PORT TOWNSEND — Rose Dunlap learned it was tricky finding a name for the new classification of the 64-car ferry coming to the Port Townsend-Keystone route later this summer.
“I wanted to find an Indian name for boat,” said Rose, a fourth-grader who came up with the winning name, Kwa-di Tabil class, pronounced kwah DEE tah-bale, which means “little boat” in the Quileute language.
She and her mother, Crissy, searched on Google for tribes of the Northwest. There on the Internet they found what they sought.
The name was accepted by Gov. Chris Gregoire and a panel of judges late last week.
Scott Lundh, fourth-grade teacher at Blue Heron Middle School, created a classroom celebration Tuesday for Rose, her 19 classmates, Principal Mark Decker and Rose’s parents, Crissy and Piper.
Lundh opened the celebration by unveiling a colorful poster with the winning name and a likeness of the new ferry that his wife, Pam Berg-Lundh, painted over the weekend.
“I couldn’t breath,” said a jovial Lundh, cutting up with his students Tuesday morning, recalling when he learned Friday that their name had been chosen.
Lundh told the students the governor would be visiting them sometime this spring on a date to be announced later.
“I never met a governor before,” he quipped, drawing giggles. “I might get too nervous. I might have to call in sick that day.”
Decker congratulated each of the students, shaking their hands and saying, “I’m proud of you guys.”
The class’s name game came down to three finalists. Salish and Klallam were the other two.
Fourth-graders Joe Calodich came up with Klallam, and Katie Love chose Salish.
Gregoire brought up the contest last year when she and the media toured the work site at Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, where the first of the 64-car ferries, recently named the Chetzemoka, is under construction.
That vessel was named for the S’Klallam tribal chief after a big push by Jefferson County Historic Society that was supported by the Blyn-based Jamestown S’Klallam tribal council and direct descendant of Chetzemoka, Les Prince.
The second ferry for the route may be called Squi qui, named for a Swinomish tribal leader, pending approval by the state Transportation Commission.
The governor is expected to present the 20 students with a plaque commemorating the selection.
A panel of five local and state officials selected the winning entry.
The panel included Gregoire’s husband, Mike, state Department of Transportation Chief of Staff Steve Reinmuth, Coupeville Mayor Nancy Conard, Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval and Washington State Ferries Port Capt. Bill Michael.
Washington State Ferries conducted the contest to name the new vessel classification with fourth-grade students from Chimacum, Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, who are studying Washington state history.
Guidelines for contest entries included the name be unique to Washington state, representative of the local community, have symbolic maritime meaning and be reflective of nature.
Port Townsend School District Superintendent Tom Opstad said the contest was a great learning experience for the fourth-graders at the middle school.
State Ferries vessels are categorized into different classifications or vessel classes.
For example, the three largest ferries — Puyallup, Tacoma and Wenatchee — make up the Jumbo Mark II Vessel Class.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
