West Field HS mascot, colors not likely to change, despite criticism
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- This aerial photo shows the land where a new Weber School District high school, West Field High School, will take shape in western Weber County. The image is a screengrab from a district video posted Thursday, April 14, 2022, after the school’s name was publicly unveiled.
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- This aerial photo shows the land where a new Weber School District high school, West Field High School, will take shape in western Weber County. The image is a screengrab from a district video posted Thursday, April 14, 2022, after the school’s name was publicly unveiled.
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- A mockup created by Coleman Knitting of a possible logo for the new West Field High School in Taylor.
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- A mockup of a proposed mascot, the Ducks, for the new Weber School District high school taking shape in western Weber County. District officials announced on April 14, 2022, that the new school will be named West Field High School and the its mascot would be the Longhorns, not the Ducks, another option that was considered.
Almost as soon as Weber School District officials announced the name of the system’s new high school and the new school’s mascot and colors, the comments — and plenty of carping — commenced.
Maybe it goes with the turf.
People can feel pretty territorial and protective when it comes to schools, particularly high schools. School reps revealed last Thursday that the name of the new western Weber County school, to be completed in 2024, will be West Field High School. Its mascot will be the Longhorns — a nod to the agrarian roots of the area — and the school’s primary colors will be burnt orange and white.
“Super lame,” wrote one critic in response to a Weber School District Facebook post on the matter. “Only know of one person who has longhorns in Taylor and they don’t have that many.”
Still, others defended the pick. “I love the name, the mascot and yes, the school colors! I think they’ll look really sharp!” wrote another Facebook poster.
Beyond all that, Lane Findlay, the district spokesperson, said there’s no backtracking at this point. The naming process, he noted, took three months and included students, the general public and school officials.
“I don’t think there would ever be one selection that would please everyone,” he added.
The new school near West Haven in the Taylor area — to be built with funds from a bond issue approved by voters last year — is meant to address growth in the district, drawing from areas that now feed into Roy and Fremont high schools. Dirt is moving at the undeveloped site off the northwest corner of 4300 West and 2200 South and contractors had been pressing for the school’s name, colors and mascot since they may be incorporated into the facility, which has an estimated $157 million price tag.
Even so, some hope the calls for a different pick gain traction, including Brenda Forgacs. She’s from the West Haven area and took part in a survey on the naming efforts as part of the district’s outreach efforts, along with her two kids, who would attend the new school.
Forgacs said that the selection of Longhorns as the school mascot wasn’t her biggest concern, though she noted another option, the Ducks, with a measure of fondness in a Facebook post on the matter. Rather, she’s not a fan of the school name, West Field High School, which draws from the name of the area given by early settlers in the mid-1800s. She’s also not thrilled with the color scheme, which will also include silver and black as accents.
“I don’t think I can sue or something,” she said in a message to the Standard-Examiner. “But was hoping that if enough of the public was upset about it, that the district would do something about it.”
Her Facebook post — which included a proposed Ducks logo — garnered a lot of attention, like the Weber School District post.
West Field is “a horrible name. Why not West Haven High or Taylor High?” wrote one poster in the feed. “Who cares it used to be called West Field 100+ years ago. They got rid of that horrible name for a reason. No need to bring it back.”
Whatever the case, not all of the comments were negative. Some expressed support for the new name, mascot and colors while others noted there are larger issues in the world.
“Names of the schools, colors and mascot in the scheme of things happening in the world is very small,” wrote another poster, noting, perhaps, the larger issue — that kids living in the area will get a new school, requiring less travel for many students. “Think of all the children and parents that will never have new schools, running water or many things we all take for granted.”
Site work has started at the new high school location, on what was wide-open farmland, according to Findlay. When the facility is done, it will be the first new high school in the district since Fremont High School opened in 1994.
Meantime, the name game isn’t over. School officials will be launching initiatives to come up with names, colors and mascots for a new junior high school and elementary school, both to be located in West Haven.
The $279 million bond issue approved last year also included funding for those two schools, also to open for the 2024-2025 school year.