Glens Falls’ New Mascot is… The Black Bears!

Applause and cheers rang out as the Glens Falls student cabinet announced the new Glens Falls mascot – The Black Bears! This announcement came yesterday at a special meeting of the Board of Education. The Board of Education members approved the student cabinet recommendation, and the mascot and icons will change over on July 1, 2023; this change will include the school’s apparel, fixtures, and turf field, along with other items.

The process of rebranding the Glens Falls mascot began when the New York State Education Department ordered all districts to remove “Indian” mascots and associated Native American imagery from the public school system.

Along with the mascot rebranding, Glens Falls School City District also established their core values of Unity, Support, Passion and Grit. Establishing these values was the first step in developing their mascot, and to establish these core values, 829 participants shared 404 ideas, which were rated by 29,447 participating students, employees, families, alumni, and neighbors. As the process continued, the four mascot finalists were announced: Knights, Wolves, Black Bears, and Hawks. 

Beside the total vote count, there were other factors that were considered in making the final decision – the Corinth Central School District recently chose their new mascot; The River Hawks. There was concern about having a similar mascot as a nearby school… Also, the Knights mascot garnered concern about unity.

With these two no longer in consideration, The Black Bears was chosen over The Wolves. The next step in the process of rebranding is developing the icons and logos; however, red and black will remain the school colors, and GF Nation will still be used as a moniker.