Audubon Park Elementary School seeks new name, mascot

Audubon Park Elementary School is on the verge of getting a new name. But what will the Baldwin Park school be called?

In the wake of a new K-8 school coming to Audubon Park and taking the “Audubon Park” name, the elementary school at 1750 Common Way in Orlando will take a new moniker, Audubon Park Elementary PTA President Stephanie Harley said.

The name change is being led by principal Anna Ferratusco but eventually will be voted on by the Orange County School Board after input from the school community. That vote is set to take place in January, Harley said.

There’s mixed emotions throughout the school about the name change, but Harley, who has a first-grader at the school, said she’s excited.

“As a PTA, we’re definitely excited,” she said. “If you’ve noticed on our school, at our entrance, there’s no name. At other schools there’s actually a name. We’re ready for it; it’s time.”

The school not only will be picking a new name but also a new mascot and new colors. Surveys recently were distributed to all of the parents and students at the school.

Harley said she couldn’t disclose her choices but said she’s heard a wide range of mascot ideas from Peacocks and Grasshoppers to Panthers and Bobcats. Other ideas have tied into Baldwin Park’s history as a U.S. Navy base.

“I think the kids came up with some more creative names than the adults, so it’ll be interesting to see where it lies,” she said.

The general consensus is that many parents prefer the school’s name to be “Baldwin Park Elementary,” Harley said, though the decision ultimately lies with the School Board.

One of the most recent name changes to happen in Orange County took place just a stone’s throw away in College Park earlier this year, although under much different circumstances. The middle school at 1201 Maury Road in Orlando had been known as Robert E. Lee Middle School since it was first founded back in 1955. A desire from the community to change the name grew during the 2015-16 school year.

After an electronic survey with 1,000 responses and submitted essays from 700 students, the majority supported a name change to College Park Middle School, which was made official by the Orange County School Board Feb. 14.

Audubon Park Elementary has stood at its current location along Common Way since the 2007-08 school year, when it moved from the old 1500 Falcon Drive location.

Harley said the top three options for names, mascots and colors will come back for a final vote soon after the initial survey period, which closed today.