New elementary school will honor Henderson boy who left legacy of kindness

Drew Stevens hopes the school named in honor of his son is a place where everyone smiles at you, everyone is kind, and everyone feels welcome.

“I want that to be something that’s the fabric of the school,” he said.

The Josh Stevens Elementary School is one of six new elementary schools opening in Clark County for the 2017-18 academic year and is the second district school named after a child, according to officials. The new school will be located at Dave Wood Circle and East Galleria Drive in Henderson.

Josh died in September 2008 at age 12. He and his father were enjoying an evening ride in a golf cart when his father swerved to miss hitting an illegally parked boat. Josh died from his injuries.

Stevens and his wife, Barbara, started the Josh Stevens Foundation in 2009. The program encourages students to “Be Kind … Like Josh.”

Stevens speaks once a year to schools in the program. He talks about Josh and kindness and challenges students to determine what their own legacies will be.

Throughout the school year, students caught in random acts of kindness are given lime-green bracelets bearing the motto. More than 115 Clark County schools use the program, which operates in a total of 350 schools in 11 states.

Stevens said the response has been overwhelming.

“I just know that if he was sitting next to me and he saw all this happening he’d shake his head and his face would be a little red and he’d say, ‘This is crazy.’ He’d be so humbled,” he said.

The only other school named after a child is Richard Rundle Elementary School. Eleven-year-old Richie died in 1987 while protecting others from a drunken driver, according to district officials.

The district puts out a call for name suggestions when preparing to open new schools. A committee reviews the applications and passes on recommendations to the board of trustees for final approval.

Between May and September 2016, the district collected 64 applications, according to officials. The applications were reviewed in November, and the board approved the recommended school names in January.

The total number of district schools will jump to 357 in August with the opening of the six new elementary schools. One more school is expected to open midway through the school year, at the start of 2018.

Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MeghinDelaney on Twitter.