Auburn chooses name for new high school

Auburn City Schools has chosen a name for its new high school, which is found in a centuries-old poem.

The name approved by the Auburn City Schools Board of Education is Plains High School. It will be the second high school in the school system.

School officials say Auburn High School and Plains High School will walk into the future with their own footprints.

The name recalls the first line of Oliver Goldsmith’s 1770 poem in which Auburn’s nickname as the “loveliest village on the plains” was derived. His poem described the fictional Irish village of Auburn in full bloom.

School officials say as the population of Auburn continues to grow, the Board of Education and the administrators of Auburn City Schools are committed to the responsibility of ensuring the legacy of “loveliest village of the plains” for all students and families.

A survey was sent to staff members, students and the community requesting possible names for the second high school. More than 1,200 names were submitted, with almost 250 unique, viable names.

The new high school is scheduled to open in 2028 on Shug Jordan Parkway at North Donahue Drive.