Central Valley District chooses Ridgeline High School as name of third high school

The Central Valley School District announced Ridgeline High School as the name of its proposed third comprehensive high school.

A 14-person naming committee comprised of the school board president, principal, teachers, parents and students chose Ridgeline High School from more than 430 names, according to a Central Valley School District news release.

School board members approved the name Nov. 26 after the naming committee submitted a list of its top three recommendations, which also included Saltese High School and Chief Andrew Seltice High School.

While the naming committee supported all three choices, they preferred Ridgeline High School because it’s a “strong and powerful” name that fits the geographic characteristics of the area, according to the school district.

“It is a powerful name that represents the beauty of the views of the hills surrounding the school site to the north, south and east,” Jesse Hardt, new principal for Ridgeline High School, said in a statement.

The school board has named several new schools after geographic features, such as Selkirk Middle School, Riverbend Elementary School, Liberty Creek Elementary School and Mica Peak High School.

The committee believes the name – Ridgeline High School – provides an opportunity for the school to create a new, separate identity.

“The name Ridgeline High excites me because I had a small part in choosing it and it is something new and important,” Eryn Lewis, an eighth-grader from Greenacres Middle School, said in statement. “My favorite part about the name is that it reflects the beauty of our surroundings and our community. I believe that Ridgeline High will be an amazing school.”

Central Valley School District purchased the site for Ridgeline High School – between Country Vista Drive and Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley – earlier this year from the Spokane Gun Club.

The district chose the high school site over a previously proposed location at 16th Avenue and Henry Road.

The prior site had “unforeseen challenges,” such as unexpected road improvements, building height restrictions and delays on Urban Growth Area planning – all of which would increase construction costs for the $95 million high school, according to the school district.

Construction on 240,000-square-foot Ridgeline High School, which will support more than 1,600 students, is expected to begin in July.