Sorry to hear that Aztlan101,,but Doesnt suprise me at all. You seem like a caring father and I'm sure you went to the school and spoke your piece .Its getting Ridiculus,,and your right We do need to do something about these issues. Sad to say,,but I do believe that I will be pulling my child out of VISD this next year. But my friend I'm with ya,,,something has to be done,,or there are going to be Alot of dropouts next school year. I'll be getting in touch with you as soon as I can,,and Maybe just maybe we can form a group who Will stand up for our childrens rights. Thank you for sharing your email ad with us. One thing that I Have noticed is that the teachers and all the Rulers,(so to speak) go into total shock when a parent goes to the school and speaks up for their child. I think its because So many parents, Dont speak up,,and the teachers are Lost when we Do. Its all just a Control issue. These kids have had just about enough,,and I personally can't blame them,,,for they are only Human,,just as you and I. Push us too hard,,,we're going to fight back.

my son got detention once for being tardy because his butt wasn't touching the seat when the bell rang...he was sitting down but his butt wasn't touching the seat yet!?!?

Not that has anything to do with Victoria High and Stroman High being gone,,,but it does have something to do with More stupidity in our schools. A student told me that at the start of this past week,,,,they've made Another change,,,I'll fill you in. Now in the hallways at VHS,,Oh sorry,,I meant MHS,,,,,the teachers of each class room are standing in the middle of the halls,,like lines in the middle of the road. The teachers will only let the students on one side go one way and on the other side,,they make them go the other way. If that made any sense...Well this student says this is not working,,,,he gets behind people moving slow,,but can't go around if it means crossing the Teacher line. Many kids are being late for class due to this Change. What The Hell is wrong with these idiots. Many of the kids are talking about getting together and going outside and sitting on the damn ground until the freakin teachers Move out of the way. Yes they're just about ready to let these so called teachers know that without the kids,,there will be No need for teachers. This is Insane!. I remember back when I was going to VHS, you had to walk on whatever side of the hall that you could,in order to make it to class on time,,and back then there wasnt as many students. So I'm guessing that in the New schools they'll have yellow lines on the floor in the hallways,,and probably a Student cop on a standup scooter giving out tickets. I'm telling you this insanity Has to stop!. Also I heard that on the buses, they're having so much trouble that instead of just getting written up,,,they're going to give the kids Citations. The more that I think about it,,,we Wont need 3 highschools,,,,hell all those of age are going to freakin drop out. Whats Up with this!...A few teachers are'nt standing in the halls because They think its a stupid idea. Many Victorians seem to be losin their freakin minds, Talk about needing pyschiatric help,,,I think alot of Victorians need to start making appointments with Gulf Bend. Go Stings Go Raiders!!!!!

If change is what we need then change is what we'll get!!

I WILL do something about it as far as shooting people from a tower, well hell they might as well be!!

I AM a Father
I DO Live here
My Kids would love to Graduate from my Alma mater
I WILL Do something about this!

E-Mail me and I will help get it together!
isaacdls@yahoo.com

I think everyone needs to take a deep breath. As several of you have said, we need new board members, but the same ones keep getting re-elected because very few of us actually get out and vote during an election. So if this particular topic is what it takes to get the citizens fired up, then begin a grass-roots organization and get others to run for office and vote out the incumbents next time. It ill behooves anyone to b**** and moan but not be willing to run or help someone else run for the school board. I agree with what you are saying (to an extent; I think the adults are WAY more upset about the school names than are many of the students), and the same thing applies to our current City Council members. WE HAVE TO VOTE. Maybe it is a thankless job; maybe you/we/whoever is running doesn't know the first thing about being on a school board. But you can learn. If half of the energy that is spent on these blogs was spent actively trying to change what is being griped about, maybe we would see things begin to change.

It should not (even though I know it really does) matter whether or not you are "connected" or wealthy in this town. If you want to run for office, file your intent and do it. That is the only way to start. That is also the only way that the School Board (or even the City Council) is going to begin taking the "regular" people seriously - when they see serious competition from us. One thousand voting in an election is pitiful, and that is why things stay the same. We have only ourselves to blame, and only we can fix this.

