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Robert E. Lee Elementary School Is Changing Its Name And Asked For Suggestions — Here’s The Hilarious List Of Responses

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 18:09 PST, Apr 23, 2016

The Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Austin, Texas, is changing its name and decided to ask for suggestions from local students and parents. The result was a long and hilarious list — with one controversial politician at the top.

Back in late March, the Austin school board voted to remove the name of the Confederate general and let locals help pick the replacement. This week the board published the list of names they got in return. At the top of the list was Donald J. Trump Elementary School, with 45 nominations.

While many suggested keeping the name Lee but changing it to another famous person with that surname — including author Harper Lee and martial arts legend Bruce Lee — a good chunk of the submissions were jokes. There were eight nominations for Adolf Hitler School for Friendship and Tolerance, and a host of other crazy ones as well.

KXAN had a full list of the submissions.

Adam Lanza’s School of Fun, Bee Movie, Bleeding Heart Liberal Elementary, Boaty McBoatface Elementary School, Forgetting the Past Dooms You to Repeat It Elementary, Garfunkel, Hypothetical Perfect Person Memorial Elementary School, John Cena Elementary and Schooly McSchoolerson.

At least a couple of the submissions appear to be an homage to another failed naming endeavor. This year, the British Natural Environmental Research Council asked people to vote on the name for its new $288 million research vessel. The internet got a hold of the contest and the name RSS Boaty McBoatface ran away with the voting, with more than four times as many votes as the next highest submission, the Guardian noted.

But the will of the people was ignored, and the NERC decided not to step on the toes of the scientific establishment with a joke of a name.

“The new royal research ship will be sailing into the world’s iciest waters to address global challenges that affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people, including global warming, the melting of polar ice and rising sea levels,” said Jo Johnson, the science minister.

“That’s why we want a name that lasts longer than a social media news cycle and reflects the serious nature of the science it will be doing. There are many excellent suggestions among the 7,000 names put forward by members of the public and we’ll make a decision as to which one should be put forward for the royal warrant when we’ve had a chance to review them all.”

“It makes no difference to the vital work the ship will be carrying out, but it does mean there is likely to be more public interest in that work,” he said of the name Boaty McBoatface.

If the NERC had done a bit more research, they likely would have seen this coming. Internet naming contests often turn into a game for voters as they try to pick the most ridiculous and offensive name. In 2012, Mountain Dew learned this the hard way when it ran a contest to name a new flavor of the drink. The top submission — at least before the entire contest was scrapped — was “Hitler did nothing wrong.”

It’s likely the will of the people will be ignored in Austin as well. The school board said it retains final say over the new name for Robert E. Lee Elementary School, so don’t hold your breath on seeing Schooly McSchoolerson anytime soon.

[Photo by Matt Rourke/AP Images]

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