BELLEFONTE — The Bellefonte Area School District Board of Directors heard from identity consultant John Jenson on March 15. Jenson will be helping the district as it moves to rebrand itself following the controversy over the term “Red Raider” and the images associated with the school’s mascot and logo.
The first step will be through a community-wide survey concerning the identity of the district.
The meeting came a little over two months after the board voted to reinstate the term “Red Raider” and Native American imagery associated with it less than a year after the previous board voted to drop the imagery and the word “red” from the district’s official nickname.
The issue has been a hot topic in the Victorian town after a group of community members pushed the board to change the name that they considered to be insensitive to Native Americans in the wake of the nationwide protests about racial injustice in 2020.
Prior to that, the district had been slowly phasing out the Native American imagery, making it the district’s secondary logo in 2015.
After, reinstating “Red Raider” and the imagery in January, the district created a branding committee to “engage all stakeholders and provide feedback and recommendation to the district in pursuit of trademarks and a complete branding guide. More specifically, to make recommendation to the board on a district logo, moniker, artwork and color schemes that will eventually be incorporated into a district branding guide.”
Jenson is an independent consultant for yearbook and class ring business Jostens, which referred him to the district. Fees for his services will be covered by Jostens and the district will receive no invoice, said Jenson. Other clients listed on Jenson’s website include Target, Verizon and Voya Pharmaceuticals. He said he has helped many school districts in similar situations as Bellefonte.
“Whenever there is a school that’s got some questions about identity, or it’s going through something that really has a sensitive mark, which I think is consistent with what you’re doing, I can come in and help facilitate this process from start to finish,” Jenson said. “What I really wanted to do tonight is get you feeling confident that there is an outside resource who will help you through this, which is something that can be very emotional in the community.
“Isn’t that what you want for your high school, for Bellefonte? To create a place that has such meaning to it that gets these kids ready for the next step of their lives,” said Jenson.
Jenson’s identity survey will include four questions: What does it meant to be a Red Raider? What are the attributes or characteristics of a raider that you think should be embodied by everyone involved? If you were to use one word to describe the culture of the school right now, what would you choose? And, if you could choose one word that you wish to describe the culture of the school, what would you choose?
The branding committee might choose to tweak some of the questions in the survey. Once it is ready to send out, all community members with ties to the district will be invited to fill out the document. Responses will be anonymously sent to Jenson, who will review them independently.
“I don’t know where this is gong to end up, but I do know that we are going to get the data. I am going to keep you fully informed. I am not on anyone’s side. I just want to do something where somebody says that is pretty good,” said Jenson.
Board Vice Chair Jon Guizar, who also serves as chair of the branding committee, said the group will review the questions and will work with the district on how and when the survey will be distributed.
“Hopefully, people take it as an honest chance to say what is on their mind,” said Guizar.
Board President Jeff Stiener thanked the committee for bringing Jenson to the table and said, “I don’t think we need to be in any kind of big hurry about all of this. We can just take our time. We don’t have to force anything; we don’t have to demand an outcome. Just go through it and if that thing comes to us that everyone can unite around, then it comes to us. But, we are not going to force the issue.”