Two high schools is plenty for Victoria.
Consolidation was needed to avoid the mess of re-drawing new schools zones (it was also needed to avoid court ordered action).
This talk of Victoria needing a 3rd high schools just blows me away. The town would probably have to about double in size before a 3rd high school is needed.

Furthermore, with an events center planned for the current senior campus, I would hope that future plans would include a high school to accomodate a 3A enrollment. Especially since game day facilities would not be needed.

STG,
Times do change, unfortunately many here cannot accept that fact.

As far as the question and comments about Victoria needing 3 high schools; When consolidation occured, 3 high schools were probably needed at that time, rather than consolidating.
Problem then was you had a Board and Administration that lacked the balls to enforce the district zones as they were drawn up or would have needed to be drawn up to accomodate a third high school.

I'm sure many parents would have lied about where they lived so their kids could've attended the "new" school rather than either of the old schools. We all know this went at that time so parents wouldn't have to send their kids to SHS. This was especially the case in football.

At least the new plan solves that problem.

Also, many people at that time were of the mindset that being part of a non-5A high school meant you were a lower class citizen.

This is why appeals were constantly made to the UIL to keep Stroman a 5A school even though it did not meet the minimum enrollment.

If currernt enrollment numbers and projections are correct, the student population in VISD does not warrant a 3rd high school at this time. From what I can tell, it looks more like Victoria will have 2 4A schools once the new schools open.

Personally, I would love to see this happen. This would keep teams from traveling too far for all district UIL competitions. Heck, think of the money saved by the district when all teams can travel to district competitions using "Yellow Dogs" instead of charters.

Probably enough money to hire more qualified teachers.

I am just surprised that anyone is shocked that the school board narrowed it down to these names - BIG SURPRISE - again as I noted way back, they let everyone go through motions to create the affect that we have a choice. Once again, just like when the original mistake was made to consolidate - it boils down to what the school board wants will happen, we the taxpayers that actually pay for these schools have NO real input at all.

Back in the 1960s, the VISD Board honored O.C. Stroman for his contributions by naming a school after him. For forty years this school has served as a reminder of Mr. Stroman. As far as I know, it will continue to be known as Stroman campus...an alternative learning center.
As someone pointed out earlier, Patti Welder was once a high school here in town...now that name is attached to an intermediate school. F.W. Gross was once a high school in town, now the name is attached to an elementary school.
Jennifer...times change, communities change. New schools are built. Probably 90% of the people here in Victoria could not tell you who O.C. Sgroman was. Nothing is permanent. No disrespect was intended for the Stroman family. The VISD Board was under no obligation to contact your family, to ask for permission or blessing.

I'm sorry, but did the board think to consult with the Stroman family about the pending name change? I can tell you, the answer is No. My father, Wayne Joel Stroman, son of O.C. Stroman (my grandfather) for which Stroman High School was named after was not notified or even given the opportunity to give the board his feelings one way or another. I'm sure if the family was still in Victoria, that might be different, as we all reside in the Houston area. But regardless, I'm sure the courtesy of speaking with the family on such a decision would have been appreciated by our family. It was an honor and a privilege for my grandfather to be recognized by the Victoria School Board many, many years ago for his dedication and service. It was a joy for his living relatives to continue to see his legacy live on though the school name. But since the board has decided amongst itself to choose a new name for this school (and for Victoria High School) without notification to the family or to hearing to the voices of the citizens of Victoria, is beyond me. The citizens of Victoria should have the right to vote on any name change proposed by the board. If tradition is what the majority of the citizens of Victoria want to follow, then let their voices be heard and their votes be counted.

Jennifer Stroman Cornavaca, The Woodlands, Texas

So in other words,

SCREW WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT WERE GONNA DO WHAT WE WANT ANYWAY, UNLESS YOU CAN GET THE WHOLE POPULATION OF VICTORIA TO SIGN A PAPER.

I Think it is time for a change...A change in our school board, because there is obviously a blatant disregard for their constituants!!!

