The city has spent god-knows-how-many elections, re-elections, cost analyses and untold millions building this thing.

Whether or not the new place has an auditeria, an auxiliary gym or even furniture, let's give it a relevant name that sounds good with "Falcons," looks cool in blue and silver and scares the hell out of the opposition.

Seven committee members and one facilitator are mulling over a list of 88 nominations. At 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, in the Juneau School District conference room, upstairs at 811 12th St., the members will argue for their top two.

The list will be pared to four choices that afternoon, and three finalists will be selected when the committee reconvenes at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9. Super-intendent Peggy Cowan will present the top three to the Juneau School Board on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

The process was restricted to "geographic location" and "physical, natural or cultural characteristics" of the new school's site.

Gone are the days when you could name schools after dead people without tears, bloodshed and a three-week barrage of vitriolic letters to the editor.

That means "Hammond High," the name I prefer, is ineligible. The late governor earned six nominations. Three people favored "Peratrovich High," after activist Elizabeth Peratrovich, which also makes good sense. One person chose "Kowee High" in honor of the Tlingit chief, saying, "(Kowee) had scruples that Juneau and Harris didn't." NBA player Carlos Boozer and adult film star Julie Mirage were also nominated.

Throwing out the proper names, 246 nominations were received for a total of 88 names.

"Valley High" earned 46 total bids, demonstrating (1) yet another chapter in the tired valley-vs.-downtown saga, and (2) there's not a lot of creativity out there. It also sounds a lot like West Valley (Fairbanks), Tri-Valley (Healy), Mid-Valley (Wasilla) and Susitna Valley (Talkeetna).

Thirty-two people liked some form of "Thunder Mountain," which sounds a lot cooler.

Thirty-one advocated some play on "Riverside," with one claiming, "Kids like the sound of Riverside Falcons." I question the science in that study.

Forty-three proposed yet another twist on "Mendenhall," "Glacier," or "Dimond Park," failing to thinking outside the box.

Fourteen favored some variation of "Capital City" High School, which raises a dilemma if the capital ends up in Wasilla.

Six people liked "Falcon High," which would create the Falcon Falcons. A few nominated "Juneau-Douglas West" to bridge our town's divide.

I don't see "Quacking Ducks High" making the cut, but it was nice of our feathered-friends to write in. "The duck pond is very close to the school," they wrote.

One person nominated "Juneau Vocational Center," saying, "We need a voc tech center, not another high school."

More puzzling ideas were: "Chaos Center," "World Wide High," and "Sweet Valley High."

I like "Sit Ya High School," Tlingit for "a place of glacier."

Another liked "Lingonberry High," saying, "every Friday we could eat lingonberry pie."

I just hope the ice cream doesn't melt by the time the place finally opens.

New high school name nominations
(Total number of nominations in parenthesis)
1. Auke High School (1)
2. Auke Kwaan (2)
3. Bager High School (1)
4. Blue Mountain High School (1)
5. Brotherhood Bridge Valley High (1)
6. Capital or Capitol High (12)
7. Capital City High School (2)
8. Chaos Center High School (1)
9. Chinook High School (1)
10. Cliff Hanger High (1)
11. Duck Creek Valley High School (1)
12. Dimond High School (2)
13. Dimond Park Falcons (1)
14. Dimond Park High School (2)
15. Dimond Ridge (1)
16. Dimond River (1)
17. Eagle Bay (1)
18. Falcon High (6)
19. Glacier High School (6)
20. Glacier City High School (1)
21. Glacier Valley High (3)
22. Glacier View High School (6)
23. Glacier Peak High School (1)
24. Gold Rush High School (1)
25. Juneau Alaska High School (1)
26. Juneau-Douglas East/West (1)
27. Juneau Douglas HS Valley Campus (1)
28. Juneau Forest High School (1)
29. Juneau Mendenhall High School (1)
30. Juneau River Valley (1)
31. Juneau Southeast High School (1)
32. Juneau Thunder Birds (1)
33. Juneau Valley High School (33)
34. Juneau Vocational Center (1)
35. Lingin Berry High (1)
36. Meadowdale Side High School (1)
37. Mendenhall Glacier High School (1)
38. McGinnis High School (2)
39. McGinnis Falcons High School (1)
40. Mendenhall River High School (1)
41. Mendenhall Sweet Valley High School (1)
42. Mendenhall Valley High School (15)
43. Millennium High School (1)
44. Montana Creek High (1)
45. Mount McGinnis Glacier High School (1)
46. Mount McGinnis High School (4)
47. Mountain Peek High School (1)
48. Mountain Side High School (1)
49. Mountain Valley High (1)
50. Mountain View High School (1)
51. New Valley High (1)
52. Nugget Valley High (1)
53. Orca High (1)
54. Pederson Ridge High School (1)
55. Perseverance High School (1)
56. Quacking Ducks High (1)
57. Raven High School (1)
58. River Glacier High School (3)
59. River High (3)
60. Riverdale High School (3)
61. Riverside High School (13)
62. Riverside Soaring Falcons (1)
63. River Valley High School (5)
64. River View High School (1)
65. River Way High School (1)
66. Riverwood High School (1)
67. Rotary High School (1)
68. Rotary Park Falcons (1)
69. Silver Falcon High School (3)
70. Sit Ya (1)
71. Sky blue and Silver Cloud Falcons (1)
72. Sky High (1)
73. Sockeye High School (1)
74. Southeast High (3)
75. Spruce High (1)
76. Spruce Valley High School (1)
77. Sweet Valley High School (1)
78. Thunder Bird High (1)
79. Thunder Falcon High School (2)
80. Thunder High School (1)
81. Thunder Mountain High School (32)
82. Tongass High School (6)
83. Towers High School (1)
84. Valley Glacier High School (1)
85. Valley High School (13)
86. Valley River (2)
87. Wooskitan Umm (1)
88. World Wide High School (1)

Names nominated not meeting criteria
(Nominations referring to peopleÕs names were not accepted)
1. Carlos Boozer High School (1)
2. Elizabeth Peratrovich Valley High School (1)
3. Gordon High (1)
4. Hammond High (1)
5. Heilala High School (1)
6. Huckley High School (1)
7. Jay Hammond High School (5)
8. Julie Mirage High School (1)
9. Kowhee High School (1)
10. Peratrovich High School (2)