Trailside opened in 2001, but no official mascot or school colors were adopted.
“We've never had official colors, so people just choose colors. And so there was nothing ever consistent,” Principal Tracy Fike said. “We’re really trying to create, you know, a consistent logo, something we can be tied to.”
Now almost 25 years later, the school is adopting the elk as its mascot and red, white and black as its colors.
Fike said the elk was recommended as the mascot because it’s a familiar presence in the community — many mornings consist of chasing elk off the Trailside playground.
“We've become good elk herders,” she said. “It's really, actually fun when you're over there at recess and you look up and see them in the same spot and on the hill, they just chill right behind us. So we thought that would be just a nice tie for our students.”
Trailblazer used to be the unofficial mascot and Fike said the elk exemplifies a trailblazing spirit — strong, courageous and adventurous.
Red, white and black were chosen as the colors as they align with color schemes used by other schools in the district and have been used as the unofficial Trailside school colors.
The board of education unanimously approved the proposal at its June 17 meeting. To foster school spirit, students will be involved in a school-wide naming contest for the elk mascot.
