Is There a "George W. Bush Junior High School" Coming to Your Town?

Three members of the Manhattan Institute in New York have recently released their findings on a study, which was hopefully funded by the MI and not American federal taxpayers. Jonathan Butcher, Jay Greene and Brian Kisida showed data which indicates a decline in naming public schools throughout the country after American presidents and other honorable citizens, nearly all - but not all - who are dead. The finding also noted that school districts, towns and cities are currently more inclined to attach the name of local features of nature - such as rivers, mountains, etc. - to new school structures.

I have always personally been at least one-off when it comes to naming anything, including, but not limited to, my children! Perhaps that's because my own 'maiden name' was exactly the same as a woman's first name, only spelled slightly differently. (Fine for me, not so fine for my younger brother!) The fact that my parents named me after a flower didn't help much, either. Like everything else in life, you get used to it. When my children were born, we named our first born after her maternal great-grandmother. Her middle name, however, is Kristine. Honestly, and I don't go around telling folks this, but I was on such an emotional high when she was born that I wanted desperately to give her an unusual middle name, at least. (Theory: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!) I had seen the name "Khrystyne" somewhere, and thought it was sooo exotic, so a bit of a compromise, and Kristine came to be. Our second daughter is named Caron. No, not after Leslie Caron (which is what I first told my own mother!) After learning to live with "Car-on? Is that how you say it?", she's learned to appreciate the fact that not only is she a very special and unique person herself, she also has a special, unique name as well.

But back to the public school system! I'm not certain (and neither did the study results reveal) exactly when the tendency went from naming a school after a distinguished President to naming it after a forest or stream. What's wrong with naming a school after an honorable man or woman? Is this another slice of political correctness in that the dilemma lies in determing who is 'honorable' and who is not? Is this a partisan vision? I like the idea of naming new institutions of learning after the men and women of that state who have distinguished themselves in the arena of public service, or who have accomplished splendid things in the humanities and just making this world a better place in which to live. In doing so, we honor the birthplace (or place of residence) of so many Americans from that particular state, drawing justly upon the accomplishments of its own citizens. I also think that we may be breaking the mold of setting role models for young students as well. Kids need role models, people to whom they can look up, people whose achievements in life should be honored and emulated.

I do draw the line, however, at naming a school after a currently living politician. Once it's done, it's pretty much done, and their mark on history is yet to be fully understood and viewed in its entirety. Plus, again we come back to the partisan division of blue state versus red state and their current leadership. I happen to live in a small town whose town council has a Democratic majority for the first time ever in its history. Traditionally, and according to local Republican party leaders, the majority of voters in this town are Republicans. Additionally, many of their actions and decisions made while now in office apparently are questionable to a number of town residents. It's just too early to tell how their leadership will be viewed, even in the near future. Was their election a 'fluke', as quite a few (Republican) residents would tell you, was their election a backlash vote to the war in Iraq, were voters sending a message to George W. when they were in the voting booths? Time, and only time, will tell.

At the college and university level, it's a whole different scenario. Whether a public or private institution, let's face it: most of today's new buildings, centers, institutes, etc. are named for the person with the fat wallet. Basically, if you have the bucks to pay for it, you get your name slapped on the building for eternity. I have actually known two sets of parents who were so desperate (I mean really, really desperate) for their children to be accepted at certain colleges that they offered to fund a building/program/sports facility needed by the schools. As more and more colleges see their funding drying up plus lesser amounts of state aid coming into their coffers, it may be very tempting indeed to 'consider' such offers. (To the best of my knowledge, neither child was accepted at the Ivy League school to which they had applied, despite their parents' 'generosity.) It used to be that universities named their new buildings after distinguished alumni - folks who had graduated and went on to become presidents, governors, scientists, people who were outstanding in their fields of academic training. Like naming schools after American presidents and distinguished public servants, the naming of university buildings is now veering in the direction of those rich enough to 'purchase' it for them. I think this sets a really bad precedent. I come back again to setting the image of a role model for the students to emulate, someone whose life students may aspire for themselves. Instead, we have the message that money is the be-all, end-all; just about anything in this country can be had if you have the right amount in your bank account. I often wonder how many of these American cities who are so 'benevolent' to certain colleges and universities actually attended one or the other themselves. It's a very narcissistic act to fund a college building to be rewarded with your own name on it. If you were truly altruistic, perhaps you'd prefer - and ask - that the college itself name the building after an alumni who was outstanding in that particular area of studies.

I guess, in the end, that it all comes down to your own feelings about 'what's in a name'. Perhaps many, or even most, college students don't really care about the names on their newer buildings/sports fields/dorms/libraries as long as they're actually gracing their own campus. Perhaps the colleges themselves tacitly encourage these endowments because the alternative to having them is raising the price of tuition. Maybe this lack of American role models being honored for their contributions to mankind doesn't signal the end of the world as we know it. Times change, including the way our country does business - and education, now pretty much a business unto itself - as well. That having been said, I wouldn't make book on seeing your city's newest junior high facility named "The George W. Bush Junior High School" - and that, as Martha Stewart would say, is a very good thing.