Bois D'Arc Elementary now referred to as Ash Grove Intermediate, not yet official

The building known as Bois D'Arc Elementary School—since its consolidation with the Ash Grove School District around 1959—may soon have a new name. Ash Grove School District officials are now casually referring to the building as Ash Grove Intermediate School, a moniker anticipated to be made official by the district in due time.

"This has not been officially voted on by the board but we will be bringing this to them down the line," said Superintendent Shane Medlin. "We discussed new signage and branding for the building in March and uniting all schools with an Ash Grove name would be beneficial to the district. Families that move into the community, visitors to the district, DESE/Federal applications and programs, and even vendors who were submitting bids for construction have confused BDE as its own separate school district rather than being a part of the Ash Grove School District."

Medlin added that if the name is changed, they will do their best to hold the Bois D'Arc name in esteem.

"We will still honor the history of BDE and not change the historical markers/entrance/stonework, but as we continue to build towards the district being united, having all schools under an Ash Grove School name is beneficial," Medlin said. "… Moving to Ash Grove Intermediate School will further unify us as a district while still getting to champion the role the Bois D'Arc campus has played in our district's history."

According to Medlin, name changes for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must occur by March of each year.