School Naming in Katy, Texas as Important as Naming a Baby

School naming in the Katy Independent School District is taken very seriously, almost like "naming your child," school officials state. According to Kris Taylor, Director of Communications for KISD, "Naming a school is an elemental step in creating the climate and image of the school community." A schools name will lead into the school colors, mascot, letterhead, logo, and spirit, and just like naming your own child you must research the names available to you before deciding on just the right one.

In KISD, the research conducted for the naming of a school includes a nomination process and research into the geographical location of the school. Many schools in KISD are named either as a result of geographical/subdivision location and according to deed restrictions, or to honor some person, place or thing special to the community or a community leader. Morton Ranch High School is so named because it is located in the Morton Ranch area, off Morton Road and many of the attendees of this school are from that area. When I first arrived here, I imagined that at least one of them would be named George Bush; after all, we have the airport and the park, why not a school? But the nomination process goes deeper than just any leader, but the individual must be a leader in the Katy community. The policy for naming is very open ended. However, certain consistencies seemed to have developed. For example, many of the High Schools seem to have been named for geographical location. Middle schools have a huge variation, but consistently honor local people or local educators, those who have made a monumental difference in the lives of the school district.