Augusta Elementary students chose the name and mascot for their new "central" school to be the Windy Ridge Elementary School and their mascot to be the Honey Bee. The colors are blue, yellow and black.
The why behind these choices are that if you have ever visited Augusta Elementary, you know that the wind blows on that ridge when it blows no where else in the universe. Students recognized this fact about the area and thought "Windy Ridge" was the perfect, descriptive name for the new school. The students chose the Honeybee as the school mascot because honeybees are focused, dedicated, and generous. Honeybees practice teamwork, live in community, and are highly intelligent. The school colors of blue, yellow, and black accents represent the beautiful sky and the intricate bright colors of the Honeybee. Students took the responsibility of naming the school very seriously. They shared ideas and engaged in discussions about making the right choices. From the smallest to the tallest, they focused on the task and presented a unique, creative name for our beautiful new school♥️

The students at Romney and Springfield (since they will consolidate with Romney) chose South Branch Elementary School as the name for their new "west" school. The mascot is the Black Bear and the colors are blue and green.
These choices were made because the South Branch of the Potomac is a clear connecting line through the communities on the western end of the county. Blue is a common color among the three schools joining together - John J. Cornwell, Springfield-Green Spring, and Romney Elementary Schools. It is also the color of the Romney Pioneers, which the students will some day proudly be. Green is the color of the Hampshire Trojans and the color the students will someday proudly wear. Black Bears were a favorite animal and suggestion from the students and community and an animal that roams through our woods. The community offered much support and lots of great suggestions for names, mascots, and colors, and then the vote was taken by the kiddos. The students at RES and SGSES got to have the final say! The new name honors the communities and geography, the past and traditions, and looks forward to the future. Now everyone anxiously awaits the new building!
Slanesville students, parents and community members chose Ice Mountain Elementary as the name for the new "north" elementary school and the Yeti as the mascot. The colors are navy, carolina blue, gray and white.
Slanesville school has adopted the Growth mindset in correlation with the Power of YET - "There is nothing we can't do.........yet." When looking for the school name, they looked in search of area landmarks that were a representation of the Slanesville area. Located only 6.8 miles from the current Slanesville Elementary School, Ice Mountain is the nation's newest national natural landmark. It is known as a "natural refrigerator" because of its underground vents that store cold air during the winter months. These vents release cold air that allows for plant growth that is normally only found in Canada, Alaska, and much colder northern climates. When looking at Ice Mountain as a possible name for the school, they then looked at a mascot that would work with Ice Mountain and came up with the yeti. Yeti stands for Young Empowered Talented Individuals, which is exactly what the SES students are All three names on the ballot were great, but the majority vote from both students, parents and community members put Ice Mountain as the favorite.