The TUSD Governing Board considered hundreds of recommendations when it reviewed possible names for a new pre-K-8 school going up on the southwest side.
Most of the names, which were submitted by the public over two weeks, paid tribute to the Jan. 8 victims, civil-rights activists, and longtime educators. But there were a few who felt that former UA basketball player Derrick Williams deserved the honor, or even teen heartthrob Justin Bieber.
"I think that Justin D. Bieber is a good name for an elementary school because he's like a hero. … He's a great inspiration and he shows us to not let anything get in our way," one nominator said. Another wrote that Bieber has overcome a lot of adversity.
Unfortunately for the pop singer, the Governing Board hasn't come down with Bieber fever and chose instead to name the school after Mary Belle McCorkle, a former teacher, administrator and three-term TUSD Governing Board member who helped design the district's magnet program.
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A graduate of Tucson High, McCorkle was named Tucson's Woman of the Year in 2004 by the Tucson Chamber of Commerce. Other honors include the Outstanding Educator Award by the UA Alumni Council of the College of Education in 1997, and the Woman on the Move Award by the YWCA in 1991.
One nomination for McCorkle read "Her life has been a model of service to children through education." Another described McCorkle as believing in equal access and providing a quality education to every child.
Nearly three hundred names were submitted to the Governing Board for consideration, but McCorkle came up the most times with 61 submissions. Other frequently submitted names included U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Christina-Taylor Green, former TUSD Board member Joel Ireland, longtime educator Anna Jolivet, civil-rights activist Cesar Chavez, John Spring - the first public school teacher in Tucson, and Via Ingresso, which is the name of the street where the school is located.
McCorkle could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The school, at Via Ingresso and Mission Road, is scheduled to open in August. It will alleviate the overcrowding among several schools in the area.
It will offer academically rigorous learning opportunities through a project-based approach. Students will also have the opportunity for dual language mastery.
Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at ahuicochea@azstarnet.com or 573-4175.
