The times are changing, and so is the mascot at Flintridge Preparatory School.
A school community-wide email sent by Prep Headmaster Peter Bachmann announced that the new mascot, the Wolves, will replace the Rebels starting July 1.
The decision to change mascots was made as a board resolution in January, and was the culmination of what the email said were “many meaningful and spirited discussions across campus over several years.” The process included the appointment of a multi-constituency mascot committee and a board oversight committee.
“We have recognized the controversial nature of our former mascot and have sought an adequate solution for years,” said Nicole Trevor, Prep’s director of communications. “It is worth noting that in 2014, the school also considered changing the mascot completely, but ultimately the school decided to rebrand instead.”
The final announcement regarding the mascot change had been planned for the end of March, but the coronavirus pandemic and resulting school closures overtook that release, she noted.
Since discussions began to change the mascot, other nominated possibilities have included the Lions, the Bears, the Mavericks and the school’s first recorded mascot after its founding in 1933, the Highlanders. It was during the 1970s that a group of students adopted the Rebels as the mascot, which at the time was interpreted as a reference to the counterculture being experienced throughout much of Southern California. However, the school recognized that the imagery and the name later became problematic.
In his most recent email to the Prep community earlier this week, Bachmann said work will begin this fall to create new imagery for the Wolves, a mascot chosen, in part, because it “best captures Prep’s balance between individuality and community: ‘The Wolf strengthened by a Wolf Pack.’”
“We cannot discuss our new mascot without acknowledging the fact that for many people in our community, the Rebel caused discomfort and pain and was a barrier to inclusion in the Prep community,” Bachmann wrote. “To all who have been hurt by the Rebels, we have heard you and we are sorry. We hope the Wolves become a fresh symbol of unity for our school, where all feel safe and welcome, where all are heard and respected, and where all have equal space in the Prep family.”
Flintridge Prep Introduces New Mascot: the Wolves
