No one is claiming it publicly, but a proposition was made to the Alamosa School Board that Isaac Ortega’s name be removed from the middle school because people elsewhere didn’t understand that it is in Alamosa.

I became very angry, drank some coffee and calmed down. I have been assured that the name change won’t occur. The fact that it was even suggested is still, as Bill Lobato used to say, “a burr under my saddle blanket.”

In my opinion, people in this wonderful nation should pull back from changing history just because it’s not well liked. Tearing down monuments to heroes of the Confederacy does no one a favor. Yes, parts of it were ugly in today’s eyes, but we need upcoming generations to learn about them so the ugliness won’t be repeated.

The increasing class, group and political hatred welling up in even small towns is a perfect example.

As I grow older, I cherish more the times spent in the Alamosa schools, first my own educational “career,” then those of my sons and now with my grandchildren.

I also think of the people who touched my life and the lives of my sons and myself in Alamosa schools.

The teams have never been “Alamosa” teams. They are “Maroons, Mean Moose and a force to be reckoned” with by Demons, Falcons, Farmers, Pirates and others who proudly use team mascots.

To change the name of a school so people will know it’s in Alamosa is ludicrous.

Usually, persons suggesting such changes didn’t grow up here. They’re newcomers trying to find their own “brand” by changing that of an entire community.

Alamosa High School will always be such. It is named after no one and generations have been fine with that. Ortega Middle School came into being when the big building on Main Street was no longer the high school and people believed it should be named something else. It was a struggle, but Isaac Ortega was honored.

Boyd was named in honor of an early educator in Alamosa, Polston honored Margaret Polston and Central was, well, in the center of the community. Evans, which housed the intermediate school, was named in honor of E.F. Evans, an influential teacher and school administrator. They are all gone or changed as the community evolved.

The place that is now the middle school became the high school, “Old Moosie High,” honored by the school song. It moved to a large new one as funds became available. The middle school football field was named in honor of Al Bennett, another influential educator and coach.

It has been pointed out that the football field at the new school was never dedicated in honor of anyone and the two new elementary school buildings remain Alamosa Elementary School.

That may be a great idea but doing so would likely bring controversy. There are just too many excellent educators and community members to draw from.

A stand-out over the years was Isaac Ortega, whose excellence as an educator was honored with naming a school.

His entire working life was spent educating children and keeping them out of trouble. He was joined by people with the same goals in mind, leaving memories behind.

Education changed, but children have excelled, graduated and went on to live successful lives. They, too, join the vast pool of those who could be honored.

Don’t change the name of a school; take interest in what is happening inside the walls.