School Board Approves North Fulton STEM Campus Name

ALPHARETTA, GA — The Fulton County School Board has approved the name of its North Fulton STEM campus that will open next year in Alpharetta.

Innovation Academy is currently under construction at the former Milton High School campus. The name was chosen after board members constituted a naming committee to help with the process. This group met three times to discuss a name and put forth two for consideration: Eagle Innovation Academy and Eagle Academy.

Board members directed staff to conduct a survey of student leaders at all middle and high schools in North Fulton County to get their feedback on the two names. According to the school board's agenda documents, neither option got a majority of positive feedback from students.

"However, many of the students’ written suggestions did reflect the preference that the name reflect the nature of the school concept," school system staff noted.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here)

School board members in June awarded a $57.8 million construction contract to Barton Malow to build the new school near downtown Alpharetta. Crews demolished the old high school building and began constructing the new structure, which is expected to open in fall 2020.

Hallmarks of the school include an integrated curriculum, a focus on Technology and Health Science, and an emphasis on design thinking. Design thinking is a problem-solving process that combines creative and analytical approaches that require the integration of knowledge and skills across multiple disciplines. Partnerships with STEM-focused corporations also will contribute significantly through their impact with students, teachers, and the facility.

The school will open with an incoming class of 400 freshmen scholars and will grow to a total capacity of 1,500 students as new grade levels are added. More details, including the application process, will be available this fall on the Fulton County Schools website.

Image via Shutterstock