The Ashland School Board is pleased to announce that its K-8 outdoor school has a new name -- TRAILS Outdoor School: Trust Respect Awareness Interdependency Leadership Stewardship. This name represents the importance of these attributes and celebrates trails as a source of discovery and exploration. The name also aligns with the school mission for students to "deepen their connection with the Earth through integrity, the arts, stewardship, and authentic learning experiences."
The name TRAILS Outdoor School was chosen from over fifty names that were suggested by staff, students, and members of the Ashland community. A committee of ten volunteers researched the suggestions and narrowed the list down to four finalists. Then, staff, students, and families at the school engaged in a thorough process of considering the pros and cons of each. The top two choices went to the Board and a community survey gathered additional input. The Board chose TRAILS Outdoor School, the top choice from the outdoor school community. TRAILS Outdoor School students are scheduled to move into their remodeled building on Walker Avenue during the next school year.
In 2020, the Board created a committee to review all of the names of district facilities. That committee studied each school name and recommended that the district consider a new name for the John Muir Outdoor School. While acknowledging Muir's important work for the preservation of many beautiful places, the committee found some of his attitudes towards Native Americans and people of color to be offensive. The committee shared a full report that both praises Muir for his good work and delves into some actions that have negative reverberations to the present day.
The TRAILS Outdoor School community can celebrate a new name that is welcoming to all students and will inspire them to be the change they want for the world. The Ashland School District appreciates the hard work and transparency of the renaming committee as well as the students, staff, and families of the school. Their thoughtful work and engagement produced a wonderful new name for their school.