naming your school...

[helena]

My soon to be 9th grader is leaving our charter school at the end of this year. We'll be filing as a school and need to come up with a name. Any tips or thoughts? Care to share the name of your school? Did you let the kids have a say?

 

Every time we get in the car to drive somewhere far the naming battle begins. :tongue_smilie: Everyone's going in different directions. Local nature names? Latin? Historical? Up till now my husband can only come up with absurd suggestions. Lots of laughs, but no help there.

 

I've decided on East-West Academy because I love that record and as soon as I suggested it we passed a road named Butterfield Rd. (Paul Butterfield did the record). Then when we got to our destination there was a shop named East-West something or other... Just a coincidence?? I don't think so! :) Is it really so bad to name your school after a blues record?? Haha! We could add a latin motto! No?? Oh boo! :D

[Dmmetler]

DD named our school "Mount Parnassus Academy". Legally, we're part of an umbrella, so that name doesn't have any real existence, but I use it when I have things shipped to us for school, and she loves getting stuff with "Mount Parnassus" on it. I've had things like school shirts made. FWIW, the only people who have commented so far was whoever packed her National Mythology Exam packet at the American Classical League-we got a handwritten note commenting "Love the school name!" ;)

[Dmmetler]

DD named our school "Mount Parnassus Academy". Legally, we're part of an umbrella, so that name doesn't have any real existence, but I use it when I have things shipped to us for school, and she loves getting stuff with "Mount Parnassus" on it. I've had things like school shirts made. FWIW, the only people who have commented so far was whoever packed her National Mythology Exam packet at the American Classical League-we got a handwritten note commenting "Love the school name!" ;)

[helena]

DD named our school "Mount Parnassus Academy". Legally, we're part of an umbrella, so that name doesn't have any real existence, but I use it when I have things shipped to us for school, and she loves getting stuff with "Mount Parnassus" on it. I've had things like school shirts made. FWIW, the only people who have commented so far was whoever packed her National Mythology Exam packet at the American Classical League-we got a handwritten note commenting "Love the school name!" ;)

 

 

Love that name!

Yeah, the kids want a mascot, a motto, t-shirts, the whole thing. :)

[ladyinthegarden]

You can also explain the name like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_East_and_Latin_West

[Arboreal TJ]

<surname> Institute of Chaos, decreasing entropy since 2012!

[helena]

You can also explain the name like this: http://en.wikipedia...._and_Latin_West

 

 

Thanks for the link! I like the name. The kids, not so much. :glare:

It's going on the list of possibilities. They might warm up to it. It wouldn't be the first time they completely changed their minds. :)

[momto2Cs]

My ds named ours when he was 5, though until he was 8 we went through a charter school and didn't need it for much. It's OakLeaf Academy. We have a mascot - the barn owl - and school colors - red, gold and green - too! Our motto is Learning From the Roots Up, and our patron saint is Athena, the goddess of wisdom (again, ds's suggestion).

[Chrysalis Academy]

We picked Chrysalis Academy for the obvious development-and-transformation connotations, but also because dd10 loves insects and wanted to study them more than anything else, when we first started!

[helena]

Aesalon Classical School though I'm thinking of changing it to Aesalon Academy.

I got the name from a list of obscure characters in Harry Potter. Falco Aesalon (aka Merlin bird) was the first animagus. He could turn into a falcon (obviously). I liked the name. We don't need a school name. It was more for fun and something to put on forms that ask.

 

 

We like this one! Why are you thinking of changing the last part? I've heard others say academy is a good ending to a school name... What else is there that's similar?? We're not pure classical, so "classical school" as part of the title wouldn't work for us.

[helena]

<surname> Institute of Chaos, decreasing entropy since 2012!

 

 

Sounds like one of the many names my husband has suggested. :D We've come up with some good ones, just to realize that it might not look good for college. :lol:

[helena]

My ds named ours when he was 5, though until he was 8 we went through a charter school and didn't need it for much. It's OakLeaf Academy. We have a mascot - the barn owl - and school colors - red, gold and green - too! Our motto is Learning From the Roots Up, and our patron saint in Athena, the goddess of wisdom (again, ds's suggestion).

 

 

My mom suggested a name using oak. :)

We're kind of going through the list of local trees now. Cedar, Ironwood...

Your son did an awesome job of pulling it all together! I'll show this to the girls so they can see how you made it all work.

Thanks!

[helena]

We picked Chrysalis Academy for the obvious development-and-transformation connotations, but also because dd10 loves insects and wanted to study them more than anything else, when we first started!

 

 

Hmmm... science names!!! Love it! Great meaning!

I did suggest Archimedes Academy and Alexandria Academy a while ago. I'll suggest those again and start looking through some science books.

