Come March, students in the HTSD will have a chance to vote on what they feel should be the look of the two elementary schools.
By KRYSTAL NURSE
The Sun
Changes are on the horizon for the Harrison Township School District as it aims to rebrand itself, and it’s all being decided by the students.
The rebranding committee is a volunteer-based group comprised of teachers, board members, administrative members, business owners and individuals in the township who have a thorough knowledge on changing the identity of a company through marketing, digital design and art.
The committee is doing this to help pull the district under one umbrella slogan and seal and to show who or what HTSD is. Meetings occurred in November and December, and members are now at a point where discussions center around the spiritwear of Harrison Township and Pleasant Valley elementary schools.
Supervisor of Instruction Chad Flexon, who is on the committee, said the schools each have their own mascots, colors, typeface and sometimes different building policies. The committee, he added, is looking to change that.
Flexon said the committee has come up with a variety of options, including leaving everything as-is, to present to the students both digitally and through presentations on what the proposed changes are. None of the options presented to the students are being made public until well after voting is complete in March to allow students to select what they feel best represents their schools.
He said they’re doing this because, when Pleasant Valley was provided with funds to get a new playground, adults selected one option, thinking the kids will love it, and a survey revealed the kids favored something completely different.
“We wanted to also try to tie in with Clearview because we are a sending district, and they’re the Pioneers,” he said. “We tried to think of things that would link to the concept of what a pioneer is, and we liked that a pioneer wasn’t gender-specific and wasn’t an animal. We are trying to come up with something that is inclusive for anyone and doesn’t have to be tied in with a physical body.”
If students choose to keep everything the same, Flexon said the committee will relay information to the volunteer artists and come up with a unified hawk (Harrison Township School), panther (Pleasant Valley) and color code to use moving forward to help tie the two schools back to the district. While the survey is taking place, Flexon said the committee will also focus on what the district will use as a seal and letterhead on official documents.
Throughout the process, he and a few members have acknowledged the district needed to focus on the entirety of Harrison Township instead of Mullica Hill. That has since changed where the mission statement now reads, in part, “respectful of history and tradition, the communities of Jefferson, Richwood, Ewan and Mullica Hill aim to provide all children with the opportunity to develop their intellectual, physical and social-emotional selves to be empathetic contributors in our global society.”
“Our goal is to say that we’re Harrison Township,” he said. “We’re hoping that with Harrison Township, we’ll have the same concept as Washington Township to be able to say that we’re from Harrison and not have to say Mullica Hill, Richwood, Ewan or Jefferson.”
Flexon stressed the changes will have no effect on taxpayers since everyone on the committee is volunteering their time. In addition, he said residents will also be able to learn more about the success stories of students and staff members through a cleaner line of communication and outreach, and the district will look to interact more through major township events such as Harrison Township Day and Lights on Main.
The process, he said, isn’t made possible without the board and Superintendent Margaret “Missy” Peretti’s support, and the high marks and accolades they’ve earned for their use of technology and innovative spirit.
The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 21. Those wishing to attend who have not attended previous meetings are required to contact Flexon at FlexonC@HarrisonTwp.K12.NJ.US.
