BOZEMAN – It’s official.
The name of the new mascot for Bozeman’s incoming high school was announced Monday night.
After much discussion, the school board voted 7-to-1, officially dubbing them the Bozeman Gallatin High School Raptors.
The board also voted in the new school colors: black and royal blue.
It was a lengthy process that came down to a 7-to-1 vote across the Bozeman Public School board.
Superintendent Rob Watson opened the floor with the community poll, which compiled over 2,700 votes from students, parents, staff and other community members.
The numbers were there: Raptors led the Mountaineers by 17 votes.
In the end, Watson recommended that Raptors – as in the dinosaur – would be the favorable option.
“We do believe it that it will be easy to brand,” Watson said. “Branding will be important.”
Mountaineers were a close second.
One man, Jeff Krogstad, argued that the Mountaineer spoke more for local military history.
“You can find a lot more living history right here in the Gallatin Valley based on the mountaineer aspect,” Krogstad said.
But the loud voice came from Laszlo Baumgardner and his dad, Scott.
While they say their first choice didn’t make the top five, Laszlo said future-Raptors like him thought the prehistoric predator was more fun.
“I really want to have a mascot that everyone can be supportive of and it’s really fun because the first couple of years is, like, going to be building for us as a school,” Laszlo Baumgardner said.
Laszlo and his sister even were given some of the first school shirts, donned in the new school colors, which won by a landslide: black and royal blue.
“I’m just proud of Laszlo getting up and talking to the trustees,” Scott Baumgardner said.
“I’m happy,” Laszlo said. “I mean, this is kind of one of the things that I really wanted.”
The mascot design is still in the planning process and being discussed.
Reporting by Cody Boyer for MTN News