Meh, now that I look at them written out, maybe they're silly. :tongue_smilie: They loved studying both, but they're not science intense kids. I just don't know.

[weederberries]

I named ours (very unofficially) after our street name. Pond View School. It worked because we were also schooling with neighbors at the time.

[alisoncooks]

We have to register with the state in the fall, and I believe we have to have a name at that point. A name which -- IIRC -- cannot be changed, so I've been thinking on this often lately!

 

{And yes, "academy" works well for a school name that must span all 12ish years:}

 

I've played with the local/nature names: Rocky Hill Academy, Chatham Hill Academy, etc

I've played with the symbolic/religious: Lovelight Academy

I'm searching for literary options... hmmm, Pemberly Academy...

 

Anyway, yeah.

I'm struggling. I want something that sounds "real" when viewed on a transcript.

Right now my tongue-in-cheek 1st choice is Wiseacre Academy.

That, or the [Last Name] School for Fine Young Women...

[Mom2TheTeam]

I'm trying to come up with one as well. I'm not very creative. Luckily, we don't *have* to have one. But, I want one. I like the idea of having a mascot, colors and a motto too. That's awesome! We have 6 children and I do fully intend to buy matching shirts with whatever name we come up with for field trips.

 

I want our name to incorporate our last name, either with an acronym or just in the name...it starts with an F.

I would like it to reflect our faith which is the biggest reason we HS.

I would like it to be Academy.

 

So far, I have FAITH which stands for F(insert last name) Academy Instilling Truth at Home....But, I honestly don't like it that much. 1st...I don't really like that it includes at home. 2nd...I would like it to be something like Faith Academy and not have the word Academy hidden in the acronym. Plus, while it does reflect our faith, it isn't unique at all. I will continue to think on it till I find something we love or till my kids are old enough to be more creative than I am. LOL!

[Lugrita]

Here are names that we wanted to use, but opted not to use at the very last moment...but I still hold claim to them so don't take them! :p

 

Soli Deo Gloria School for the Gifted

Soli Deo Gratia School for the Not So Gifted (this one is my favorite)

 

Our actual school name is The Academy by the Groves.

[lmrich]

Once I named our school Magnus Hall. Next year I am adding more students (not my own children - I teach classes at my home) and will call it Lincoln Prep. I love Lincoln and thought what a fitting way to honor him. The kids want our mascot to be the giant top hattters. We will see....

[AMJ]

Wiseacre Academy.

 

 

 

Love it!

 

I was suggesting to DH a (very mundane compared to all of these!) <surname> Academy. Any ideas if I would get hit with copyright infringement if I went literary, say, Limpopo Academy or Just So Studies? No actual requirement for a school name here, just for fun and t-shirts (my DH has a silk screen kit).

[GSOchristie]

The Oaks Academy. We used Isaiah 61:3-4 as our school verse.

 

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

    a planting of the Lord

    for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins

    and restore the places long devastated;

 

Our other choice was North Greensboro Academy, to make a little more generic.

[emcap]

 

 

Love it!

 

I was suggesting to DH a (very mundane compared to all of these!) <surname> Academy. Any ideas if I would get hit with copyright infringement if I went literary, say, Limpopo Academy or Just So Studies? No actual requirement for a school name here, just for fun and t-shirts (my DH has a silk screen kit).

 

 

My kids love the just so stories! And just so studies cracks me up, makes me feel like I have really low expectation. Oh and our school motto could be "let go, you are hurting me". How fitting for my boys!

[helena]

I named ours (very unofficially) after our street name. Pond View School. It worked because we were also schooling with neighbors at the time.

 

That's a good idea! We're moving soon (hopefully) so I we're in limbo folks at the moment. I did try to suggest using the name of the city I want to move to, but they saw right through me. :)

[helena]

We have to register with the state in the fall, and I believe we have to have a name at that point. A name which -- IIRC -- cannot be changed, so I've been thinking on this often lately!

 

{And yes, "academy" works well for a school name that must span all 12ish years:}

 

I've played with the local/nature names: Rocky Hill Academy, Chatham Hill Academy, etc

I've played with the symbolic/religious: Lovelight Academy

I'm searching for literary options... hmmm, Pemberly Academy...

 

Anyway, yeah.

I'm struggling. I want something that sounds "real" when viewed on a transcript.

Right now my tongue-in-cheek 1st choice is Wiseacre Academy.

That, or the [Last Name] School for Fine Young Women...

 

 

"real" Exactly!!

Maybe because I have my first up and coming high school student, I'm starting to sweat a bit. I want to make solid choices for her.

