The students of John Burroughs High School will vote on the preliminary choices for the new Burroughs mascot beginning Monday, February 22.
Coordinated by the school’s Associated Student Body, the school-wide vote will be conducted online. Students will narrow down the five choices of Bear, Blackbird, Phoenix, Raven and Red Hawk to two finalists for the last round of voting.
Two of the mascot choices, the Blackbird and Red Hawk, give a nod to Burbank’s long history with aviation and connection with Lockheed, Boeing and other aerospace companies.
According to information sent to current JBHS students, the mascots are described thusly:
“The ‘Bear’ symbolizes supreme strength and fearlessness, carrying an aura of dominion and authority, and because of this the Bear is legendary for raw power and fierce strength.”
“The Lockheed SR-71 ‘Blackbird’ is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation in Burbank, CA. It was operated by both the United States Air Force (USAF) and NASA and is the fastest plane ever built.”
“The ‘Phoenix’ is a fire and solar symbol and is seen as the keeper of the fire in all of creation. This mythical bird is a symbol of hope, renewal, rebirth, immortality, resurrection, solitude, and strength.”
“The ‘Raven’ symbolizes wisdom, affection, healing powers, longevity, and death. It’s jet black color represents the night, the great void, and even the Earth. This bird has been granted great power and is a symbol of mystery, memory, and thought.”
“The Boeing/Saab T-7 ‘Red Hawk,’ originally known as the Boeing T-X, is an American/Swedish advanced jet trainer developed by Boeing in partnership with Saab. It was selected on 27 September 2018 by the United States Air Force (USAF) as the winner of the T-X program to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon.”
Associated Student Body organization members picked five mascot options, from an original list of 20, explained ASB President Nadaly Jones in her regular report at the February 4 Burbank Board of Education meeting. After the student body vote during the week of February 22, two will be selected for the last round of consideration.
ASB will then have graphics made up for each of the two finalists, Jones also said, with the final vote by JBHS students and selection of new Burroughs mascot made in March.
More information on the decision and process to change the Burroughs mascot can be found on this ASB page. Information on the ASB student organization can be found online here.
