In accordance with the Branson “A Look Ahead. A Purpose Beyond Strategic Plan,” the school revealed on Oct. 1 its new school and athletics logo to the community, which would replace a logo that has remained been around for the last few decades.

Jenni Owen-Blackmon, Branson’s director of communications and marketing, took over the rebranding project already in progress, working with many community members, teachers, administrators and graphic designers to create Branson’s new logo for the next 100 years.

“We’ve been around 100 years, it’s been an amazing history, we are now in our second hundred years and that’s a really exciting time to bring the look of the school up to date right now and to have a look that will go on into the future,” Owen-Blackmon said.

Sabrina Wilson, the junior dean and Spanish teacher of 15 years has an open mind to the changes.

“The school in the past several years has been opening up in a lot of ways, in terms of admissions and really trying to have a varied and diverse population and I think that the logo speaks to that,” she said.

However, according to a school-wide poll sent out on Oct, 8, Branson’s opinions are varied. Out of the 125 people who responded to the survey, 27 percent of the community like the new Branson school logo while 57 percent dislike it, the rest being indecisive or without an opinion. The Branson athletics logo fares at a higher rate at 48 percent of people who took the survey liking it.

One example of a Branson student not liking the new logo is sophomore Hayley Yoslov.

“The original logo showed the unique side of Branson that comes with all its rich history. It was a literal home to so many people and still is. The new logo feels sterile, unrepresentative of our school, unwelcoming and like it belongs on a corporation,” she wrote in the survey.

According to Veronica Bosque, director of athletics, the previous Branson athletics logo had been a clip art copied off from the Chicago Bulls and altered to the school’s colors.

“We really wanted something that was ours, iconic in the sense that if you saw it somewhere you would say, ‘Hey, that’s Branson!’” Bosque said.

While Branson’s faculty and staff generally have a more open-minded approach toward the sudden logo change, the Branson student body is more split.

Serafina Carlucci, a senior, embraces the moderness of the new logo.

“The new logo is certainly different, and it has a more modern feel that pertains more to the 21st century. I like how all the athletic uniforms will be united with one central logo. The interpretations of the “N” and the “A” feels very true to Branson and our learning philosophy,” she wrote in an email.

After being asked why the student body might have such split opinions, Head of School Chris Mazzola said, “Change is hard, right? We like what we’re used to but I think in time we’ll like this one. But it doesn’t surprise me that people don’t like it.”

This story has been updated with a clarification about Owen-Blackmon’s role and the history of the current logo.