mar Pacifico, saying both had a nice ring. Ultimately they favored Mar Pacifico, but decided to lop off the Mar, saying it would have a smoother flow with one word. Pacifico in Spanish means pacific or peaceful.

“It fits the area because we are close to the ocean and it means calm,” said trustee Jean Daily-Underwood. “I think it will be well received.”

Trustees also considered changing the name to Pacifica but opted not to because that name had already been taken by a school in Garden Grove.

The new school to open on Gonzalez Road will become the district’s sixth comprehensive high school. The campus will be built with part of the $57-million school bond that voters approved in November.