The Renfrew School Board has confirmed that the school formerly known as Sherwood Public School and Madawaska Valley District High School will now officially be called:
Madawaska Valley District School.
A public, information session was held in the library of the Barry’s Bay school last May, after which a school naming committee was formed.
People were invited to submit potential names along with a rationale and Submissions were accepted from October 10 to November 3, 2023.
The committee reviewed the input from the community.
Responses were fairly evenly distributed between students (28.3%), staff (19.6%), families (23.9%), alumni (22.8%).
School principal Jennifer Schooley noted that there was a strong attachment to the name ‘Madawaska Valley’ and that the majority of responses included it in the proposed name.
Local trustee David Kaiser, who sat on the School Naming Committee, said, “The committee worked diligently to ensure that the new name best reflected the spirit of the public consultation in alignment with the RCDSB’s mission, vision, and values. This was a top priority for the group.”
The new name was made official at the January 30th Board Meeting. The rebranding process, including replacing existing signage will be ongoing.