ARTech Changes Name to Arcadia Charter School

Editor's note: The following is an abbreviated version of a message sent to the ARTech community by School Board Chair Tammy Prichard.

The officially has a new name: Arcadia Charter School. 

The Name Change committee’s process included engaging our whole school community by soliciting attributes and adjectives, collecting name suggestions, and narrowing the list.  The students voted last week between “Community” or “Charter” as part of the name, and the school board officially approved the name at the May 17 meeting. The process is outlined on the School Board’s blog site.

The school had a number of reasons for the name change. We are not fully a technical/technology school nor a conservatory; the name seems too long in its full form; we want a name that better defines who we are and what we do; our current name deters "non-art" students. We also made a list of criteria we considered important to us as a school community regarding any name that we might choose. We wanted our name to be inclusive, memorable, not too defining and therefore restrictive, not “cheesy,” official- sounding, interesting, and positive.

“Arcadia” kept coming to the top. We felt that this name had some “personality” but would not limit or over-define us. Arcadia is an inland region in Greece that figured in ancient and Renaissance literature and is symbolic of bountiful, natural splendor and harmony; artists and writers have often super-imposed contemporary themes on this pastoral backdrop. We felt that this name would, with a wide brush, give the school a sense of creativity, growth, inspiration, excellence, and potential. The school is eager to develop a new logo and informational materials that will express its character and program.

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