Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Public Schools is excited to announce that after 30-plus years, the WAO Ponies are getting a new look with a refreshed logo!
To continue the work associated with the district’s 2021 – 2026 Strategic Plan and the stakeholder public relations survey results, the School Board and administration are working with a professional graphic designer to produce a refreshed logo for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Public Schools.
At the March 3 School Board work session, administration introduced the idea of refreshing the logo in their presentation of results and recommendations from the recent stakeholder public relations survey. While a possible logo refresh was acknowledged as an unexpected change for the district, administration explained the work is supported by the current strategic plan’s goal to brand, market, and represent Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Public Schools in a positive way. Additionally, it would address ongoing issues with the current logo variations’ image quality, consistency of use, and ownership rights, which have collided with the district’s immediate construction needs.
“The WAO community is investing significantly to upgrade the district’s facilities. As part of these upgrades, the district has an opportunity to incorporate school spirit and visual pride as a standard inclusion in signage, furnishings, and surfaces,” explained Superintendent Bryan Hackbarth. “Utilizing a professional package of images, colors, and text will ensure that such additions to our school environment are positive, unified, and timeless,” he added.
At their monthly meeting on March 10, the School Board continued the conversation and decided to move forward with the logo refresh project, with the understanding that it would be a logo refresh, rather than drafting an entirely new logo design.
By doing a logo refresh, rather than a new logo, it keeps the foundational elements of the district’s identity (colors, mascot, and symbol), but gives the logo a professional makeover, creating visual unity between schools, programs, teams, and facilities. Thus, the school colors will remain as black, white, and orange, while the school mascot will continue to be the ponies. Additionally, the district’s refreshed logo design will retain one of the three most recognizable symbols currently in use – a pony, a horseshoe, or a combination of both.
The district is asking students (gr. 4 – 12), staff, and parents/guardians to share their preference for what symbol should be included in the refreshed logo. Ultimately, it will be at the discretion of the School Board to select the symbol to use within the refreshed design and approve and adopt the final logo package. Feedback will be shared with them for consideration prior to making a final decision in April. The final logo packaged is expected to be shared with the community in late April.
Those interested in additional information regarding the logo refresh project can visit https://www.wao.k12.mn.us/logorefresh or follow the district on Facebook or Instagram.
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