Career Center East and Dale Jackson Career Center are institutions where students have a chance to learn about different careers rather than the typical courses available in school. With a new career center being built to replace Dale Jackson in August 2020, the district has decided to change the names of the career centers.

“With the building of a new center in Lewisville next to LHS Harmon, a new name was needed for that building,” deputy superintendent Dr. Lori Rapp said. “Therefore, an opportunity existed to consider names that better represent the innovative learning and professional level courses that are offered at the career centers.”

Students, teachers and community members are welcome to submit a new name for the schools to be in the drawing for the $500 Nebraska Furniture Mart gift certificate. The deadline to submit is Friday, Dec. 14.

“The LISD Board of Trustees formed a sub-committee regarding the naming of the career centers; it was their idea to have a contest and find a prize for the submission that is selected,” Rapp said. “Many community members and parents are not aware of the innovative learning that takes place through the courses offered at the career centers. By having a contest for submitting names, the board members saw this as an opportunity to promote the career and technology courses that are offered within LISD.”

Teachers are happy with the contest and believe it will help the community understand what goes on at the schools. In addition, the publicity resulting from the contest will help people understand what happens at each of the schools.

“I think it will be a positive thing because they’re looking into having the students rename the school,” health science and medical terminology teacher Rachel Chesney said. “By having a new name, it might help us to be more visible in the community as well. If we are more visible in the community and our students are more active within the school, then that’s always a positive thing.”

With the approval for the building of the new career center, it will provide new courses for students and help open additional space for students wishing to be in these classes.

“With a new career center opening, there will be more course availability in areas such as health science where there is currently a waiting list for students to get in,” Rapp said. “In addition there will be new programs such as veterinary technician, culinary arts and cybersecurity. These new courses will offer new opportunities for students at all of the high schools.”

The contest was an idea to kickstart the changing of the school names. Although, the change may be difficult due to memories people have developed within it.

“I definitely think it will affect the feeder schools, as well as the high schools at first,” law enforcement teacher Travis Mouser said. “Changing a school name will most likely have a confusing effect on everyone involved until they get used to the name. [DJCC] has been around for 33 years. Those who attend DJCC and have fond memories of classes there might be more affected by the name change. After all it, was named after Dr. Jackson, whereas Career Center East has no namesake. CCE’s name is becoming more and more known and changing it might confuse current and potential business partners. Plus, anything that has the current school names will be obsolete, such as letterheads, clothing, signs/banners [and] business cards. Changing the name of a school, much less anything, is not as simple as one would think.”