This story has been updated to include all committee invitees and their roles. 

After their first meeting, members of the committee to rename Woodbury Elementary School identified factors such as cost, school spirit and the way the building is viewed by community members as things to consider.

The district held its first meeting of the committee to rename Woodbury Elementary School March 12. The committee discussed whether to keep the current name or change it to Shaker Heights Middle School. They considered other hybrid options such as combinations of the two names.

The committee comprises two high school student representatives, PTO president Erin Stockdale, Board of Education member Doug Wang, middle school math teacher Lori Billington, high school athletic director Michael Babinec, middle school athletic director Michael Summers, the district’s communications specialist Julie Hullet, middle school principal Eric Foreman, and middle school art teacher Robert Bognar. One committee member formerly taught at Woodbury. Strategic Director of Communications Kristen Miller and Superintendent David Glasner organized the meeting.

Currently, Woodbury Elementary School is undergoing renovation to become a new middle school for students in sixth through eighth grade. As part of the district’s long-term master facilities plan, Woodbury was scheduled to open in fall 2027. However, the district said that due to a number of factors, such as the discovery of shale rock underground, the projected date was no longer feasible.

In interviews after the meeting, three committee members shared their preliminary ideas about the new school’s name.

Michael Summers, middle school athletic director and at-school suspension supervisor, said that from an athletic standpoint, the name of the new middle school changing to SHMS is essential. “Over the last five years, we have redone all of the uniforms for middle school kids. Jerseys themselves are around $200 a piece,” Summers said. “All of that would have to change and we would pretty much be rebranding everything. It would cost a lot of money that we don’t have.”

Lori Billington, who teaches eighth grade Algebra at the middle school, said that unlike other districts such as Cleveland Heights, which has two middle schools — Baumgardner and Roxboro — Shaker Heights only has one campus for middle school. Because of this, she said, she thinks the name of Woodbury should change to Shaker Heights Middle School. “It’s logical to keep the name of Shaker Heights Middle School for the building that middle school students are kept in,” she said. “We only have one building for middle schoolers, so keeping the name Shaker Heights Middle School would kind of hold onto that representation for the whole community. It’s where all the elementary school students go, not just one part of the community or city like our elementaries.”

Board of Education President Doug Wang said keeping the name Woodbury could result in confusion for sporting events. “The name Woodbury would likely end up on a jersey at some point instead of Shaker,” he said. “It will be confusing for opposing schools to see us that way.”

Billington said school spirit should be considered when choosing a new name. “Having the same name, same mascot and the same logo leading into the high school develops this sense of pride, especially for sports. I hear all the time in the hallways or students will say to me that we are the Shaker Heights Raiders,” she said. “It makes it an easier transition for both non-sports students and students who are in sports. It has that consistency that continues strong school spirit across grade levels.”

Wang said that using the SHMS name doesn’t come without challenges because the district will likely continue to use the current middle school athletic fields for sports for some time. “There’s a good chance of some confusion if you are another team coming to play us as to where to go,” he said. “We have to be really careful about how we tell people where to go because it wouldn’t be good if they come to Woodbury expecting to play football and then finding out you’re actually playing at what is now the middle school.”

Wang said it would be important to consider what to call the current middle school once it becomes home to elementary students whose buildings are being renovated. He said using a name such as Byron for it could help avoid confusion with the new middle school building. “That’s an area of confusion that we can try to avoid when renaming the school. People and members of the community need to be able to find it,” he said. “It’ll need some designation because it’ll be an elementary school for at least two years, so using a name like Byron, something recognizable and familiar, could be a good idea.”

According to Summers, the current middle school building, which opened in 1957, was called Byron Junior High School. It was converted into a middle school in 1985. The name Shaker Heights Middle School followed and has remained since.

Wang said people’s views on naming the renovated Woodbury building differ based on experience. “If you were an older person that went to Shaker, you probably remember it as Woodbury Junior High. Recently, people will probably remember it as Woodbury Elementary School.”

Wang said he still refers to the current middle school as Byron, and no matter what the name of Woodbury becomes eventually, community members will still call it Woodbury. “A lot of people that are newer would scratch their heads if you said Byron Middle School. If someone moves here in the next year or two, they probably won’t have any knowledge of Woodbury as a school. I would imagine that whatever we name the new middle school, a lot of people will still refer to it as Woodbury because that’s what it’s been for much of their lives,” he said.

Billington said that creating dedicated spaces in the new middle school and giving them historically significant names is a way for everyone’s ideas to be included. “Shaker Heights is a community that is rooted in tradition, and by representing different historical pieces in different places around the school, it allows that sense of community to still be active and heard,” she said. “If we change the name to Shaker Heights Middle School, or keep it as Woodbury, we still have pieces of history that are not going to go away. Having a way of representing that would be wonderful.”

Summers said he appreciates the idea of naming the new building after a person who’s a part of Shaker history. “They had kind of gone away from naming buildings after people, but I’m not against that. Someone mentioned naming Woodbury after Aisha Frasier. Truthfully, if we have somebody that’s from our community that embodies who we are, why not name it after them? It’s a wonderful idea,” he said.

In future meetings, the committee will discuss methods of collecting community input. Summers said posting QR codes or hosting meetings are among the current ideas. Said Summers, “Families should have a voice. People who went to the schools in the past should have a voice. Whatever we do, we need to make sure we engage the community in the decision.”

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