Staff writer
Some parents and school patrons have commented on the use of the term “middle school” appearing in communications from the school district and in reports and sports articles in the news.
They have wondered if the district has done away with the name Peabody-Burns Junior High.
“We are not sweeping in and making immediate wholesale change,” Superintendent Ron Traxon said. “But with the decision a year ago to move the sixth grade to the junior high, we have begun to change the emphasis on the age of the students. With younger children in the group, it just made sense to switch from a junior high classification to one that includes those younger students.”
Traxson said the change will be gradual, although patrons will hear the term “middle school” more often over time.
The sign on the front of the high school still identifies the building as Peabody-Burns Jr.-Sr. High School. The school website also still uses the same terms.
However, on the school calendar, events for that age group in athletics, scholastics, and the arts refer to them as middle school students rather than junior high students.
Several articles in recent district newsletters also have referred to the students as members of the Peabody-Burns Middle School. Guidelines about the participation of sixth graders in middle school athletics were included in the August newsletter.
“We will eventually use the term exclusively and district patrons will see it on everything from the building to the stationery we use,” said Traxson. “We think it is an important change for our students, but it is not the most pressing district issue we are dealing with so it will be gradual.”