Will Wake name a new school ‘Lizard Lick Elementary?’ Why some say it’s not a good idea
Is Lizard Lick dignified enough to be the name for a new Wake County school?
Lizard Lick is one of three names in the running for a new elementary school that will be built near Wendell. But some Wake County school board members raised concerns Tuesday that the name may be associated too much with the “Lizard Lick Towing” TV reality show.
“I just say not Lizard Lick because that’s a whole TV show, a whole other negative connotations with it,” said school board member Toshiba Rice. “It’s not something that I would necessarily love to be associated with our school in that small town that happens to be a national television show.”
Wake County school administrators had recommended using Lizard Lick. But after concerns were raised by the school board’s facilities committee, a decision was made to seek community input before a potential board vote on Feb. 18.
‘Lizard Lick Towing’ TV show
Lizard Lick is an unincorporated community near Wendell that was founded in the 1700s. The school site is in the heart of the Lizard Lick community at the intersection of Marshburn Road, Lizard Lick Road and N.C. 97
From 2011 to 2014, “Lizard Lick Towing” aired on TruTv following the adventures of Ronnie Shirley and his wife, Amy, who own a towing and repossession business.
School board chair Chris Heagarty said he had a personal connection to liking the name Lizard Lick.
“I’m biased because the folks on the TV show were classmates of mine at a WCPSS school,” Heagarty said. “I have fond memories of them before the reality show.”
But Heagarty also acknowledged that people might be concerned with calling it Lizard Lick.
“I certainly understand where you’re coming from because we do want it to be taken seriously and we don’t want it to be a joke,” Heagarty said to Rice.
Lizard Lick would be a “fun name” for a school, according to school board member Cheryl Caulfield.
“I did not know about it, but apparently I think some people might be tuning in to see what Lizard Lick TV show is about,” Caulfield said.
Other name choices for the Lizard Lick school
Betty Parker, senior director of real estate services, pointed out that Lizard Lick was there long before the TV show. She cited how Nintendo released the video game “Yoshi’s Story” at an event in Lizard Lick in 1998.
But some board members said they prefer the other options of Fall Branch Elementary or Marshburn Road Elementary. Fall Branch is the nearest geographic feature to the school site and Marshburn Road is likely how the school will be accessed.
A fourth name, North Wendell Elementary, was dropped from consideration on Tuesday.
The facilities committee told staff to survey the community about using Fall Branch, Lizard Lick or Marshburn Road.
“Even before there was a reality show, there were often some giggles when somebody would talk about Lizard Lick,” said school board member Lynn Edmonds. “Whether or not that was justified, they really deserve to have a say here.”
Not naming schools after slaveholders
There was less debate Tuesday with the facilities committee agreeing to recommend Little Creek Elementary as the name for a new school that will be built at 2200 Old Bunn Road in Zebulon.
District staff had originally recommended naming it Old Bunn Road Elementary because that’s the road people will likely access the school from. But staff dropped the recommendation after finding concerns when it researched potential connections to individuals who had enslaved people.
Parker said Old Bunn Road is named after Green Walker Bunn, a large local landowner. While Bunn didn’t have any enslaved people, she said the school site is near the Bennett Bunn Plantation, where there were enslaved people.
“I‘m not sure if you can tell one Bunn from another when it’s on the name of a school,” Parker told the committee. “But its proximity to a historic site that’s been recognized for the Bennett Bunn Plantation, it at a minimum could be confusing.”
The committee went with Little Creek because the stream is the nearest geographic feature to the school. A third option of East Zebulon Elementary was discarded.
The full board will vote on the school name on Feb. 18.
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Will Wake name a new school ‘Lizard Lick Elementary?’ Why some say it’s not a good idea."
