LEWIS CENTER — The fifth Olentangy High School joining the district in 2028 officially has its name.
The Board of Education unanimously voted to select the name “Olentangy Hyatts High School” at its regular meeting Thursday evening.
That decision came after district students, families, staff, and community members submitted a total of 729 name suggestions via a survey throughout September.
Chief Communications Officer Krista Davis shared some of the most popular submissions, which included:
- Olentangy Concord High School with 102 submissions;
- Olentangy Station High School with 75 submissions;
- Olentangy Sawmill High School with 52 submissions;
- And Olentangy Stratford High School with 48 submissions.
Other suggestions were Bunty Station High School and Delaware School.
“In previous name selections, our community has recommended naming schools after subdivisions where the school resides, historical references, geographical references, nature, townships and historical schoolhouses,” Davis said.
Olentangy High School takes its name from the district, while Liberty, Orange and Berlin high schools are named after the townships where they are located.
Davis said the names Orange and Berlin also reflect the district’s history. Before the district consolidated in the late 1950s, southern Delaware County had four K-12 schools: Powell, Hyatts, Berlin and Orange.
Hyatts Middle School also takes its name from the nearby Hyatts community, giving it both historical and geographical significance.
“Several respondents talked about the high school identity complementing the Hyatts Middle School identity,” Davis said.
Board President Brandon Lester said the name offers an opportunity to honor the area’s educational history.
“To know that we have a name that is tied to the original schools in the area, brings back some of that and also ties in with our existing schools, I think is a good opportunity,” Lester said.
Board member Brad Rellinger agreed.
“It’s just so important for us to recognize where we came from and to honor things that were here years and years before we came here,” he said.
At the Dec. 10 meeting, communications staff will announce the high school’s mascot and colors, which survey respondents also provided input on.
Davis said 30% of respondents said red should be the secondary color for Hyatts High School.
“So that may be a little foreshadowing,” she said.
