Schools

New Gator Logo Soon to be Unveiled for Crystal Lake South

The Crystal Lake high school held a Gator Logo Design Contest after being asked to stop using its current logo by the University of Florida.

Crystal Lake South High School may soon have a new logo to represent its “Gator” mascot.

In an effort to replace the existing Gator head logo after University of Florida officials claimed the design was theirs, the school held a logo design contest.

Entries were due March 1. The contest was open to students, staff, alumni and the community.

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After pouring over submissions, Jeff Puma, Community High School District 155 spokesman, said Crystal Lake South High School may have its winner.

But before making any final decisions and formally revealing the new logo, the district is checking to make sure the logo doesn’t resemble any other school design.

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“We are in the vetting process right now to make sure the logo that seems to be the winner is ours,” Puma said. “We are hoping to unveil the new logo in conjunction with the (District 155) April 19 board of education meeting.”

That meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at l, 2208 Three Oaks Road, in Cary.

University of Florida: South Can Keep Mascot

Crystal Lake South High School has used its Gator head design for years.

District 155 officials said they received verbal permission from the University of Florida to continue using the image as the mascot, and for other purposes, Puma said.

But in October 2010, the University of Florida’s brand licensing company, Collegiate Licensing Company, sent a letter to high school Principal Marsha Potthoff which stated the gator head too closely resembled the one used by the university.

The licensing company also contacted several other schools across the country asking them to phase out similar designs, university officials said. For more on this story, visit our Lake in the Hills Patch article.

The university allowed Crystal Lake South time to phase out the designs on items such as letterhead and uniforms to try and lessen the financial impact of the change for the school.

In October, the Gator head image had already been removed from the CLS website, and any other areas that were easy to change.

Entrants in the logo design contest already had to hand deliver an original, signed copyright ownership waiver form. The winner will be required to sign a contract assigning all ownership of the logo to District 155.


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