WEST FARGO — The West Fargo School District will name its third high school after the city where it will be built.

The school board voted 6-1 to name the middle school Heritage Middle School at its meeting, Monday, March 11. It voted 4-3 to name the high school West Fargo Horace High School.

Board Member Dan Schaeffer said he didn’t like any of the choices for both schools.

“I didn’t feel like I could put my name on any of these names; I just couldn’t,” Schaeffer said. “Whatever you guys pick tonight, I won’t be voting for it.”

The board discussed the high school name at length after two motions to table the vote failed.

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Board members Schaeffer, Andrea Schaeffer and Jessica Heilman were not in favor of the name Horace. Board President Patti Stedman and Members Jon Erickson, Jim Jonas, and Kara Gravley-Stack voted for Horace.

For the middle school, the board chose between Centennial, Dakota, United or Heritage. They chose a new high school name between the names Horace, Rivers Bend or Roosevelt.

Board members then ranked the names. Heritage and Horace were ranked the highest by board members.

The new high school and middle school will be located near 76th Avenue and Sheyenne Street in Horace. Construction on the middle school will begin this spring and be finished by fall 2020. At that time, the district will begin construction on the new high school.

Kory Peterson, Horace Mayor said Monday that residents of Horace hoped the school board would consider naming the school after Horace. He said residents would very much like to see the high school named after the city.

“It’s a big excitement in our neck of the woods,” he said.

Peterson said there once was a school in Horace but it closed in 1968, and the schools merged with West Fargo School District. The former high school’s mascot was mustangs, which is now the mascot of Sheyenne High School.

“That’s the sentiment of the town, that if there is going to be a high school there, call it Horace,” Peterson said.

However, Stedman pointed out that there is currently a school, Horace Elementary in the city.

Gravley-Stack, who lives in Horace said she has not heard concerns of having two schools named Horace in the city. She said residents of Horace have been very supportive of the recent bonds, such as the $106.9 million bond passed in September that will pay for the two new schools.

“I feel like we’re almost putting the whole identity of an area on one school,” Board Member Jessica Heilman said.

Payne said she didn’t think it is fair to the West Fargo or Fargo students who will attend Horace.

Peterson said residents favor the name Heritage for a middle school as the city once had a high school in it, and now that one is returning, it is part of the city’s heritage.

“Horace was the number one submitted names for both the middle school and high school,” Stedman said. “It would be West Fargo Horace. Just like it’s West Fargo Sheyenne.”

The board whittled down a list of of names for both the middle school and high school last month after receiving 329 suggestions, or 150 unique names for the middle school and 228 submissions or 91 unique names for the high school, District Spokeswoman Heather Leas said.

The board removed the middle school names Destiny, Frontier, Great Plains, Justice, Prairie, Prairieview, River Valley, Riverside, Two Rivers and Unity from consideration at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 25. It removed the high school names Allegiance, Flickertail, Prairie Rose, Tundra, Prairie Winds, Prairie, Red Cloud, and Washington.

The board decided earlier in February to allow current students who will attend the two schools to submit potential school colors and mascots. It will narrow down mascot and color lists to two options for both later in March. Students will then vote on the final two choices.