The announcement of the new high school’s name and mascot came after a Dec. 17 study session where members saw a presentation from Texas-based branding experts.
An official vote wasn’t on the agenda. Still, the board decided on the new name during the study session and announced "Iron Horse High School, Home of the Thunder" that evening in a press release.
Utah’s Open and Public Meetings Act states that a public body cannot take final action on a topic unless it’s listed as an agenda item and the public is notified.
Now, a petition circulating through the community is asking the school board to "revote for the new name of the new high school" and to give the public adequate notice.
Wasatch County School District spokesperson Kirsta Albert clarified to KPCW the board made a decision during the Dec. 17 study session but that it was not a vote. She did not comment further on the board's decision.
During the study session, Wasatch High School principal Justin Kelly, who has been tapped to lead the new school, said he thought Iron Horse High School was a stronger name than the alternatives, Deer Creek High School or North Fields High School.
“This name is different than anything else, and something we can kind of put the heart and soul into – Iron Horse,” he said. “Could I have done it with North Fields? Yeah, I could’ve. Could I have done it with Deer Creek? Yeah, I could’ve. But not the same way.”
When the announcement was shared with district families, some took to social media to express their support.
In the Facebook group "Ask (Heber, UT)," Wasatch High School graduate Jeff Hill wrote, "I like it! Any name chosen will not have significance until school starts and the student body gets behind it. As soon as the community sees their kids participating in activities with the new name and logo, we will all gain pride and love it."
Another Wasatch High alum, Willard Kohler, said he doesn't have any children who would attend the new high school but gave the name a positive review.
"After watching the school board work meeting and their presentation last night, I can get behind the name and mascot," he wrote. "Let’s 'all aboard' the Iron Horse High Thunder train and make it great."
However, not everyone shared their enthusiasm.
Lynne Allred said she has three children yet to attend high school in Wasatch County. She started the petition to ask the school board to reconsider its decision.
“Some people think that it’s not a big deal, but I do think it’s a big deal,” she said. “For my kids, it’s a big deal for them to look forward to a school that they can be proud of, and not just go begrudgingly as they’re getting ripped away from the school that they thought they’d be at.”
She said she filled out naming surveys shared by the district, but she doesn’t feel district leaders valued families’ opinions.
“After watching the meeting and seeing some of the things that went down there, I felt like there was complete disregard for the community’s input,” she said. “These are elected officials at the school board that are supposed to have community in mind, and they went with a decision that was pushed through on a very quick basis that wasn’t supposed to happen that night.”
She said when she watched the meeting, she felt like some of the school board members were pressured to agree.
And Troy Finlayson, whose family lives in Midway, said he doesn’t think the community will rally behind a train mascot.
“We could be the cowboys, the wranglers, all kinds of stuff like that – things that represent our community,” he said.
He said he watched the school board meeting and wasn’t pleased with how the board made its decision either.
More than 500 people had signed the petition as of Dec. 18.
Wasatch County’s second high school will welcome students for the 2026-2027 school year. It’s under construction just west of downtown Heber.