We tried the Change thing in the schools and all it did was screw everything up.

We want our pride back!!

If you are interested send me an E-mail!!
I fought for democracy and I will be damned if I'm going to let a bunch of over payed fuddy duddys spit all over that!!!

Interestingly, our school board never took a third high school under consideration. As presented by their employee and leader, only two new schools were seen as a single solution.

It is my belief that the timing of the bond issue two years ago was meant to get the "most at the best time" from taxpayers who were enjoying relative prosperous times and a sense of generosity. Growth projections of the area were in place to dupe the public in believing that no increases in revenues would be needed. Look for increased concern about funding and a budget crunch in 2010 with increased tax rates in 2010-11 years.

Some observations:
1. If I'm not mistaken, a school building named after a person cannot be changed (per state law); 2. A new school building cannot have the name of another school (Stanley/Chandler), therefore, neither of the new schools can be named VHS or SHS. 3. I understand the feelings of those graduates from VHS or SHS. However, did Victorians take into consideration the feelings of those graduates from Patti Welder HS and F.W. Gross HS? I believe somehow they managed to go on with their lives. 4. Naming the new high schools East and West will continue to separate the town. It is bad enough that Victoria continues to grow to the North and not the South. Can you imagine the well intended comments "make sure you rent/buy in the ... side of town. You don't want your kids to go to .... H.S." 5. There are plenty of people in the community (past and present) that could be recognized by the school district, and please: not someone that has already being recognized in the community!

I think in Many ways bighorn is correct. The solutions to the problems are not as difficult as you make them seem Descartes. It really boils down to simple basic math,,but who wants to keep it simple and stick to the basics. Here we go,,,count the students,,,,,then see how many schools we need. Done Deal,,,now how was that so difficult?. What we lack here is basic common sense. Lets say I have 3 kids,,I have 2 bedrooms,,,I tear down the 2 bedrooms and build 2 new ones,,so now is my problem solved,,? No. I needed More Rooms. So If I tear down 2 bedrooms,,I Will build 3 new ones. Thats was not a tough one to figure out. I'm not calling Anyone stupid,,but theres an old saying that just seems to fit in todays society,,Keep It Simple Stupid. And by the way Descartes,,I have No need to read your books that you suggested that I read,,but thanks for sharing with me these books,,that You have read. I have a Great book that all should read,,,maybe you'd like to read this one. As a man Thinketh by James Allen. And one more that may be of interest to you,is the Bible,,,Its a Great book. Full of Knowledge.....And Yes We Will Need a Third Highschool,,that is unless the dropout rate increases. And Descartes All schools can be workable schools.

Certainly allot of good opinions here. It kind of tugs at the heart strings to hear VHS and SHS remembered so fondly by those of us who attended. I do have to side with the counsel on this issue though. This is about the future and the students who will attend these institutions. Let them make it their own; let them choose the names and mascots and colors. Let us not make the same mistake twice and end up doing this for the adults. If I remember correctly, that’s what got us in this mess in the first place.
I like the Heritage and Riverside ideas though.
"Yes, there are better names but, to stay away from any controversies, I think we should stick with Victoria East and West High Schools," Klimist said.
“Controversies”….are you serious?
“East” and “West” is a cop out and this guy needs to find a new job because he isn’t representing Texas education the way it should be.
Just do me one favor, pick a mascot you can actually personify. For example, a “Viper” in no way resembles the letter “M”. It’s a high school mascot not a calling card for a religious faction. I have to know…was there ever a real Viper Mascot running around the sidelines on Friday night or was it the letter “M”?

So it is a matter of "self esteem" and "worthiness", but not quality of teachers and education? Does this not prove my point?

I think, in some ways your right bighorn. Victoria always needed three high schools. But the problem was always quality of infrastructure. You would end up with one new, magnificent new H.S., one decent, workable H.S. (which the senior campus certainly is), and Stroman (which has been a problem for a long time).

The solutions to the problem are not easy. A new H.S. would have to built in Victoria's growth sector, but wouldn't that only further stratify Victoria's secondary system population? I don't know, maybe not. I certainly wouldn't want to have to solve that problem.

