The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District has agreed on a new brand that incorporates roots growing upward from what can be noticed as a ebook, or a valley, with a start date established to coincide with the new university 12 months.
The present-day emblem depicting Christopher Columbus’ flagship the Santa Maria came beneath scrutiny in 2021, when Santa Maria resident and Hancock college member Scott Fina urged the district — alongside with the City Council — to alter its logo. He argued that Columbus’ record of genocide from Indigenous peoples does not represent the district’s values.
The district voted to employ Zeste Consulting to generate a new logo in January, and permitted a deal for up to $75,000 for the get the job done.
Throughout the board’s June 7 assembly, Zeste founder Michellene DeBonis presented the new emblem and manufacturer guarantee to the board. Through her presentation, DeBonis also talked over the do the job the business has carried out in excess of the previous several months interviewing college students, parents and team to better understand the district.
“Through a process involving a fantastic offer of rigor and investigation and obtaining to know you, we are engaged in uncovering what will make this district exceptional and displaying it with a new model,” DeBonis informed the board.
Above the last couple months, her crew has executed web-site visits of faculties, finished one particular-on-ones with academics and directors, as properly as college student target groups, between other efforts. Zeste been given opinions from 318 learners, 431 mom and dad and 232 employees associates in the course of the procedure, DeBonis explained.
“We regularly listened to this is a restricted knit group with deeply embedded values and traditions where all people is connected in some way,” claimed DeBonis. “‘Our roots run deep’ is a phrase I listened to from at least 12 diverse persons while touring.”
DeBonis famous that through their analysis, quite a few persons celebrated the district’s variety.
Quoting a mother or father survey note, she said, “Embracing one’s culture, heritage and traditions improves one’s staying. Offering them purpose and rationale makes it possible for a lot more doorways to open up in leadership and in our society as a total. Our youth can make those bridges and break people cultural obstacles.”
Finally, DeBonis and her staff concentrated on progress as a distinguishing characteristic of Santa Maria and its substantial school district. The team’s proposed brand name guarantee, “Where greatness grows,” accompanies the symbol of roots extending upward from what can be believed of as a ebook or a valley.
“Growth in Santa Maria has been a topic considering the fact that the location was initial settled, and expansion will continue on to set a strain on your faculties and assets, demanding you to maintain up,” reported DeBonis. “Yet expansion is what has fueled your varied natural environment and wealthy society. It has also enabled you to provide a broad selection of prospects to your college students that would not be possible devoid of your scale.”
Upon the completion of the presentation, the board gave DeBonis and Zeste largely positive feedback.
“There’s so considerably that it represents in just our local community, and I consider it definitely matches with our population and with what we’re about it’s a beneficial information,” reported board member Amy Lopez. “We are not the district in the future city, we are not the district in Northern California or South LA. We are the Santa Maria Valley and using that really deeply into thought is what I appreciated most. Getting born here – currently being elevated in this group – I thank you for that.”
The board unanimously voted to approve the design based on the presentation. Even so, tweaks and refinements could potentially be designed as the district and Zeste operate to get ready for the logo’s start this fall.