Sunday Deadline to Provide Input on New Taconic Mascot

PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Taconic High School community and the Pittsfield Public Schools are in the home stretch of the selection process for the new school graphic identity and mascot.

 

Collaboration between the community, students, teachers, faculty, staff, and alumni has resulted in the following three choices serving as finalists for the new Taconic brand and logo.: Taconic Thunder, Taconic Titans and Taconic Rockets

 

The final choices were selected as part of a three-round survey process.  

 

Close to 1,000 individuals participated in the first public survey. Working in collaboration with Heard Strategy, a marketing and communications agency offering pro bono rebranding services, the Taconic Rebranding Committee reviewed the more than 230 unique mascot suggestions that were submitted through Round 1.   

 

Based on Round 2 survey results and committee review, the Top 3 Contenders - Thunder, Titans, and Rockets - were selected as finalists for the future new Taconic brand and logo

 

With the goal of the final choice for the new Taconic graphic identity and mascot being revealed shortly, the public is again invited to weigh in on the final selection process.

 

The public survey link can be found here.

 

In August 2020, the Pittsfield Public Schools School Committee moved to respectfully retire the Taconic High School “Braves” mascot and moniker in an effort to change the nickname to one that does not reference Native American culture. 

 

The final round of the public survey process is currently open until March 6.

 

Participation by the community, students, teachers, faculty, staff, and alumni is strongly encouraged.

 

Final round survey results will be collected and reviewed by the Taconic Rebranding Committee, with an anticipated announcement in March 2022 regarding the selection of the next Taconic High School graphic identity and mascot.  

 

Survey results will be accepted, and reviewed, from several categories of groups - which include: general public/community members/alumni; current Taconic High School students/staff; Reid Middle School students/staff; Capeless, Conte, Crosby, Morningside Elementary Schools students/staff.

 

The Top 3 contenders were selected as finalists for the future Taconic brand and logo based on previous community input, data, and committee review.  

 

The three finalists include:

 

Taconic Thunder

Brand Attributes: Strong, energy, large, swift, confident, understanding, active, directional, courage, grandeur, majesty. Representative of Taconic pride and school culture. Graphic Attributes: Typically graphically-based storm clouds or lightning as an identifier.  

 

Taconic Titans

Brand Attributes: Wisdom, power, strength, freedom, independence, reflection, solidarity, rogue, mysterious, kind, all-knowing. Representative of Taconic pride and school culture. Graphic Attributes: Typically graphically-based knights, Spartans, or Greek Gods an identifier.

 

Taconic Rockets

Brand Attributes: Aspirational, upward, mobile, power, educated, adventurous, strength, freedom, inspirational, independence, directional.  Representative of Pittsfield native and Taconic alumna Astronaut Stephanie Wilson. Graphic Attributes: Typically graphically-based rockets or spacecraft as an identifier.