EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Hidden Hollow will be the name of Alpine School District's new elementary school in Eagle Mountain.
The Alpine Board of Education unanimously approved the name this week.
The names Saddle Ridge and Soldier Pass were considered. Sweetwater didn't make the top cut but came close, according to administrators.
Tom Tillman, who will be principal of the new elementary school starting in July, said administrators wanted to avoid naming the school after a person, city or development since that could be divisive for the community. Tillman has served as principal of Vineyard Elementary School for seven years.
Board member Crissy Hannemann said she liked the name Saddle Ridge. She drove out to the school site, 2546 E. Pony Express Parkway, before this week's meeting. "I was just going more for the flavor of the area if you drive through the Ranches and near Pony Express," she said, adding the geographic area has a ridge.
But after a board member made a motion for Hidden Hollow, Hannemann opted to vote for it, saying, "It wasn't a major issue either way."
Board member Terry Peterson agreed. "I liked them both," he said.
Tillman said Hidden Hollow and Saddle Ridge are both geographic references. Soldier Pass refers to historians' belief that solders used that area to travel to and from Camp Floyd.
Sweetwater was considered because the school is located on Sweetwater Drive. However, it's also the name of a condo development, he said.
Tillman said the naming committee consisted of mainly PTA members representing the area of the two feeder schools: Harvest Elementary and Pony Express Elementary.
The new school's students will help create a mascot. It could start with an "H" so as to follow the alliteration of Hidden Hollow, Tillman said.
Construction of the new elementary school began in October and is to be finished in time for school this fall. The building cost is estimated to be approximately $14 million, according to district officials.
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