Cochrane’s next in line K-8 school, slated to open in September 2016 in the community of Sunset Ridge, will be called ‘RancheView School’.
Rocky View Schools (RVS) board of trustees selected the name at their June 18 meeting. The name had been sent back for further review to the naming committee following a June 4 RVS board meeting, after some trustees took issue with the spelling of the name.
According to RVS trustee Fiona Gilbert, the name ‘RancheView’, which may seem odd to those outside of Cochrane, is in line with Cochrane tradition (think ‘RancheHouse’, ‘GlenEagles’) for naming.
Trustees approved the name, with Todd Brand and Bev LaPeare voting in opposition.
The second option that was shortlisted by the naming committee was ‘Lady Adela School’.
According to the RVS June 4 agenda:
Ranch View represents the founding industries that sustained Cochrane - lots of ranchers and sunset is on the former site of Cochrane Ranche a founder of our great town. The school site looks out over the Cochrane Ranche historic site. To be consistent with the etymology of the town, ‘RancheView School’ is the name suggestion.
In 1891 Lady Adela Cochrane established the first school to be opened between Calgary and Morley. Lady Adela arranged for an empty building in Mitford to be used for a school, hired a teacher and paid her salary from 1891 until the Cochranes returned to England in the late 1890s. Lady Adela’s many contributions to the Cochrane area have not been recognized. Such an important character in our rich history.
