State College Area school board hears plan to drop ‘Little’ from Lions
State College, Pa. — A State College Area School District committee asked the school board Monday, Nov. 2, for its “blessing” to drop “Little” from the district’s Little Lions name, adopt the motto “Honor the Pride,” and hold a design contest for a new logo. The board took no vote as the presentation was an information item. Jonathan Bucher, assistant superintendent of secondary education, presented the committee’s plan, which would keep the district’s maroon and gray colors and its eight elementary school mascots. A student and community artwork contest would produce finalists that the committee would bring to the board “for final approval,” according to the presentation. No contest timeline was given. The current logo was created in 1985 by a student, and the district has no comprehensive guide to its approved markings, fonts and colors, the committee said. A survey drew about 600 responses, and students told the committee they do not like being called little, according to the presentation. “Honor the Pride” would possibly replace the motto “We Are the Future,” and a new lion design must avoid “visual confusion with the Nittany Lion,” the committee said. Members debated an African lion versus a mountain lion. The committee
