Marshall High School’s name change is now official: It’s Bend Tech Academy
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend-La Pine Schools announced Friday that Bend Technical Academy has officially dropped “at Marshall” from the high school’s name.
The Oregon Department of Education gave the final approval to the name change request, along with dropping the school’s designation as District Alternative Education School.
“We are excited for this important step in Bend Tech Academy’s evolution,” said Executive Director of High Schools Katie Legace. “It’s a shining example of how students and families can use their voices to make a positive change for a school community that will affect students long after they graduate.”
The process to redefine the school was fostered by the investment of funds from the 2017 bond to add a facility to Bend-La Pine Schools supporting Career Technical Education pathways. Bend Technical Academy (BTA) transitioned to one of two small choice high schools in the district over the past few years.
At the BTA Site Council meeting this past March, parents, students, and staff shared a presentation requesting that the school be formally renamed Bend Technical Academy and the original name of Marshall High School be removed.
The council also asked that the “alternative education” designation be removed. Marshall High was previously designated by the Department of Education as the District Alternative Education School.
At the School Board meeting on Tuesday, July 11, students and parents from Bend Tech Academy spoke publicly and asked the School Board to vote in favor of changing the high school’s name, shedding the school’s previous reputation and dropping the alternative school designation.
The Board voted unanimously to approve the district’s request to formalize the changes in recognition of the new identity and focus of BTA.
Also present at the July Board meeting was Bend Technical Academy’s new principal, Dr. LaKisha Clark.
“I’m honored to get the opportunity to help these talented and bright students thrive and find their paths in this new era for BTA,” Clark said after the news arrived from the Oregon Department of Education.