Literary options... I found her looking through some of her favorite books today hoping for inspiration. I suggested The Jane Austin School for Girls. :laugh:

[AMJ]

My kids love the just so stories! And just so studies cracks me up, makes me feel like I have really low expectation. Oh and our school motto could be "let go, you are hurting me". How fitting for my boys!

 

 

 

Hurray! Another Elephant's Child!

 

Good Motto! I was trying to come up with one referring to " 'Satiable Curtiosity"....

 

And my DH, the Camel, says "Humph"....

 

; )

[helena]

I'm trying to come up with one as well. I'm not very creative. Luckily, we don't *have* to have one. But, I want one. I like the idea of having a mascot, colors and a motto too. That's awesome! We have 6 children and I do fully intend to buy matching shirts with whatever name we come up with for field trips.

 

I want our name to incorporate our last name, either with an acronym or just in the name...it starts with an F.

I would like it to reflect our faith which is the biggest reason we HS.

I would like it to be Academy.

 

So far, I have FAITH which stands for F(insert last name) Academy Instilling Truth at Home....But, I honestly don't like it that much. 1st...I don't really like that it includes at home. 2nd...I would like it to be something like Faith Academy and not have the word Academy hidden in the acronym. Plus, while it does reflect our faith, it isn't unique at all. I will continue to think on it till I find something we love or till my kids are old enough to be more creative than I am. LOL!

 

 

Yeah, I hadn't thought of school colors! Another battle! :D

[helena]

Here are names that we wanted to use, but opted not to use at the very last moment...but I still hold claim to them so don't take them! :p

 

Soli Deo Gloria School for the Gifted

Soli Deo Gratia School for the Not So Gifted (this one is my favorite)

 

Our actual school name is The Academy by the Groves.

 

 

Your second name reminds me of my 14yo's first pick... No Hope Academy. :)

 

Should I not share my top picks incase someone takes it?? Could you imagine! I could. :glare: :tongue_smilie:

[helena]

We're Heart Cross School. It's our cattle brand--which is actually Heart Cross, stacked connected, but that's too complicated! Remember the ankh symbol--think of that, but a heart instead of a circle.

 

That's a good looking symbol, and it's personal. Maybe we need to look at our family and home instead of looking in books. And records. :)

[helena]

Once I named our school Magnus Hall. Next year I am adding more students (not my own children - I teach classes at my home) and will call it Lincoln Prep. I love Lincoln and thought what a fitting way to honor him. The kids want our mascot to be the giant top hattters. We will see....

That's a great mascot! You could have classroom parties in top hats and stick on mustaches!

[Violet Crown]

We toyed with several oh-so-clever names, but quickly discovered that competition organizers really, really wanted homeschoolers, if not competing as part of a larger homeschool organization, to enter as "Lastname Homeschool," because it made everything so much easier. So there we are: boring, but convenient.

 

A friend signs up his family, though, as "Lastname Homeschool and War College," which I suppose meets everybody's needs.

[bobbeym]

I had to come up with a formal name in order to request DD's transcripts from her previous high schools. I called it Martindale Academy. I love purple martins, which are common around here, and liked the way it sounded paired with 'dale', even though we live near the water. Plus, martins are in the swallow family, which is also in one of my favorite Bible verses:

 

Psalm 84:3

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

[SEGway]

Ours isn't official, but we're either Armadillo Elementary or Owl Elementary (depending on whom you ask and what day).

 

Armadillo because they're weird, dd1 likes the Armadillo and the Tortoise story, and they always have four babies to a litter (we have four kids, own multiple copies of Just So Stories, and are kind of generally odd).

 

Owl because they're supposed to represent brilliant intellect, and they're easier to find clip art for. ;)

 

Elementary instead of Academy because with the littles in tow, I don't feel terribly Academy-ish most days. And, it gives us a good excuse to change the name yet again when the kids get older and may (or may not) need something a bit more formal.

[JenneinCA]

We are Archer Academy because I didn't want to use our street or our last name.

 

Really, the name is from my favorite Star Trek character, but it isn't obvious to anyone. That was a requirement of my husband and my daughter. It also needed to look official on high school paperwork. We do have a logo and colors and all that. I have considered actually getting shirts printed, but no one would wear them.

 

[helena]

We're reading all of your posts and it's seriously helping. :)

We seem to be narrowing everything down and everyone will get a little something they wanted.

A Coat of Arms seems to allow everyone a symbol! A sash at the bottom makes room for a motto to be written. I'm hoping the name and colors will be nature themed. I'm trying to sell them on a few ideas.

Thanks everyone!

 

:lurk5:

[Musicmom]

It's good to keep in mind that you will put the name on a transcript one day, so you may want to think about whether you want your school name at that time to reflect the fact that you are homeschooling. Our story: when our kids were in the elementary years we named our school in honor of my maternal grandfather, because he had been a life-long learner and had embodied our philosophy of homeschooling. So it was Grandpa'slastname Academy. It sounded very dignified and we loved the significance behind it. We even used that name to order some software once that the company would only sell to schools, and it worked well.

