Veterans Elementary at Mundell is Hobart name pick

Drum roll ... or bugle call, please.

The proposed name for Hobart’s new elementary school is Veterans Elementary at Mundell.

The school board unanimously gave preliminary approval for the name Wednesday from a field that included about 650 entries logged primarily on social media.

The school board will consider final approval of the name at its Dec. 6 meeting, said president Terry Butler.

“Naming it ‘Veterans’ will honor more than just one person,” he said. “Coming up with the name seems harder than picking tile for the bathrooms.”

Some of the school sug- gestions elicited chuckles. They included “Schooly Mcschool Face,” and “Hogwarts,” after the fictional school in Harry Potter novels.

Mundell was one of the suggestions mentioned by several entries.

Veterans Elementary at Mundell pays homage to service veterans as well as one of the city’s pioneering families, which still has an- cestors in the city.

Superintendent Peggy Buffington said every school in Hobart offers a Veterans Day program and children recognize the contribution of service members.

Mundell Elementary, 52 N. Wisconsin St., was torn down in 1994 when Joan Martin Elementary opened on the city’s south side. Since then, the school district has maintained the site as a park that’s been used for youth athletic teams and residents.

Last year, the school board decided to build a new elementary on the old Mundell site. Students from Ridge View Elementary will attend the new school, while Ridge View is repurposed for another community education use.

The new school was part of a $41.2 million capital projects referendum approved by voters last year. Construction is underway and it’s expected to open in 2020.

Besides the elementary, construction is underway on a new aquatic center with an Olympic-size pool at Hobart High School.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.