Loveland High School and Bill Reed Middle School pick wolves as new mascots
Both Loveland High School and Bill Reed Middle School have chosen wolves as their new mascots.
After a public process that included input from 700 residents at the middle school and 2,100 at the high school level, the new mascots are the Loveland High School Red Wolves and the Bill Reed Wolfpack. The school principals revealed the mascots at the school board meeting Wednesday.
“Wolves are the ultimate family, and I think about all of the people in the community that have been passionate about this,” said Todd Ball, principal of Loveland High School.
“We support each other, and we’re fierce, and we achieve things by supporting everybody in the pack,” Ball said.
Arnold Jahnke, middle school principal, also said family, perseverance and teamwork are important qualities for students and staff, qualities that are clearly represented by wolves. “We are fiercely committed much like a wolf pack,” said Jahnke, who also unveiled some initial drawings of what the Wolfpack mascot may like when it is completed.
The Thompson School District Board of Education decided in August to retire Native American mascots for both Loveland High and Bill Reed Middle School, saying they promote racism and instructing the school principals to work with students, staff and alumni to choose a new mascot for each school.
The decision led to debate in the community, with passionate arguments on both sides of the issue. Some describe the Indian and Warrior mascots as racist and offensive and others say they are steeped in pride and tradition.
An initial round of surveys led to three finalists for the middle school mascot and five for the high school. After a second round of surveys, mascot committees at each school chose the new monikers based on the data and input from those surveys.
At the middle school, about 700 students, parents and staff members offered input on the three finalists for the mascot — redwinged blackbirds, black bears and wolf pack. Most of the responses, 65%, were from students with 20% from parents and 15% from staff.
At the high school, an 11member committee that crossed several groups including students, staff and alumni, went through 2,100 unduplicated votes and comments on five possibilities — the red wolves, bison, legends, mountaineers and phoenix. Red wolves, percentage- wise, “came out by far the top,” Ball said.
While the two schools had separate surveys and community engagement processes, the top ranking mascots were aligned, not by design but by the result of community input. Ball said he was pleased by the connection because the two schools have been linked throughout history.
“There’s always been something special between the two oldest secondary schools in the district,” Ball said.