 

However, when it came time to put the name on our oldest child's transcript, dh became concerned. He felt that the name was misleading as it sounded like a name of a "brick-and-mortar school"--both because it had a different last name than ours and because it didn't reflect the fact that we are a homeschool. Though it was clear from all ds's other college application materials that he was homeschooled, dh felt strongly that the school name on the transcript should also reflect that fact. So our name for the transcript (and diploma) became: Ourlastname Home Academy. Just another perspective to think about.

[Mom2TheTeam]

It's good to keep in mind that you will put the name on a transcript one day, so you may want to think about whether you want your school name at that time to reflect the fact that you are homeschooling. Our story: when our kids were in the elementary years we named our school in honor of my maternal grandfather, because he had been a life-long learner and had embodied our philosophy of homeschooling. So it was Grandpa'slastname Academy. It sounded very dignified and we loved the significance behind it. We even used that name to order some software once that the company would only sell to schools, and it worked well.

 

However, when it came time to put the name on our oldest child's transcript, dh became concerned. He felt that the name was misleading as it sounded like a name of a "brick-and-mortar school"--both because it had a different last name than ours and because it didn't reflect the fact that we are a homeschool. Though it was clear from all ds's other college application materials that he was homeschooled, dh felt strongly that the school name on the transcript should also reflect that fact. So our name for the transcript (and diploma) became: Ourlastname Home Academy. Just another perspective to think about.

 

Thanks so much for pointing this out. I'm really trying hard to come up with a name. I was thinking the opposite that I wanted something that didn't sound like a HS. But, you bring up a very good point. I'm honest to a fault. I can definitely see myself feeling the way your husband did. There is nothing wrong with going with something that sounds more B&M and official, but I know I will feel like I'm being deceptive every time I use it. It's in my nature. So, thank you!

[PandaMom]

I named ours The Wellington School. DD loves to wear her rain boots and I also think it looks good on transcripts.

[Parrothead]

I was reading a lot of Arthurian stories (old and new) about the time we started homeschooling. So I named the school Avalon Academy. The when dd started 7th grade I changed it to Avalon Preparatory School since our focus became more rigorous.

[TravelingChris]

We chose our street name and then Christian Academy. So it is Seneca Christian Academy. And yes, my one kid got a transcript with that name. The oldest was through an umbrella school and the youngest is getting a diploma most likely from a church school (what we have here in Alabama). I did use it extensively when we lived in CA but only on and off since then.

[happypamama]

Our school name has Academy at the end, and I chose the first two words for a Bible verse and a nod to one of our favorite childhood books (as well as a nod to the area in which we live). I'll share privately if you are really curious, but I'm not putting it out in public on the internet, just a personal thing.

[happypamama]

I named ours The Wellington School. DD loves to wear her rain boots and I also think it looks good on transcripts.

 

 

I love that! It sounds like a very special private school, but I love that it has a special meaning to you too.

[Freckles]

Here in California I have to file as a private school. Our name may seem simple or silly to some, but we like it. We are Porch Light Academy. Pippi and I need to sit down and discuss school colors and a mascot.

[shinyhappypeople]

When we were first naming our "school" I wanted "Institute of Subversive Thought," and younger DD wanted "We Don't Do Math with Worksheets School." Alas, we chose something dignified and normal. But in my heart we're really IST. ;)

[duckens]

We have no school name, but we could be:

Duckens Academy: Treading Water since 2010

 

My girls' last names are fire related. We could be:

 

[Last Name] Academy: Lighting the Fire in Young Minds.

 

Does the OP's last name have a meaning historical meaning? (You don't have to answer here. Just trying to "light the fire in your mind" and inspire you.

[Rosie_0801]

Thanks for the link! I like the name. The kids, not so much. :glare:

It's going on the list of possibilities. They might warm up to it. It wouldn't be the first time they completely changed their minds. :)

 

 

Promise them a cross country road trip, coast to coast. You'd *have* to with a school name like East-West Academy!

 

 

Ours is called Couchtop College because I despaired at ever getting them down to ground level for lessons. College does not mean tertiary education here so I'm not being pretentious :p

[TKDmom]

I was originally thinking of using our last name or our street name in our school name, but then I started tossing around names involving local flora and I think I like those better. Live Oak Academy, Palmetto Academy (or maybe school). Academy sounds a little highfalutin for what actually goes on at my house. :p

 

But dh rained on my parade by asking exactly WHY I needed a school name. Humph. I'm sure I really will need a school name someday...