At its meeting on Tuesday, May 26, the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Education voted to approve the name for the new athletic field at Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School and discussed budget allocations by school and district department in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s revised budget proposal.
Board decides athletic field name
After four months of deliberation spearheaded by a naming committee made up of Encinal staff and alumni, the Board announced a shortlist of three names for Encinal’s new athletic field at its previous meeting on May 13. But in a survey completed by students, families, and teachers, there was no consensus on a preferred name among the Encinal community.
Students overwhelmingly favored either “Jets Field” or “Jetway Field” almost equally, thumbing their nose at “Jet Pride Field.” Nearly half of Encinal families surveyed preferred “Jets Field,” with “Jet Pride Field” in second place and “Jetway Field” in third. Meanwhile, Encinal staff favored “Jets Field” and “Jet Pride Field” equally, at 39 percent each, with “Jetway Field” a distant third.
Taken as a whole, however, the winner is clear: “Jets Field” received 45 percent of the total vote, “Jetway Field” received 38 percent, and “Jet Pride Field” received just 17 percent.
With perspectives divided, Board members tried to rationally choose the optimal choice. The naming committee had felt strongly about “Jet Pride Field,” as the name encapsulates school spirit principles that are present in the school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program. Trustee Carrie Hahnel said that the name “feels like the most practical solution,” but guessed that the PBIS connection was perhaps the reason the teenage students opposed it.
“I like ‘Jet Pride,’ too, but I also am going to honor what the voting shows, which is ‘Jets Field’” added Board Clerk Jennifer Williams. “I think 190 kids is a good showing.”…