Do you think students would like to go to Mountain Ridge High School when it opens in 2011, or to a Mingo Central High School?

Students in four Mingo County high schools that are to be affected by consolidation when the new central high school opens have suggested a name, colors and mascot for the school.

Mingo County School Superintendent Dwight D. Dials revealed some of the suggestions at the Oct. 6 meeting of the Board of Education. Although there is plenty of time in which to decide on a name, colors and mascot, the Williamson Daily News thought its readers might be interested in mulling over some of the proposals.

Dials said each homeroom group in Williamson, Burch, Matewan and Gilbert High schools voted on a name for the new school being built on a reclaimed mountaintop mine site between Red Jacket and Varney. They also suggested school colors and the name of a mascot.

Eventually, the four school groups will be asked to vote on one name, two colors and a name for a mascot, said Dials. Input from the public, no doubt, will be taken under consideration before final decisions are made.

Students at Burch High School chose the name, Mountain Ridge High School; blue and gold for its colors, and “Spartans” for its mascot.

Williamson High School students proposed the school be called Mingo Central High School, which is what it has been referred to during board discussions and public visits to the site. Carolina blue and red seemed to be the favorite colors of the WHS group and “Tribe” was suggested for the mascot.

Gilbert High School students were indecisive on colors and mascot names but zeroed in on the name, Mingo Central High School or Mingo High as the school’s name.

The Gilbert group provides a choice among Carolina blue and black, Orange and black, or red and black. Four suggestions were provided for the mascot’s name — Mingo Miners, Mingo Chiefs, Mingo Black Diamonds and Mingo Mountaineers.

The Matewan High School students listed four possible names for the school — Mingo Central High School, Mingo County High School, Mingo South Central High School, and Mingo County Central High School.

Matewan also did not decide on colors but are mulling over combinations of orange and black; Carolina blue and silver; red and black, and gold and black.

The Matewan students’ list of possible names for the school mascot includes Black Diamonds, Indians, Miners, Chiefs, Black Bears and Warriors.

Other names for the school might include Mingo School in the Sky; School among the Clouds; Mingo’s Heap Big Wigwam, Open for Daily Powwows or King Coal Learning Center. What do you think, readers?