Truthfully, my highest concern is that Victoria needs a third high school, not two new ones. And how will the Victoria taxpayer carry that burden.

I DO understand that the function of school administrators is to secure more and more funding in order to expand it's power base within a given community. Unfortunately, a child's education is secondary to this role. Mr. Moore's role in ruling his employers is typical of this relationship. He sets the agenda, they fall in lockstep. Sad state of affairs.

Just how are new buildings going to insure quality education?

IMO, the names on said buildings is purely a distraction for the weak minded to ponder and the sarcastic to crack jokes about.

Geez, can you all see how bitter and myopic you appear? You won't even respond to a well-reasoned counter-point? You won't even consider any other position but your own. No wonder so many young Victorian's want to leave for bigger cities.

The point of these new schools is not their names, its their mission. To educate our young people. The school board has a valid point in this (in all honesty, foolish) controversy and all of you are so wrapped up in your own memories you ignore serious and real concerns in VISD (like the completely unnecessary auditorium being built and how district lines are going to be drawn for the new schools).

So just take a second, breathe. Read a little history. Make a list about what's TRULY important in our community. And, if after all that, you still hate the school board and are still obsessed with these names, why don't YOU run for the board and see if everything is so simple and easy.

My guess: the anonymity of the internet makes your bark a whole lot worse than your bite.

jpocop, This is what I've heard so far. There going to tear part of it down,,,leave some of it for academics,and build more Facilties,,you know like a pool,,,things like that. You know we have all these Smart people on the board that make all these not so wise decissions. Its like Get Real you Idiots,,,,We have two highschools,,,thats not enough,,,,so lets build two new ones,,and tear down the old ones...Shows great wisdom,,NOT.... Not enough room so they build 2,,and do away with the two that they have. Smart people,,ya think,LOL...But I'm with ya,,if they're going to act on their stupidity and tear down,,Even Parts of VHS,,,I would like to buy some momento's. I'll throw a bid on the stingaree thats covered by the snake. And bighorn if I was going to place a bet, I'd have to bet that they Will have to build a third highschool. But they seem to have it figured out,,how they come up with their figures is beyond me.......

I think the school board will announce we need a third high school about a week after the old Vic High and Stroman have been leveled.

Any takers on that bet?

Can anyone set me straight, I think they, our all knowing and all wise school board are planning on tearing down Victoria High School. There are a lot of people that would like to buy momentos from there. Of course they are probaly trying to hide this from us also. More of their own self interest.

jpocob, I really want to thank you for speaking kind words. Since I've been coming to this comment section,,theres like a group of individuals out to attack any newcomer to there little spot on the web.So I Thank you once again. And I agree, we need to get out on the next election and do just as you said Dump Them ALL!!!!!!!!!. And I have been completly lost about Why, not one of these schools isn't named after Brother Gary Moses..A Great man indeed and Worthy of a school being named in his honor. I know him personally and he his a very very kind man. But those who Are worthy,,usually do fall short of the glory in this town. God willing I will be able to relocate as soon as possible. I've seen Too Many True Colors of Many Victorians come shining thru in this comment section. Let em put us down as much as they like jpocob,,,But I'm with ya my friend. FOREVER STINGS AND RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These two names are written in stone and No man can break that stone

I for one believe one of the schools should be named for Gary Moses. He has poured his heart soul into Victoria. I don't think we should name one of the schools after anyone that did not live in live in Victoria or contribute to it's wellbeing.

Amen proveallthings and Bundy. I would like to think everybody would get out vote next election and dump them all. I would vote for anybody that would run against any one of them. Forever Stings and Raiders.

proveallthings, fair enough, I AM assuming that the high schools will do just fine. Perhaps we can agree that they will at least do better (academically, infrastructurally, etc.) than Memorial, or the high school system before consolidation. If you don't agree, well so be it.
My point still remains valid about WHY the board chose to avoid the old names. And on this, MLK day, it seems particularly apt to point out that for many years VISD was under the supervision of a federal marshall because of de facto segregation.
Understand two distinct ideas: (1) I have absolutely no doubt that good and worthy people came out of each system. (2) I have absolutely no doubt that thousands of students were disenfranchised because they graduated from the 'other' high school.
Understanding this point is why I think the board is wise to try and lay this controversy to rest.
Allow me to suggest a book: Claiming Citizenship: Mexican Americans in Victoria, Texas by Anthony Quiroz. This is an excellent and scholarly overview of Anglo-Hispanic relations in Victoria and a rare source of well-reasoned and balanced social history about Victoria. It reviews much of the material I have used to gain a perspective on this issue.

