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01/12/2021 02:19 PMGuilford Public Schools (GPS) is moving forward with the transition to the high school’s new mascot, the Grizzlies, with an unveiling of the logo and other branding planned for next month, including a cost estimate for the transition in this year’s budget.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Freeman said that the schools will fundraise to offset some of the expense of purchasing new athletic uniforms and re-painting the floor of the school gymnasium—the costliest parts of the transition.
Before any fundraising is factored in, however, Freeman said GPS is planning to spend between $150,000 and $175,000 to complete the change. Only a portion—probably less than half of that cost—will be in this year’s budget, he said.
After retiring the Indians mascot and moniker over the summer following on-and-off controversy that spanned decades, Guilford students voted for Grizzlies in December, choosing from a pared-down list of possibilities that were curated by a community panel and suggested by Guilford residents and school alumni.
Some rumors had spread on social media that the cost to change the mascot would be much higher, possibly in the millions. Freeman told the Courier that while there would be other “soft costs” associated with the transition, including removing other smaller examples of the old logo or updating the website, that approximately $175,000 was a good estimate of what it would take for the transition.
Additionally, the actual logo design work is being undertaken by Guilford artist Noemi Kearns on a volunteer basis and at no cost to the school system, according to Freeman.
Kearns, who will work with the schools on fundraising effort, also plans to visit Guilford classrooms after the project’s completion to share insights into the process and skills that go into this kind of design work, according to Freeman.
“Noemi has worked with us in the past,” Freeman said. “We’re very appreciative.”
Kearns worked on several school-related art and design projects in the past, according to Freeman, including the currently used logo, a large green “G” with feathers protruding from it.
Though there will be no vote or crowd-sourced decision around the new logo the way there was with the mascot, Kearns has asked Guilford students to send in their own concepts, sketches, or mock-ups of a logo to help her understand how they see the Grizzlies.
Freeman also said he understood that many families would have to spend money to update their own spirit wear—hoodies, hats, sweatpants, emblems, and other Guilford-branded items.
“We know that on the one hand, it will be exciting and fun, and on the other hand...we know that it will create an expense for the families as well. We’re hopeful that we can use some of those opportunities—those are exactly some of the fundraising opportunities.”
As far as a timeline, Freeman said he was “hopeful” that Guilford athletes would be wearing their new Grizzlies uniforms, playing on surfaces branded with the new logo, and cheered on by fans wearing Grizzlies spirit wear by the fall, though all of that depends on both COVID and future fundraising efforts.
It is unlikely all of those things will be ready for the winter sports season, whatever form that might take, which is currently projected to begin later this month.
“While we will be the Grizzlies, and we will not wear a uniform that has the name ‘Indians’ on it—that simply won’t happen—there might be some uniforms that have the residual ‘G’ with the feather on it until we replace those uniforms with proper Grizzlies branding,” Freeman said.
The Board of Education approved a new policy this past September that “prohibits any use or reference to a race or ethnic group as a school symbol.”
Because of the pandemic, there is unlikely to be any sort of big reveal or event next month when the Grizzlies logo is unveiled, according to Freeman, though he said a banner hung at the school might be possible.
Likely, a simple communication will go out to families and websites will be updated with some “splashy imagery,” he said, along with hopefully an opportunity to begin purchasing new Grizzlies gear.
An actual mascot—that is, a costumed student dancing and cheering during athletic events—is unlikely to debut even next fall, according to Freeman, though he said the schools would like to have that in the future.