GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) – In April, Glens Falls City School District unveiled a new name to represent its students. The “Indian Warrior” logo and naming convention have been put away – and now, the Black Bears roam Glens Falls.

This week, the district unveiled the logos to go along with the name. A new “Glens Falls Black Bears” logo and icon were shown off on social media on Monday, retaining the “GF Nation” phrase – which was determined okay to keep by the school and student advisory committee.

“The logo design was a comprehensive process that was student-driven, and a lot of credit goes to the Student Cabinet group,” said Glens Falls High School Athletic Director Shane Jones. “They provided really thoughtful feedback as we went through several rounds of drafts with VIP Branding’s artists. We wanted to come up with logos that would be a good representation of ALL parts of our school community and we now have some designs that are going to look great whether it’s for athletics, the arts, and anything in between.”

The logos and name will officially take effect on July 1, in accordance with state guidelines. Even so, districts like Glens Falls have until the start of the 2024-25 school year to finish replacing logos across buildings and sports teams.

That work may take time, but Glens Falls is wasting no time in getting the bear into the woods. An online store has been released that offers Glens Falls Black Bears-branded shirts, hats, hoodies, and more. Every item sports a new look in the district’s classic school colors.

“From an athletics standpoint, we can’t wait to see our teams donning the new logo this fall and rallying around our mascot. It is an exciting time for GF Nation,” said Jones.

Glens Falls used survey information to create a list of possible mascots, with cooperation from community members, faculty, and students. The four final options were a wolf, knight, hawk, and black bear, voted on by the Glens Falls community throughout late March. A similar set of surveys in Lake George is in the process of narrowing down options to replace its school nickname of the “Warriors.”

The city of Glens Falls resides on Abenaki, Haudenosaunee, Mohican and Mohawk land, according to Native Land Digital.