I'd like to point out to all the armchair politicians and critics that no matter what our leaders and politicians do or say - they will be criticized. So no matter how prolific your statement, nor how eloquent you are at expressing your point of view, someone is going to find fault with you. It's lonely at the top. Go ahead... get yourself a position of leadership or get yourself elected into some public office and you'll see what I'm talking about. No matter who names the schools, or what their names eventually may be, there will be those who whine and cry and throw hissy fits. "...thems the breaks of life..." Get over it... get used to it. This is life such as it may be.

Hey Bundy get your facts straight. Klimist was against Keeling, he supported Jaynes because of the drill team. Walden backed Keeling and Svetlik. Issues from the past need to stay in the past. Stings and Raiders were great but there were also a lot of problems. Lets just move on.

This isn't about the past and the past high schools. This is about 2 brand new high schools.

Victoria High was not the original high school in town.

I'm amazed at the selective history being "taught" concerning this subject, especially when it fits some people's arguments.

Patti Welder was once a high school and I beleive, so was FW Gross.

Grow up. Most of those arguing about the names are adults who should be acting more "grown up."

For those of you who complain that one school should have "Victoria" in it's name to honor the city, take a look. Both Victoria East and Victoria West have the city's name in them.

In my opinion, these school names are about as original as Victoria High was back when it was named in the 50's.

The board has erred in not honoring a past citizen who has made a difference but certainly has not erred by not going back to VHS and SHS.

Descartes, May I ask how is it that you seem to Know,,"the schools will do just fine". An Assumption ,,I Assume..I guess that its just a wait and see situation. And talk about self centered, that is Exactly how many see the VISD board memebers as being. And I myself know that the board members are Very self centered. For I do know 3 personally,,,,and these 3 are Beyond being called,,just self centered. They're Control Junkies,, and what They see as being right,,is their Only view....( jpocob). I'm with you, ((Forever Stings and Raiders)). And another thing Descartes,,I see NO wisdom in practice In this situation. Maybe it is You who can fill me in on,,,Will these (2) highschools be able to accomodate All the students that are approaching highschool?

Boy, I could go on for days about the stupidity that is the VISD School Board. First of all, any of you out there that voted for any of the current board members, or did not vote at all, are solely to blame.
Klimist - here is a guy that doesn't even send his kids to VISD schools - yet he thinks he has done a wonderful job as a board member. Hmmm....well, what more can we expect when our new President names as Secretary of Education a man whose district he didn't even send his own children to?
30 to 50 thousand signatures? Does he realize there are only 52,000 registered voters in this County, and not all of them even live in VISD's district? Does he not also know that less than 30,000 Victoria County residents voted for the President in the recent election? This guy is a joke.
Then we have Lou Svetlik. This guy truly is a piece of work. He and Ray Walden were extremely instrumental in inadvertently causing consolidation, then ran against it. Their incessant whining and crying over how Stroman was being mistreated caused this whole mess. Great politicians - create a problem, then campaign as the answer.
The others on the Board are hardly worth mentioning. They are but members of the flock.
I have an idea. I think we should demand that each Board member collect 30 to 50 thousand signatures in order to retain their positions on the Board. Wouldn't that be something?
The bottom line is this: 1,000 votes cast in a school board election simply is not enough. If you don't vote, you hurt us all. Under the current staggered reelection system, bord members not up for reelection can exert far too much influence in getting their cronies reelected, when only 1,000 people vote. We saw it in the last election. Klimist helped Keeling considerably, and Walden did the same for Svetlik.
This overabundance of ignorance in Victoria is paying big dividends for those who wish to advance personal agendas and feed their own egos. We have nobody to blame but ourselves.

