Fargo School Board names top finalists for Woodrow Wilson High School name change

There were 129 name suggestions submitted from the public. The board selected it's top five at Tuesday's meeting.

FARGO, N.D. — The former Woodrow Wilson high school is one step closer to getting a new name.

The Fargo School Board has selected five options; Dakota, Central, Voyageur, Valley and Agnes Geelan high school.

The process began with public input. There were 214 forms completed and 129 unique names were suggested.

It was then left in the hands of school board members who narrowed down the list to 26. Each member of the board then took an online survey that generated the consensus top five.

Before taking the survey, the board heard from David Burkman, the principal of the high school, who spoke on behalf of his staff and students.

Among his list of “don’ts” was risking going down the same path that got them to this process.

“A lot of wresting with historical figures or person,” Burkman said. “Just general concern about if it will be able to stick. The concern about if it is named after a historical figure or person we are not looking at another name change because more is known about the person.”

Some members of the board think that more needs to be taken into consideration when talking about choosing another historical figure.

“I will be voting a different way tonight just because I would like to bring balance to existing structures and buildings that we have,” said board member, Tracie Newman. “There are a lot of things in our society and in our community named after white men. I would like to see people elevated that are women, that are indigenous and people of color.”

Agnes Geelan was the only name of a historical figure chosen in the top five. Geelan was a North Dakota native and schoolteacher who became the first female mayor in North Dakota and the first female state senator in North Dakota.

Staff and students also asked not to include “Alternative” or “Academy” in the name. Their top choices were Dakota and Voyageur High School.