The school formerly known as Elementary W now has a name.
Pasco County School Board members voted unanimously on March 15 to name the school Wiregrass Elementary.
The board chose the name after little discussion. They decided to go with a name that reflects the community where the school will open in August.
Board member Cynthia Armstrong made the motion for the school’s new name, saying she was recommending Wiregrass, rather than Wiregrass Ranch, to avoid potential confusion with the nearby Wiregrass Ranch High School.
Armstrong also noted that she prefers naming schools based on their location because it helps to build a sense of community.
She also noted that naming a school for a person can lead to problems later on. “Down the road, when we want to repurpose a building, we want to repurpose a program, it makes it very difficult to do so because people have very strong feelings, as well they should,” Armstrong said.
“I have always felt strongly that geographic names are the way to go,” agreed School Board Chairwoman Joanne Hurley.
The new school will be led by Principal Steve Williams and Assistant Principal Melissa Bidgood.
Williams joined Pasco County Schools in 2001, working as a literacy specialist, then assistant principal and then principal.
Most recently, he led the Office for Teaching and Learning, supporting K-12 learning in all Pasco County Schools.
Bidgood joined Pasco County Schools in 2004. She spent the first part of her career at Sunray Elementary School followed by Sand Pine Elementary as a classroom teacher.
She later became a literacy coach at Seven Springs Elementary School, interned at Sunray Elementary as assistant principal and, most recently, has served as an assistant principal at Seven Oaks Elementary School.
Published March 23, 2016
