LUBBOCK, Texas — When 2025 comes around for Frenship’s new high school, there may be bears, there may be lions, but there might not be any tigers.
“Ultimately, the students who are currently seventh and eighth graders who will attend that second high school will vote on whatever that narrow field of mascots,” described Frenship ISD Superintendent, Dr. Michelle McCord. “We’re all going to be Frenship blue, but they get to choose another color.”
A lot of planning goes into coming up with the new school’s identity, but its location near 43rd Street and Milwaukee has already been picked out. Many of the district’s schools are on that street and extend out toward Upland and Alcove. According to Dr. McCord, there’s a reason the campuses are so close together.
“Why did we build all these schools up and down this one road?” asked Dr. McCord. “Well, there is a simple answer to that, there was access to water and sewer. That is a big factor in determining where we’re going to go next, where is there space, where is the growth heading and getting just ahead of it.”
Once the land is purchased and the school is built, students are needed to fill the classrooms. For some school districts that can be a challenge, but according to Dr. McCord, Frenship ISD’s growth has made that easy.
“In the fall of 2019, we realized we’re outgrowing the high school and the ninth grade center again, so we brought a group of stakeholders, and when we started looking at it and realizing that ultimately we’re going to need more than two high schools,” Dr. McCord said.
Although a lot of change has impacted the district over the past 88 years, Dr. McCord said she hopes the Frenship community can be grateful for it all.
“I hope that while we cherish the past, but we lean into the future and embrace this growth and everything that comes with it,” she said.
Frenship ISD’s main focus for the next few steps are still the names. Folks have until November 30th to submit ideas for what these schools should be called here.
