The Minot Public School Board hopes to narrow down a list of suggestions for a new high school and new school colors and a school mascot to a list of five finalists after a special meeting on April 21.

About 40 percent of people who responded to a district-wide survey last month on names for a new school chose a name that included some version of the word North.

Board president Jim Rostad suggested that board members each come up with a list of five finalists after the meeting. Special consideration will need to be given to names, school colors and mascots to make sure that they are not duplicated. No final decision will be made yet on the name.

Voters approved a bond issue last year that will fund renovation and new construction of the new 9-12 high school at the site of the former Cognizant office building, located at 2000 21st Avenue NW. Cognizant donated the property to the district for the nominal fee of $10, which will save the district a considerable amount of money on the project.

Minot High School-Magic City Campus will be renovated into a 9-12 high school and it might also end up getting a slight adjustment in name with its new role, such as Minot Magic City.

This will give Minot two 9-12 high schools instead of two high school campuses with grades 9-10 at Central Campus and 11-12 at Magic City Campus.

Work on some of the projects, such as renovation of the vocational technical center and family and consumer science classrooms at Magic City Campus, is expected to begin this summer after school is out.

Also part of the project will be renovation of Central Campus into a third in-town middle school.

A committee has also been discussing school attendance boundary lines to determine which kids will attend which middle schools and high schools. Members of the public will have an opportunity to give input.

Also at Thursday’s board meeting, the school board approved hiring Bryn Iverson, who is currently the principal at Erik Ramstad Middle School, as the new assistant superintendent for elementary schools, effective July 1. She will replace Tracey Lawson, who is retiring after this school year.

School district business manager Scott Moum also announced Thursday that he is retiring after 20 years with the district. School board members said his will be large shoes to fill.