SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Public Schools will provide new, potential names for Sheridan Elementary at their meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
The district's effort to create an inclusive environment starts with the names of different schools in the district.
At first glance, Sheridan Elementary seems regular. There are no glaring issues until realizing the name is from a general who oppressed Native American people.
Sheridan Elementary was named after General Phillip H. Sheridan, who was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War, according to the National Parks Service.
Sheridan was also linked to the statement, "the only good Indian is a dead Indian.”
SPS was looking for a name that would represent either a logical association with the school, a significant individual or a prominent local geographic feature.
Here are the three options for the new name and the reasons behind them.
Frances Scott
SPS said the inspiration was Spokane’s first African American female attorney, a teacher at Rogers High School for more than 30 years, a president of the Spokane Education Association and a president of the WSU Board of Regents. Scott grew up in Spokane and graduated from Whitworth College (now University) with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. When she began teaching English and German at Rogers in 1958, she was one of four black teachers in SPS. She also went on to practice law on the side, taking mostly civil rights and pro bono cases, all while still teaching at Rogers.
East Central
Sheridan Elementary School is located in the East Central area of Spokane. The East Central area was the first area to be developed outside the downtown area because of its flat land. In the late 1800’s, people settled in the flat farmlands along East Sprague and Trent Avenue. The area was referred to as the “Park Neighborhood” and the earliest plats were Union Park and Liberty Park. East Central has more than 600 historic homes. The neighborhood has four large parks, two of which (Liberty and Underhill), are linked by the scenic Ben Burr Trail that runs along the basalt bluff that helps define the neighborhood.
Unity
The state of being united or joined as a whole. The word unity was selected by a screening committee representative. The word unity shows the connection between students and faculty and would allow for everyone to feel welcome no matter who they are.
The SPS meeting is Wednesday at 7 p.m. To attend, click the Zoom link here.