Officials at Shawnee Mission North High School unveiled the school’s new Bison logo to the board of education on Monday evening.
After a petition led by former students to change the school’s longtime Indian mascot, the board of education approved the district’s mascot policy update, prompting several schools – including SM North – to change the mascots referring to the Amerindians.
Shortly after the abandonment of the old mascot, SM North embarked on a multi-month process of collecting community feedback and choosing a new one. The school finally settled on the Bison.
Since the change of mascot, the school has been working hard to update its facilities, team uniforms and signage, as well as the design of a real logo.
Director David Ewers said DLR Group, the design company, made sure the process ran smoothly and took into account feedback – and several revisions.
Students, construction leadership and a site legal advisor all provided feedback on the logo, he said.
“At the end of the day, we felt that the logo and the brand we’re going to be with is going to be a very iconic brand, something synonymous with Shawnee Mission North and successful for years,†Ewers said.
Below is a preview of the final logo that SM North tweeted on Tuesday:
Here’s a better look at our new Bison logo! pic.twitter.com/kJJsD5OKLd
– SM Nord HS (@SM_NORTH_HS) September 28, 2021
SM North is still in a period of transition for the 2021-22 school year as it strives to replace signage and logos that depict the old mascot or the Indian name with the new Bison mascot.
Ewers previously told the Post that the public can still expect to see the two mascots used in some instances until the end of this academic year.
However, the Bison mascot is already making an appearance in the school.
SM North gymnastics uniforms have moved to Bison. And the paint on the ground of the school grounds also reflects the new name.
The current bison mascot also made an appearance at an SM North cheer rally this week:
Presentation of the bison! @SMNPepClub pic.twitter.com/0hSTJEQiH8
– SM Nord HS (@SM_NORTH_HS) September 28, 2021
Samantha Morinville, president of the SM North terminal class, said she and her classmates appreciated and appreciated being able to provide constructive criticism of the logo.
“I’m really, really happy to finally have this logo and finally have it on a t-shirt so that we can start selling and buying them,” Morinville told the board of education. “I know the northern community will love it too.”
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