School Renaming Process

School Namesake: Amy Imai

Based on Board direction and community support, Frank L. Huff Elementary was renamed Amy Imai Elementary on June 17, 2021.

 

About our namesake

 

Amy Imai (1930-2013) spent her early childhood in Mountain View and was relocated to the Heart Mountain internment camp in Wyoming with her family during World War II. Her family returned to live in the area, she finished high school in Sunnyvale, and she and her husband built a carnation business in Mountain View. Ms. Imai was an active volunteer in local schools and at one point ran for the Mountain View Los Altos school board. She is known for coming to schools to speak to students about her experience in the internment camp, and she encouraged Asian Americans to pursue roles in government and leadership so that their voice would be represented.

Why was our school renamed?

Mountain View Whisman School District and the Imai community decided to choose a new namesake for the school that better reflects our shared collective values of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. To facilitate the renaming process, we formed a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) made up of multiple stakeholder groups from our community including current students, alumni, teachers, parents and staff. 

Presentation to the Board of Trustees, Oct. 2020

 

The Board of Trustees approved Amy Imai as Huff’s new namesake at their meeting on June 17, 2021.

 

Citizens were invited to give feedback on three potential school names at the Board of Trustees’ public hearing on Thursday, June 3, 2021. Neighbors were able to make verbal comments as part of the meeting on June 3, 2021, or submit written comments to [email protected] by May 28, 2021. 

 

Board of Trustees meeting on June 3, 2021   Presentation  Video

Board of Trustees meeting on June 17, 2021   Presentation  Video

Citizens Advisory Committee

To facilitate the renaming process, we formed a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) made up of multiple stakeholder groups from our community including current students, alumni, teachers, parents and staff. Through this group’s work, and the research and contributions of many others through a survey, a list of potential namesake candidates was developed. These names were then measured by how closely they align with the school community’s chosen traits and values.

Community engagement- Thoughtexchange

To survey the Huff community as a whole, a ThoughtExchange was launched in December 2020, and stakeholders gave their input on the following question:

 

"What are the most important perspectives to consider as we plan for renaming Huff Elementary School?"

 

What did we explore with the ThoughtExchange?

Understanding stakeholder priorities including Huff traits and values that will inform namesake selection.

 

What were the steps?

* Develop a rubric that contains a cohesive set of school traits and values by clustering community responses into common themes (i.e. traits such as ‘ingenuity’, ‘resilience’, or ‘compassion’) -- use this rubric moving forward

* Use these school traits and values to develop a list of potential namesake candidates that align with the chosen traits and values using previous work as a rubric

* Research background information on short-list of potential candidates in order to distill the list of candidates to 3 for the Superintendent to bring for Board consideration

* Advocate for board to approve namesake by June 2021

 

How were the results shared back with everyone?

* Board meeting update - October 22, 2020

* Board meeting update - February 4, 2021

* Board meeting update - April 1, 2021

* Top three namesakes for consideration

*  school newsletter

* Presentations to school and community groups

* Address communication gaps or questions  

What was the timeline?

School and Community Engagement:

Board meeting update - October 22, 2020


November 16, 2020- CAC Meeting 


December - ThoughtExchange with students, staff, and families of Huff Elementary


January 11, 2021 - CAC Meeting

- Board Presentation (update on process and ThoughtExchange responses)

- Huff PTA Meeting (update on process)


February 1, 2021  - CAC Meeting 


Board meeting update - February 4, 2021


March 1, 2021 - CAC Meeting


April 1, 2021 - Board Presentation (update on process and recommendations for namesake)


April 5, 2021 - CAC Meeting


May 17, 2021  - CAC Meeting


June - Public Hearing and Board decision

Resources

Community Advisory Committee meeting, Nov. 2020

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