Board Approves a Name: Natomas Gateways Middle School

--- Published on April 10th 2014 ---

We are pleased to announce that Natomas Unified’s newest middle school has a name today after an extensive nomination and consideration process: Natomas Gateways Middle School will open in August with a student body of up to 180 seventh-graders.

Natomas Gateways was popular among students and members of a district School Names Committee that considered it. The name was approved unanimously last night by the Board of Trustees, which considered three finalists.

Committee members were energized by the “gateways” that the new middle school will offer students for both college and career success – for example, learning in the areas of robotics and automation, and creation of a Health Pathway to feed into Natomas High School. “Gateway” already is a name used in a variety of contexts throughout the community.

The District’s six-person School Names Committee consisted of a diverse team that included a historian, parents and staff. Members considered numerous naming suggestions gathered from sources ranging from an online survey to a list of possibilities generated in years prior.

Before selecting three finalists for Board consideration, the committee identified six top names and presented them to fifth- and sixth-grade students who will attend the new middle school and to a subset of Natomas High School juniors and seniors. Natomas Gateways Middle School will be located at Natomas High School.