Since the Hays CISD Board of Trustees voted to abandon the Rebel mascot back in July, the district released a timeline describing the replacement plans for the 2021 calendar year. Jan. 13 marked

the start of the “student nomination period” during which students can submit their animal of choice to replace the Rebel.

This nomination period is very similar to the surveys the district collected last summer after the announcement of the mascot change – students have creative freedom, but it must be appropriate and different than the other mascots of Hays CISD schools. All HHS, BMS and WMS students are eligible to vote.

Nominations end Jan. 18 and voting will begin Jan 21. Campuses are expected to incorporate voting time into the school day to ensure every student has a chance. The district plans to officially announce the new mascot following ballot counting at the end of January.

Senior Alena Hernandez, who organized a mascot change committee over the summer, is relieved to have a sense of direction, saying the district has “a lot more planned than anticipated.” Despite expected pushback from students who still support the Rebel, Hernandez is confident the new mascot will feel completely normal in a couple of years.

“It’s nice to know my committee and I are not the only people who still care about this, and this is still on the forefront regardless of all the other chaos faced by the district this year,” Hernandez said.

Once the district knows the new mascot they will enter a graphic design period and begin ordering/implementation. Based on this timeline, the new mascot will be ready for use by the 2021-2022 school year.