New visual identity approved at Upper Grand District School Board

May 11, 2023 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) has unveiled their new logo.

In a press release on Wednesday (May 10), the school board announced that trustees had approved a new visual identity for the UGDSB at their meeting on May 9.

“We are extremely excited to introduce the new visual identity across UGDSB. I would like to thank everyone, especially Upper Grand students, for their valuable input,” said Peter Sovran, director of education.

Following the approval of the UGDSB’s Multi-Year Plan (MYP) 2022-2026, staff began developing a new visual identity for the school board.

The work stretched from November 2022 to May 2023.

In developing the new logo, the UGDSB established a diverse working group called the Visual Identity Working Group for consultation.

The consultation group included student representatives, staff responsible for equity, anti-racism, Indigenous education, mental health, special education, student success, communications, and other voices.

The consultation process also included meetings with the UGDSB Executive Committee, Student Senate, and a virtual forum with a large group of UGDSB students representing all board regions.

“Student leaders all strive for the opportunity to be heard and listened to at the table. With the visual identity project, the UGDSB really listened to the students, and included us in so many ways so that, in the end, the new logo can represent everyone,” said Brooke Harley, student trustee and member of the Visual Identity Working Group.

The previous logo came after the Dufferin and Wellington County Boards of Education amalgamated to form the Upper Grand District School Board in 1998. The old logo depicted two students raising their arms in the air with a river, representing the Grand River and a forest behind them.

The new logo is the letter ‘u’, which stands for Upper Grand District School Board, and is surrounded by panels of different colours.

Now that the board trustees have approved the new logo, UGDSB staff will begin implementing the new visual identity in a phased approach.

The phased-in approach will include conducting an audit of the previous logo, developing a plan to retire the old logo, and developing a plan and budget to implement the new identity. The process will also include the development of a communications policy.

Staff will also work with UGDSB students to gather ideas and input on a slogan or tagline for the school board to accompany the new logo.