It is about time we started telling them what to do and not them telling us what crap of theirs we are going to swallow. Forever Stings and Raiders.

Victoria Riverside Conquistadors - Gold and Black

Victoria Heritage Longhorns - Burnt Orange and White

they would be referred to as "Riverside" (West) and "Heritage" (East)

Take it easy Victorians. Remember that for many, many years Victoria High and Stroman were basically de facto segregated. That controversy is why the board consolidated in the first place and why the board is wise to avoid using those names for the new high schools.

Besides, the schools will do just fine. It is more important that the district has new facilities that will hopefully improve students educations, rather than satisfying a self-centered nostalgia.

Yep, legion357,,,I guess we can say goodbye to the stingaree thats covered by the snake..Very sad to see this happen,,when I truely liked hearing 'The Victoria Fighting Stingarees'. To me Victoria High School was a Great name for Victoria's High school. And the stingaree?,,,a Perfect mascot,,since we do live by the gulf and stingarees are plentiful and a Fighting fish. I don't know,,but back in the day,,if I was from another town and played on the football team,,I'd be a bit nervous facing the Fighting Stingarees. It truly is sad to see the stingaree go,,and also the Raiders. I myself thought that Stroman High School was another great name and Raiders,,a perfect mascot. But it looks like all good things must come to an end,,due to a bunch of idiots on the bored,,'sorry I meant board'. A question has entered my mind,,,but I have'nt done any research on how many students that these two new high scools will hold..But my question is,,if we're building two new schools,,,,why not leave the two old schools,and leave them Both High schools? Yes I heard that VHS will be for academics,,and Stroman will be used as alternative school,,but this just doesnt seem to make any sense,,But what does Here In Victoria?. I dont know,,maybe I'm missing something here,,and if so,,,Please someone fill me in on what its is that I'm not understanding.....Build two new schools,,do away with two old schools?. Crazy Crazy Crazy...But if anyone hears that the Stingaree thats covered by the snake,, will go up for auction,,,please let me know,,I'd love to throw a bid on it.........

Yup , I guess the Stingaree that has recently been under the paper machie viper can be retired for good.

Oh, and what is wrong with naming one of the high schools VICTORIA high school...that is the town we live in, isn't it?

What I'd like to hear/see is a statement from the school board acknowledging how miserably consolidation failed...like that will EVER happen!

And so we say goodbye to the last vestiges of what were once the great Victoria Stingarees, and the original Victoriadores. For those of us who remember the sights and sounds of those Friday night games at our stadium behind Patti Welder Junior High, retiring the name of our beloved high school is truly a loss.

I remember Victoria as a lovely city, with a quiet "home town" feel about it. Perhaps the powers that be need to leave well enough alone the things about our town that bind us to our past and our history. On all levels, sometimes change is NOT good.
Hail to thee, my old alma mater. GO STINGS!

Hmm good names, they could be the Conquistadors and the Cavaliers.

Hare the two names I came up with. Calle de Los Dios Amigos High School for the one on Main Street and Fort St. Louis High School for the one on the east side.

The Stroman campus is to be come a "learning center" or alternative campus.... VHS will become an "events" center... whatever the heck that means!

Yes, and what about the Alma Maters and School "spirit" songs? What about the school mascots and school colors?
Apparently, the school board will decide that, along with the dress code, and shove it down our throats just the same way they did with consolidation....

They aren't worried about the next school board election -- the ones running again will be elected and the ones retiring have already tagged their predecessors.

Someone earlier said "Wake Up Victoria"... well, some of us ARE awake and paying attention. We are writing letters, making calls but we get no where.

HELP! I'm totally confused on these names. Are we renaming the old VHS and Stroman campuses as well? I thought we were trying to come up with new names for the two new high schools being built. I guess I just forgot, not having a real interest (no kiddos in school), but what use will be made of the VHS and Stroman buildings?

Somebody splain it to me, pleeze.

