Welcome, Ballantyne Ridge High? CMS recommends finalist for new south Charlotte campus name

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ superintendent is recommending the new relief high school in south Charlotte be named Ballantyne Ridge High.

Why it matters: The name pays tribute to the growing Ballantyne area, where the campus is located. But it’s on the outer edge of the neighborhood, which is why a naming committee recommended tacking on the word “Ridge.”

• Also, at the back of the campus, ridged land drops off into two creeks.

Zoom in: A vote Tuesday by the school board is the last step of a lengthy process to finalize the name. A committee held a series of meetings and collected thousands of responses through three surveys.

• The vote is part of the consent agenda. Consent agenda items tend to pass without much discussion.

Details: The 100-classroom school, located on North Community House Road, will relieve overcrowding at Ardrey Kell High, South Mecklenburg High and Myers Park High. Construction is 58% complete on the $146 million project.

• It will open August 2024.

Other finalists are:

• Creekside High School: This second choice recognizes the two streams, McAlpine Creek and 4 Mile Creek, next to campus.
• Reginald Hawkins High: Hawkins was a dentist, civil rights activist who fought to desegregate schools, and the first Black candidate for North Carolina governor.
• Other suggestions in the top 10 were Queen City High, Toringdon High, Thaddeus Tate High, Big Rock High, Liberty High, Trailview High and McAlpine Creek High.