The Griffin Spalding Alternative School not only changed its location recently. As of Tuesday, it also has a new name.

The Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education at its regular meeting unanimously approved for the school, which has moved from Experiment Street to the former Taylor Street Middle School site, to be named Taylor Street Achievement Center with the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.

“We have a renewed sense of excitement,” said the school’s principal Janet Ware.

After collecting recommendations from faculty, Ware said there was a tie between Taylor Street Achievement Academy and Taylor Street Achievement Center. The tie was eventually broken by two teachers in favor of the latter.

“This was truly a collaborative effort,” Ware said, adding that the staff appreciated being given a voice in the process.

The decision on center, as opposed to academy, brings two benefits, according to Ware. First, she said, it is the general opinion of those involved in the process that the word academy is, at times, overused. And second, the move allows A.Z. Kelsey Academy its unique distinction.

The school’s name was changed, in part, because the word alternative as a name may have a negative connotation to some, and Ware said that leaving this name at the former location seems to have had a positive impact on the staff’s attitude and outlook.