Board gives green light to new ‘O’ lion mark for OHS day; communications and brand guidelines to follow

Trustees gave a preliminary green light to a new district mark — an “O” containing an abstract lion design — after a mascot workshop that included students, staff and a designer.

Trustees heard a presentation that reviewed three design options and student feedback. Miss Lynn, who led the design work, and students from Roosevelt and the high school described how the mark could be adapted for athletics and for younger grades while retaining a single, unifying district symbol. Trustees and administrators emphasized that early use should be tightly controlled to avoid mixed or unauthorized applications.

Nut graf: The board approved limited, immediate use of the selected mark — principally a single ‘O’ with a lion image — for OHS Day senior items and asked communications staff to draft brand guidelines that specify acceptable and prohibited uses. Trustees said they expect the communications committee and legal counsel to advise on trademark and licensing considerations before broader rollout.

Trustees stressed guardrails. Trustees asked for a concise set of do’s and don’ts to be prepared before wider replication. One trustee recommended a policy that would require approval for any group using district images; another said trademark registration could be considered later to protect the district mark from external, unauthorized commercial use.

Ending: Administration and the communications committee will prepare visual-brand guidelines and an accompanying policy for board review; the district will permit limited production for OHS Day (senior items) subject to those guardrails.