Will a new Wake school be named Lizard Lick? Here’s why the decision is on hold
The Wake County school board is holding off on naming a new school in eastern Wake County due to an error on a survey asking for the public’s preferred name.
Wake is considering three names for a new elementary school that will be built in the Lizard Lick community: Lizard Lick, Fall Branch or Marshburn Road
But the board postponed the decision on Tuesday because a community survey mistakenly included a fourth option — North Wendell — that went on to be the top-ranked choice.
North Wendell wasn’t going to be an option because the district tends to avoid using town names in schools.
The board will resurvey the community, minus North Wendell. A vote could come March 4.
”I just want to apologize to the public we sent it to for the mistake,” said board member Sam Hershey, who chairs the facilities committee that requested the survey. “I think we have to own it that we didn’t intend to have North Wendell on there.”
The board agreed Tuesday to name a new school in the Zebulon area Little Branch Elementary.
Support for Lizard Lick
Lizard Lick is an unincorporated community near Wendell that was founded in the 1700s. The school will be at the intersection of Marshburn Road, Lizard Lick Road and N.C. 97
During a school board committee discussion last week, school administrators had recommended going with Lizard Lick Elementary.
But some board members raised concerns that the name is too closely connected to “Lizard Lick Towing,” a reality TV show that aired on TruTv from 2011 to 2014. The show followed the adventures of Ronnie Shirley and his wife, Amy, who own a towing and repossession business. Lizard Lick Towing, the business, is still operating.
The committee asked for public feedback on the naming options. Fall Branch was proposed because it’s the nearest geographic feature to the school. Marshburn Road was suggested because it’s likely how the school will be accessed. Then there was the fourth option of North Wendell, which was ultimately ruled out.
In the survey, North Wendell received 39% of the vote, followed by Lizard Lick with 28%, Marshburn with 23% and Fall Branch with 11%.
The board deferred to board member Cheryl Caulfield, whose district includes the new school, for her thoughts on the matter.
Caulfield asked for more time to do a second survey. But she said people like Lizard Lick as the name, including using a lizard as the school mascot.
“Being in such a small charming little town, they do really hold a lot of value in their history, especially from the people who’ve been there a long time,” Caulfield said.
This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Will a new Wake school be named Lizard Lick? Here’s why the decision is on hold."
