The district announced the name for the new school on social media earlier this month: Deer Creek High School. The school colors will be navy, silver and white. And on Tuesday, it shared the school’s mascot: the Riverhawks.
The news comes after the district rescinded an earlier decision to christen the school Iron Horse High, with the Thunder as the mascot.
That choice was not welcomed by the community. Over 700 residents signed a petition asking the district to conduct a new survey and stick with the winning option, saying they didn’t think the board’s selection represented what locals wanted.
In response, the district posted a new online survey and promised the results would be the final decision.
On Tuesday, the district shared the survey numbers that drove the name and mascot picks.
Just over half of the nearly 5,000 voters in the latest survey said Deer Creek was their favorite school name.
Heber Valley came in second, with 31% of votes. North Fields was third, with 11%, and Iron Horse trailed behind with a little under 8%.
A smaller number, around 2,500 people, voted in the mascot survey. The Riverhawks were the overwhelming favorite, with 44% of votes.
The Diamondbacks and the Broncos each got about 19% of the votes. The Yeti came in fourth with 14%, and the previous choice, the Thunder, received just 4%.
It’s been a long road to giving the new high school an identity.
A year ago, a naming committee asked the district to move forward with Deer Creek High. In June 2024, the newly named principal for the school, Justin Kelly, pitched the Bolts for the mascot.
The district hit pause just a few months later after community members protested those choices.
But locals didn’t like the next name choice, Iron Horse High School, either. Their protests prompted the latest round of surveys.
Superintendent Paul Sweat praised the board for listening to the community feedback.
“We feel good about this, and I commend the board, like others have – that they did listen to their constituents, and they did open this back up for a community vote,” he said. “I think this has turned out to be the right thing to do, and I think we’ve turned out with a great name and a great mascot for our new school.”
A link to watch Tuesday’s school board meeting is available on the district's YouTube page.
