MADISON, Wis. -- Madison's newest elementary school could be named after a school worker who was killed in a tragic accident this school year.

A grassroots effort is under way to name the school after Becky Sue Buchmann, WISC-TV reported.

Buchmann, 48, a library assistant at Cherokee Middle School, died after being hit by a vehicle while walking to school.

Cherokee staff members submitted the request just hours before the deadline.

"They are not dead who live in lives they leave behind," said librarian Laura Holt. "In those whom they have blessed, they live life again."

Holt and many others at Cherokee said that Buchmann was known for her fashion sense and warm smile.

"She went out of her way to make kids feel like they belonged," said sixth-grade teacher Mary Shannon.

"We were at a staff meeting and Mary suggested this, and I burst into tears," said Holt.

"We need somebody with integrity, somebody with good morals, somebody with a good connection with kids and I thought what better name than the Becky Sue Buchmann Elementary School," said Shannon.

That's the name many people hope will be chosen for the school, WISC-TV reported.

"Not only to recognize Becky, but to recognize those people like her who are so committed to public education," said Holt.

Buchmann's colleagues put together a proposal expressing how Buchmann touched the lives of many students during her eight years with the district.

"It was only after her death that we learned the extent of her numerous acts of kindness," said special education aide Gina Acker.

"She made them cards, ran out during her lunch hour to buy them farewell gifts, visited them in the hospital and took them to the movies," said Shannon.

"She was acutely aware of the social economic disparities among our students and did everything she could to make sure all students felt they belonged," said Holt.

"What better name for a school, with all the differences that we have in Madison, to make kids come and feel at a school with her name on it to feel welcome, anybody can come here," said Acker.

Cherokee teachers said they did not include the students in the process because of the possibility that it wouldn't succeed, WISC-TV reported.

But if it does, teachers said students will play an important role in the process.

Nearly 60 names are expected to be in the running for the new school, officials said.

Starting Monday, Oct. 29, the public will be able to weigh in on all of the suggestions online through the school district Web site. Public input will be accepted through Dec. 3.

After that, a committee of 13 people will review the list and present the top picks to the school board on Feb. 4.

The board will hold one last public hearing before a final vote. The new name is expected to be released in March.

The new school is being built on Madison's West Side in the Linden Park neighborhood.