What does it mean to be a Red Raider? Bellefonte to conduct survey for rebranding efforts
As Bellefonte Area School District continues to work toward rebranding its name and image, a survey to gauge community identity will be next.
During a school board meeting Tuesday, the board heard a preliminary presentation via Zoom from Colorado-based identity expert John Jenson, who is consulting the district on the “Red Raider” identity and image.
The district reinstated the Red Raider logo and moniker after a Jan. 11 board meeting, which rescinded previous motions to remove Native American imagery and the use of the word “red.”
According to his website, Jenson’s clients have included Verizon, Target and Jostens, one of the largest school memorabilia companies. Jenson also spoke about his experiences with districts across the country, including those removing Native American imagery from their branding or fighting to keep it.
Jenson was referred to the board by Jostens, and there is no consultation fee for the district, Jon Guizar, vice president of the board and chair of the branding committee, said.
“Whenever there is a school that’s got some questions about identity, or it’s going through something that really has a sensitive mark, which I think is consistent with what you’re doing, I can come in and help facilitate this process from start to finish,” Jenson said.
Jenson’s identity survey is based on four questions:
What does it mean to be a Red Raider?
What are the attributes or characteristics of a raider that you think should be embodied by everyone involved?
If you were to use one word to describe the culture of the school right now what would you choose?
If you could choose one word that you wish to describe the culture of the school, what would you choose?
The questions will be evaluated and possibly edited by the branding committee at their next meeting before the survey, Guizar said. The survey is not intended to be a vote but meant to help understand the district’s values and identity.
“We are who we are,” Guizar said. “His job is to really uncover the truth.”
Anyone with ties to the district or Bellefonte community will be invited to fill out the survey once it’s available and responses will be anonymous and managed solely by Jenson. Survey distribution will be decided on at the next branding committee meeting.
“Seven hundred and twenty days, that is the amount of time between orientation and graduation in high school,” Jenson said. “Between that 720 days, you have to create a mentality in these kids that gets them ready for what’s next in their life.”
Several board members said they read Jenson’s book, “True Identity: How Schools and Their Leaders Make Their Mark,” about school branding and the process. One point several members brought up was Jenson’s open-ended approach to building a school’s identity.
“Nothing is off-limits, so it doesn’t limit the community in their responses, or automatically eliminate things from the get go,” board member Andrea Royer said during the meeting.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.