Thurgood Marshall was the first thing that came to mind when we heard Bend’s Marshall High School might be renamed by the school district.

If the school was named after the first Black member of the U.S. Supreme Court, there’s no way the name should be changing. But the district told us it was not named for the civil rights leader. It was apparently named for Marshall Avenue, which is nearby and which may in turn have been named for John Marshall, also a Supreme Court Justice.

So if the district wants to change the name, we are not troubled. There are good reasons.

For years now people in the district have been calling it Bend Tech Academy at Marshall High School. Why add the “at Marshall High School”? Bend Tech Academy is what it is.

The school offers career and technical education and college readiness. On a tour several years ago, we saw instruction in health fields, robotics, construction and marketing. The learning approach was hands on, which keeps some students better engaged. Class sizes are also small. Getting admitted is through a lottery.

There’s also been concern that Marshall High School has a negative connotation in the community – “that’s where the bad kids go” or something like that. It does have an official designation with the Oregon Department of Education as a place for alternative education. And the school is not really that. It hasn’t been that for years. It is Bend Tech Academy. Call it Bend Tech Academy.

The school board is scheduled to vote on the name change and to remove the alternative education label on Tuesday.