UPDATE 7:15 p.m. December 10, 2025

To raucous applause and a quick celebratory shout, the Maricopa Unified School District governing board named its new school.

The new K–8 campus is called “The Alma Farrell Innovation Academy,” honoring the city’s former superintendent widely regarded among the district’s most influential leaders.

Members of Farrell’s family, including her son Edward, grandchildren Luke and Sila, daughter Daly and son Cody, watched from the audience as the board approved the name. Board president Patti Coutre said the moment was especially meaningful because Farrell had been “the district’s biggest champion.”

The superintendent said the name was especially fitting because of what Alma Farrell represents to Maricopa.

“She’s just part of the fabric,” said Lopeman. “the weather, the geography, the street, the sky. She’s part of Maricopa,” Lopeman said.

“Innovation,” said Lopeman, reflects Farrell’s legacy as “a female superintendent long before it was common for a female to be a superintendent.”

Honoring both “the past and the future… competence and capability and really boundless possibility” made the name “fit so well,” for Lopeman.

The only hesitation came during a brief discussion over the word “Academy.”

Board member Carolyn Lopez supported naming the school after Farrell but said she had a personal history with the term.

“I’m triggered over that word,” she said, explaining that in her experience, “academy” is often associated with troubled or abusive programs nationwide.

“I just wanted to be open and honest with our public that we are not that,” said Lopez.

Other board members noted that “academy” appeared frequently in community surveys and is commonly used for K–8 or mixed-model schools. The term, they said, aligns with the district’s vision for innovative instruction and with Farrell’s legacy as a forward-thinking educational leader.

Lopez joined the entire board in voting for the name.

ORIGINAL STORY 12:22 Nov. 13, 2025 A community panel has recommended naming Maricopa Unified School District’s first K–8 campus the “Alma Farrell Academy of Innovation,” with administrators planning to bring the name to the Governing Board for formal action in December.  

The recommendation follows a months-long naming process that district leaders described as inclusive and heavily community-driven. 

“In August and September, we invited the community to help us shape the school’s identity through a public survey,” district administrator Tracey Pastor told the school district board last night.  

“We received 179 responses and that included students, staff, parents and community members.”  

Participants were asked to suggest names and themes that reflect the district’s values and spirit. From that feedback, three big ideas rose to the top. 

“From that input, three main themes emerged,” explained Pastor. “Most predominantly, a desire to honor former superintendent Alma Farrell. Second, an emphasis on innovation and learning. And another theme that came out in the survey was a connection to the Sonoran landscape that defines our community.” 

Farrell is a matriarch in Maricopa’s education and passed away in March.  

She was Maricopa High School’s Title 1 Reading teacher. She spent 11 years as the reading specialist for grades 2 – 12 in Maricopa, teaching many of Maricopa’s present civic leaders. During that same time period, she earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Nova University. By July 1987, she was named Special Projects Director for the district. She was responsible for assessment, federal programs and grants. After six years Farrell became Director of Curriculum and Instruction. She was Maricopa’s superintendent from 1996 through 2006. 

The new K–8 campus is slated to open in next year and is designed to serve as both a neighborhood school and a specialized program. 

“This new K-8 represents a big step toward the future for Maricopa Unified and it will serve as both a neighborhood school and a signature school with work-based learning as a focus,” said Pastor to the board. 

District officials hired an outside consultant to run what they called a naming “think tank,” bringing together stakeholders to turn the survey themes into concrete name options. 

“We used a familiar process facilitated by an outside consultant that was inclusive, transparent and community-driven, ensuring that the name truly reflects Maricopa’s identity,” Pastor said.  

On Sept. 25, the district hosted the K–8 naming think tank, facilitated by Partners in Participation. 

“The event brought together district staff, parents and community representatives,” Pastor said. “We even had a student. She was a second grader, so we had to explain a couple of things, but she was a joy to be a part of the group.”  

At the start of the session, Pastor said the group revisited what the district believes a school name should represent. 

“We revisited the core values of our naming process: that a name should stand the test of time, that a name needs to reflect the core values of our school, that a name represents hope and opportunity,” she said. “And ultimately, we want a name that inspires students and embodies the strength of inclusion, the diversity that we have in Maricopa.”  

Those principles guided the group as they broke into small teams to review survey themes and brainstorm additional ideas. 

“We discussed how various naming ideas reflected the school’s signature focus on work-based learning and how each could represent a spirit of hope, innovation and inclusion that we want the new K8 to embody,” Pastor said. “Through the process, the group had a strong sense of shared direction, and we came to consensus on a short list of names to bring forward for consideration.”  

By the end of the think tank, two name concepts emerged as finalists. 

“Through this process the group came to consensus on two names that truly reflect the spirit of the community and the vision for the new K8,” Pastor said.  

“The first, Alma Ferrell Innovation Academy or Alma Ferrell Academy for Innovation, the group was open to either way to group those words honors a leader whose lasting impact on Maricopa Unified School District helped lay the foundation for the success that we build upon today,” she said. “The second, Sonoran Vista Innovation Academy or Sonoran Vista Academy of Innovation, celebrates the beauty of [the] surrounding landscape and represents forward thinking and optimism.”  

Superintendent Lopeman told the board the name will come back for a vote next month. 

“We’re looking at offering a proposal, a formal proposal for board action in December,” he said. “I wanted the board to think about this policy and the name that we’re proposing. And the name that we’re proposing certainly has tremendous relevance and history.”  

One board member grew emotional as she spoke about the woman the new school would honor. 

“Well, I think all of you know that I have a very special place in my heart for Alma,” said MUSD Board Vice President Patti Coutré, holding back emotion. “She’s why I’m a board member and I think it’s a great honor to be able to name a school after her, especially one that is going to be a first in MUSD.”  

Coutré said she preferred a slightly shorter version of the name but strongly backed the choice to recognize Farrell’s legacy. 

“I think less words is better,” she said, adding later, “Both names are really great, but I am just thrilled to be able to honor Alma.”  

The board took no action. A public meeting is scheduled for next Monday at 5p to welcome public comment on the naming suggestion.  

A formal vote on the Alma Farrell Academy of Innovation name is expected in December.