New Lee High School Name Controversy

By: Shea Allen Email: sallen@waaytv.com Last Update: 12:43 pm

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Huntsville, AL - Lee High School may lose its name when the new 42 million dollar campus is complete. The new facility is set to open its doors next fall. When it does, Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Casey Wardynski says it may do so under a new name. The possibility has students and teachers, both past and present, fuming. Although Wardynski says no absolute decision has been made, the "Lee High School" lettering that once adorned the new building has been taken down.  Parents and local residents were surprised to find that sometime this morning, following Tuesday night's PTA meeting at New Century High School, the name was quietly removed from the building. All that remains is the "LHS" which is carved into the marble on the facade of the left-most building.  Wardynski says the possibility of a name change is part of a branding effort for the new school. When it opens next fall, Wardynski says it will house a combination of students from Lee and New Century. He also says Lee High's current principal will not be head of the new campus. Instead, Wardynski says the principal of New Century will be named "Dean" of the new campus.        Huntsville's Superintendent of Education say he has been flooded with phone calls and emails since the story broke Tuesday night. He stressed to WAAY 31's Shea Allen that a new name is still just a possibility, and that the community will be involved in any renaming of the school.          Wardynski said, "I understand tradition. But it is important to know when to value traditions and when its time to move in a new direction and start new traditions."         The Superintendent says a "steering comittee" is being formed to get input from the community and come up with a new name. He says the issue is not on the agenda for Thursday night's school board meeting. But, that isn't stopping students and teachers from showing up. Several current students say they plan on showing up and taking their full five minutes to address the school board and voice their opinions over the sudden name change