Wake Board of Education approves new name for computer-science high school in RTP

The upcoming Wake County early college high school in the Research Triangle Park has a new name: “Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies.”

The board approved the name without opposition Tuesday. It was recommended by district officials last week and approved Wednesday with some modification by the board’s facilities committee.

On Tuesday, board members repeated their excitement for the high school and its computer science focus.

The school district already has six early colleges, three of which come from partnerships with Wake Tech.

It will be the district’s first school in the Research Triangle Park and the first high school in Morrisville.

The other choices, not approved by the board’s facilities committee last week, were: West Wake College and Career Academy, Morrisville College & Career Academy, and Research Triangle Park Early College of Information and Biotechnologies.

District administrations urged against approving a name including “RTP” or “Research Triangle Park” because of the existence of two Durham charter schools with “Research Triangle” the names. One of them is also a high school.

The new name, as chosen by the facilities committee and approved Tuesday, allows for unofficial, location-specific references for the two buildings that will house classes. One campus will be at the Wake Technical Community College’s Research Triangle Park campus, and the future Parkside Middle School, abutting the town of Morrisville, will also be the site of some classes.

For district marketing purposes, the two buildings can be called “Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies Campus at Morrisville” and “Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies Campus at Parkside.”