BOUNTIFUL—What’s in a name? Apparently a lot. A survey to rename the Bountiful High mascot started with 20 possibilities that have been whittled down to four. 

“There are the Bears, Blazers/Trailblazers, Lightning/Bolts and Redhawkes,” said Principal Aaron Hogge. “It’s purely input, not a vote. The administration will decide. The survey went out several weeks ago. We wanted to get a feel for what the community is interested in.”

Administration started looking at the mascot after a former student raised concerns over the name. Hogge formed a committee to determine whether the mascot should be changed and held listening sessions for the public to weigh in. Ultimately, the decision was made to retire the Braves.

Hogge said the overall communication about the mascot has either been highly favorable or highly negative. “We get those regularly. I didn’t realize what a PR position this put me in. It shows how much the community is tied to a mascot.”

He said they examined each one and considered the aspect of the mascot in connection with the area. “Our goal was to make sure it relates to the community. We want students to feel like it’s something they can get behind. As we were looking at it we noticed that mascots are typically an animal or male, like Vikings, etc. We wondered, does it have to be that? We tried to be sensitive and inclusive. Not feminine, masculine but something for all races, colors, religions, gender – all together in purpose.”

The school colors of red and gray will remain, said Hogge. “The school song can stay the same too. At the end instead of shouting Braves they can shout the new name. We can retain the song and colors that we love and identify with.”

The new mascot will be unveiled with the logo in the coming weeks. “We wanted to do it all together,” said Hogge. “Then we’re planning a formal ‘Mascot Spectacular’ in early June. We’ll hold it in the football stadium and retire the old mascot and usher in the new mascot.”

This is a wonderful community, he said. “We’re better than a name. Regardless of the mascot we’ll continue to provide a great learning experience for parents, students and the community. Bountiful is just a great place.”