The Scituate School Committee voted 3-2 Monday night to name the district's new elementary school Satuit, settling a debate over how to honor the town's history in its newest building.
Committee members weighed three finalists: Satuit, an Indigenous place name that translates to Coldbrook; Inez Haynes Irwin, a suffragist and author who lived in Scituate; and Daniel Ward, an Irish immigrant credited with pioneering the town's Irish moss harvesting industry in the 1800s.
South Shore Times previously reported that a task force led by Superintendent Dr. Thomas Raab had narrowed an original field of five names to these three finalists, eliminating options tied to a formerly enslaved abolitionist and local folklore figures.
Chair Nicole Brandolini walked the committee through the voting process before ballots began, explaining that members would vote yes or no on each name in turn, starting with whichever was their top choice, until the field narrowed to a majority winner. Members voted in rounds, eliminating Ward and advancing to a runoff between Satuit and Irwin. Satuit won that final vote 3-2. Before the vote, members explained their choices one by one.
Committee member Erika McMahon said she favored Irwin because "we're naming a school and it's a place where generations of Scituate children will learn not only about themselves, but the community that they're part of."
Vice Chair Maria Fenwick said she landed on Satuit, telling the committee it "just seems to be the name that most people connect with."
Committee member Dr. Carey Borkoski argued for Irwin, noting the town already has a tavern, a boat club and a marsh landmark named Satuit, but no school honoring a woman. "She was an author, she was a suffragette, she contributed, and those things feel so related to schools, and we don't have anything that marks her contribution," Borkoski said.
Brandolini said she was struck by how much the process divided opinion. "I don't want to say divisive, that's a little harsh maybe, but just very passionate in who or what people feel is the appropriate name for the school," she said.
Brandolini said she ultimately backed Satuit, telling the committee she had received little organized support for Irwin and only a few emails favoring Ward, while Satuit drew broad backing from residents and student groups. She noted that several student groups had proposed Satuit as an option the previous year and made presentations in its favor, which she said helped shape her own view of where community sentiment stood.
Brandolini thanked Raab for leading the naming task force and thanked the staff, students and residents who took part in the monthslong process, saying the district had sought community input throughout and wanted the final choice to reflect it. With Monday's vote, the school will move forward under the name Satuit Elementary School.