By: Ethan Kramer
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The Fargo Public School Board narrowed down naming options for its new elementary school to five finalists, selecting from 29 names for the facility that will replace the current Horace Mann Elementary.
The final five names are Prairie Rose, Horace Mann, North Star, Martin Luther King Jr. and Unity Elementary.
Before the board’s forced ranking process, two residents spoke about one of the 29 original finalists during public comment.
“Charlie Kirk dedicated his life to empowering young people and to think critically, engage respectfully, and creatively pursue the truth,” said one local Fargo resident.
Another resident expressed concerns about naming the school after individuals.
“The easiest way to politicize this process is to name it after a person. Unfortunately we’ve already had one board member politicize this by putting one certain name forward,” the resident said.
Among the 29 finalists, Horace Mann Elementary received the highest number of community submissions, followed by Charlie Kirk Elementary and Roger Maris Elementary.
Board members shared their preferences before the final selection.
