Four names

are under consideration by the Fayette County Board of Education for the

elementary school now under construction on Ga. Highway 85 south of Fayetteville.

A committee

was recently formed to select potential names and form guidelines for

the submission of such names. Two of the names the committee submitted

represented deceased former residents, and the other two reflect the community

in which the school will be located.

One potential

name, Rest, came about because the area in question was once known as

the Rest community, and a Rest School was at one time located nearby.

Another name, Lisbon, also has geographical significance, and a Lisbon

School was also located in the area in the past. The new school site is

near the present location of Lisbon Baptist Church.

A letter from

Robert H. Kerlin to the school board outlined some of the history of the

area, saying that Lisbon School was a one-room facility built in 1870.

That building stood until 1905, when a two-story building was constructed

that still stands near the current construction site. That gradually became

known as Rest School and was closed in 1945 when school consolidation

sent local students to Fayetteville for classes, the letter stated.

Enclosed with

the letter was a photocopy of an 1889 edition of the Fayetteville News

which referred to the "Lisbon School House" on its front page.

Also included was a reproduction of a school photo dated 1898.

Another recommendation

was that the school be named after Sara Harp Minter, a school teacher

who lived her entire life in Fayette County and died in 1996. Also nominated

for this honor was Lucile Gable Lunceford, who taught in Fayette for nearly

30 years and also in surrounding counties, and helped write the history

of Fayette County after her retirement. She died in 1976.

School superintendent

John DeCotis recommended that these names remain under consideration until

next month's board meeting, and that whatever names are not selected for

this school be kept on a list for future consideration, since several

other schools will be opened in the next few years.