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Massena school board approves plan to give clubs, teams limited leeway to customize new logo

Posted 8/17/18

By ANDY GARDNER MASSENA -- The Board of Education on Thursday night approved a revised plan that allows sports teams and student organizations to customize the new Spartan logo to their activity. …

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Massena school board approves plan to give clubs, teams limited leeway to customize new logo

Posted

By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Board of Education on Thursday night approved a revised plan that allows sports teams and student organizations to customize the new Spartan logo to their activity.

Rebekah Grim from BOCES, who works on public relations for the Massena school district, presented the new branding plan after a varsity hockey coach voiced objections last month to the previous more conservative version.

There are several pre-approved variations, but teams or clubs can make their own versions and submit them to Grim or Athletic Director Gavin Regan for approval.

"Those variations will help the students identify with their club or program, whether it's thespians, or band, or Mohawk Club, if they choose to,” varsity hockey coach Mike Trimboli said at the meeting. Trimboli, a member of the committee that came up with the new mascot, had objected last month to the original plan. "We talked about it (branding plan) being a living-type document. If it evolves ... it's something that can be revisited at some point in time, down the road," Trimboli said.

He said the response to the new mascot he has heard from the school and larger Massena community has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

Board President Pat Bronchetti said he was concerned the new plan to allow customization could lead to controversy down the road.

"I like the idea ... I'm worried a can of worms is opened and something controversial gets put in our logo,” he said.

"I totally appreciate that. That's why we put some safeguards ... it's got to go through Rebekah and I. We're not going to let something offensive, if I think it's anywhere near offensive,” Regan said. "We have some major people that do this for a living in our area and the county. We're going to give them our branding plan.

"We don't have total control because the way it is now, if you have a computer you can do anything you want … I think we'll be good," he said.

The guidelines also come with two-color variations of the red, blue, sliver, gray and white Spartan logo that can be used for embroidery.

"Screen printing is never the issue. Embroidery is the issue,” Trimboli said. "It’s hard to stitch it. It all kind of blends together.

"When it comes down to businesses, it gives them some leeway with embroidery,” he said.