BOUNTIFUL—After 70 years as the Bountiful Braves, starting in the 2021/2022 school year, they’ll be known as the Redhawks. Principal Aaron Hogge unveiled the new mascot and logo last Friday. 

“The Redhawk is a majestic bird that has keen eyesight and powerful talons,” Hogge said. “We love the symbolism it represents. Our goal was to create a mascot and logo that would encourage unity in the community. Something they could feel wonderful about and rally around.”

The process to determine if a mascot change was warranted started in August, said Chris Williams, Director of Communication & Operations for the Davis School District. “There’s been a movement for years to replace the Native American mascots in universities and high schools. The first thing Principal Hogge did when he came here was to move away from the depiction and logo and use the block letter B with a feature as the logo.”

A 25 member committee was formed to research the issue, he said. “It was made up of parents, students, faculty, district officials, the Northwest band of the Shoshone Nation and a professor over Indian Education from the State Board of Education.”

The committee also held two listening sessions that were open to the public to share their thoughts, Williams said. “Thirty-five individuals shared their thoughts and another 38 left comments after. The committee also reviewed hundreds of emails from alumni and current students.”

“In many ways the process has seemed long and short,” said Hogge. “It seems like just yesterday we were first discussing it. I’m excited we are at this point.”

Hogge said the colors and school song will stay the same. “We’ll officially begin the rebranding of the school after this year’s seniors graduate.”

It’s been an atypical year for students, he said. “COVID is ruling their world. We’ve only had a few fans in the stands that gives us the sense of unifying in clubs and teams that keep us unified as a school. With COVID we’ve been lacking that.”

The Redhawk has defining aspects that can be incorporated into our students’ lives, Hogge said. “The Brave has been a great way to do that but the Redhawk has different characteristics we can emphasize, I’m excited about that.”

AlphaGraphics created the logo design, he said. “I wanted to take the natural looking hawk that was stern, pensive and majestic looking. They did a great job. It’s still in the works.”

Each part of the new logo represents something that ties into the school, Hogge said. “The font in the word Redhawks reflects the talon and the B on the mountain is highlighted on this logo with an actual silhouette of the mountains above Bountiful High.”

Uniforms and signage won’t change immediately. “We’ve committed to the students that we are the Bountiful Braves until the end of the year,” he said. “Fully rebranding takes time. We’re not in a rush.”

Hogge said it’s been a wonderful process. “Even those folks that it was not their choice to change have been respectful and supportive and I appreciate that. Our hope is to unify not push away. It’s not meant to polarize. We’re one community.”