The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District school board has approved the name for the new elementary school set to open next fall.

The school board, including Jesse Rizo, who is the uncle of victim Jacklyn Cazares and a UCISD board member, unanimously approved Legacy Elementary as the name for the new school.

“I am privileged to share the heartfelt and inclusive journey we have undertaken over the past year. Our committee has committed to a thoughtful process, ensuring that each name we consider resonates with our community’s spirit and honors those cherished individuals who have profoundly impacted our lives,” said Chair of the Naming Committee Olivia Guerrero-Rish. “Our beloved angels, who continue to inspire us with their enduring presence, have been at the forefront of our thoughts and hearts throughout this endeavor.”

At least three family members were on the renaming committee: Amerie Jo Garza’s step-grandmother Berlinda Arreola, Lexi Rubio’s mother Kim Rubio and Tess Mata’s father Jerry Mata. All voted in favor of the name when the committee met for the final time in September.

Unfortunately for the families of the victims, much of the day was focused on reopening old wounds. On Tuesday, the City of Uvalde released 49 body and dash cameras from May 24, 2022.

“I knew what was gonna happen today,” Javier Cazares, father of Jacklyn Cazares, said. “I want to focus more on this than that, but it’s not a surprise to us what happened. This always happens. Something good happens and then there’s always a bad.”

Javier spoke for almost all of the families that were at the meeting Tuesday when he said that the release of the videos took away from the remembrance of their loved ones.

But Tuesday at the UCISD Board meeting — there was no mention of the video release — just the legacy of the 21.

“Tonight we asked the board to consider the name Legacy Elementary for Uvalde’s new elementary school,” Guerrero-Rish said at the podium during the meeting, revealing the name to everyone for the first time.

“It was bittersweet. It represents our loved ones perfectly,” Berlinda Arreola, step-grandmother of Amerie Jo Garza and member of the naming committee, said.

Arreola says that after 11 months of meetings, the naming committee met for the last time in September with the final five names being reviewed.

The committee voted to get down to three, and Legacy Elementary got 21 votes.

“When it came down to that day and the vote came up 21, we just knew at that time that it was meant to be,” she said.

Arreola says it is hard to come up with a name that honors all 21 victims, but that a legacy is something left behind — and something the 21 have all left with us.

Most of the families agree.

“I will always make sure that the 21 will never be forgotten,” Felicha Martinez, Xavier Lopez’s mother, said. “And the legacy that they will carry on, and our children of the future will always remember them.”

The $60 million school is set to open in the fall of 2025.