Hays USD 489

Staff from Hays High School premiered the new Hays High School logo at the USD 489 board meeting on Monday.

The new logo includes an H and an arrowhead.

Heath Meder, HHS art teacher, developed the new logo with the help of a committee that was made up of teachers, administrators and coaches.

The logo and the accompanying font are original.

"This is 100 percent Hays and USD 489," Meder said.

Earlier this year district officials met with community members to discuss the logo for the new high school. A committee assigned to debate the Native American logo decided to keep the Indian mascot, keep the same school colors, but no longer use a person's image as a logo.

"After this evening, the whole community will have a brand and logo  and be able to say, 'Yes, that is Hays High," Shawn Henderson, HHS principal, said.

A secondary logo will be the arrowhead by itself. The arrowhead is unique to the Hays High and includes a small H in the head of the arrow.

"It's crisp, clean and modern, but some of the talk is its classic. It all works together," Meder said.

The new logo and font will go into effect immediately. A new style sheet will be sent to community partners and media outlets. The logos will be provided free of charge. The style sheet will be made available on the district website.

"You have a lot of options. You have to start with that piece of paper, bring a level of organization, rally together and put it wherever our people are," Henderson said.

Henderson said the new logo will be transitioned in terms of uniforms or other existing materials in the interest of fiscal responsibility.

Any new uniforms or materials will display the new logo.