LEWISTON – The new, merged Catholic elementary school got a name Wednesday, picked by students in two rounds of voting: Trinity Catholic School.
Shortly after noon in the Holy Cross church cafeteria, more than 300 kids leapt to their feet at the announcement. They immediately tossed on red T-shirts with the new name, dined on a little marble cake and enjoyed sweet democracy.
“I’ve never got to vote for an actual thing before. It felt very exciting,” said third-grader Erica Lemieux of Lewiston.
Two Lewiston Catholic elementary schools – Holy Cross and St. Joseph’s – and St. Peter and Sacred Heart Elementary School in Auburn will become one in the fall, with classes under the roof of Holy Cross.
St. Joseph’s will become a middle school with grades six to eight.
The consolidation was announced this spring to deal with rising costs and prevent the schools from competing for the same students, according to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
Father Dan Greenleaf, pastor at Holy Cross church and school, said students at all three schools gave name ideas to teachers. Staff whittled the selection to six.
Staff and students voted Monday in a sort of primary on names ranging from John Paul II School to St. Katharine Drexel School.
The bishop had approved all six, Greenleaf said.
St. Mary and Trinity Catholic were the top vote-getters.
In a final vote Tuesday, Trinity won by a landslide. After getting the results at 10 a.m., Holy Cross parent and school board member Debbie Haire dashed off to the T-shirt shop to order 700 shirts and then to the bakery to order six-and-a-half sheet cakes with the name Trinity Catholic School.
The news was read in front of assemblies at all three schools at the same time.
Watching students’ reactions, “I had tears in my eyes, I was really happy,” she said.
Greenleaf said the new name will go on the building in the fall.
The elementary school, initially with pre-K to grade five, will have about 450 students, the middle school about 200.
He said a convent near Holy Cross would be renovated to eventually house pre-K and kindergarten. Then, the following year, grade six will return to the elementary school.
With more students in one building, the new elementary will have three classes of each grade in the fall.
“What’s really exciting is the enrollment in kindergarten – we may need four,” Greenleaf said.
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