It does not matter what the public wants, they are going to name it what they want. They forget they were elected to represent us and not themselves. It should have never been changed before. It will always be VHS and SHS to me and a lot of other people. Change it again so we can spend more taxpayer money that we dont have to spend. Typical "guvment" operation. Can you imagine trying to change the name of Lamar High School in Houston? Or any other school that been around awhile. OH yea, why dont we tear the old high schools so we dont have any history sitting around.

They are going to totally wipe out the Alma Mater of thousands of students who graduated from Stroman and Victoria High. All of the students who graduated from those schools through the years don't matter? Apparently not. They have no school to come to for homecoming, no school to show to their children. I think it is appalling that the old names are not being kept.
The School Board is just as bad as the City Council when it comes to listening to the people who voted them in. That was obvious when the schools were consolidated in the first place....big and hugely expensive mistake. Now Bob the Builder comes to town and we are again throwing money we don't have to educate children who will still not get educated. Wake up Victoria!

I think we can do better than just plain "east" and "west." Since when did the avoidance of controversy the ultimate virtue (since when was it even possible)? I'd like to see something like Victoria Eastgate and Victoria Riverside to denote the geographic differences. What's wrong with using a little imagination?

When i mentioned that the list was down to Victoria East and West to my daughter, who will be a senior when she gets moved to the new schools and will be the first class to graduate from it, she said she was fine with that.So I think she is one who we should be concerned with, and she is fine with the name. So lets get the school board to do what we ELECTED them to do. No where have I ever lived that we had any say. They would announce they were building a new school, and this is what its name would be. I think Victoria needs to realize that asking for your opinion to be listened to , in this matter,is not done in other cities.So quit making a huge deal with petitions, etc.

You know everybody is talking about the names of the new schools, we have more important issues that need to be addressed. What about our children going to school not being bullied,or how we can get our children to not drop out of school, because the TAAS test. What to name ours school HA!! We need to really need to get our priorities in order.If you want to know what to name the schools here it is Harold Cade needs a school named after him, and lets not forget Mr Gary Moses. How is that for names....

What a goober as a board member! He wants 30,000 to 50,000 signatures so he can vote as to what he feels the public really wants? What is the average turnout for a VISD board election?

The key statement is they did not want to have any hassle...translation: "make a simple name like East or West so I do not get any hassles from my district!"

Now the fun part is to see what names they give the sports teams!!! I suggest to start with maybe the Bandits and the Indians!

Certainly need to change all of the colors again so that way all new sports uniforms, logos, band uniforms, equipment bags, etc can be purchased!

East and West are like dividing them up again.
I know they can come up with a better name than those.
Dang, VHS, and Stroman was way better names.
I'm begining to agree with most here, Victoria leaders are starting to suck.

The two schools in my mind will always be VHS and SHS,and I think they shold go back to that,I agree with remembering Victoria's history,let the public vote. But if thats not an option East and West are just not acceptable....come one,come up with something more original. Just remember all the gang activity in the realworld between east and west side.

I know that I am not alone when I say that I do not like the generic names: East and West. Is this the best our school board can do for us? Here's the deal -- just like the consolidation issue, the school board will decide and the rest of us can just live with it! It isn't right!

Why not give the 2 new high schools names that the students will take pride in? A name that will inspire them?

I do understand that we need to move forward and therefore VHS and SHS were not an option, but come on people! Think outside the box!

Victoria High School East and Victoria High School West are mediocre names! Our students deserve more than mediocre!

Victoria High School, Victoriadores, Stroman High School, Raider Belles....RIP.

Good job, VISD Board. The community is behind you on this.

Here's to the future....

Harold Cade or Ella Schorlemmer?
These two did their jobs, but is this the best we can do?

I say put Victoria High and Stroman High on the ticket and let the public vote. I do want to say I liked East and West, but it's all about democracy. Do not railroad this town into believing folks don't care about their former schools. Let them vote on it. I'm voting East and West, but man, I hate it when board members get too big for their britches and don't let the public decide.  That's how we got into all this mess in the first place.  Remember, Mr. Klimist, the best leader is first, a good servant of the people.