Shady Side Academy officially announced at noon on December 21, 2020, that its new mascot will be THE BULLDOGS, effective immediately.

"I am thrilled to announce that Shady Side Academy's new mascot is ... THE BULLDOGS!" said Board of Trustees Chair Jon Kamin '91 in an email to the community. "Kind yet courageous, friendly yet dignified, strong and smart, the Bulldog embodies loyalty, courage and tenacity. These inherent traits also describe our Shady Side Academy community. The Bulldog is a mascot that everyone in our community – from pre-kindergarteners to alumni – will unite behind and cheer about for generations to come. Whether at an athletic contest, a robotics tournament or a class reunion, we look forward to hearing the Blue-and-Gold faithful rallying around the Bulldogs."

The announcement of the Bulldog mascot is the result of a five-month search process that engaged the entire SSA community. The process was led by a 20-person Mascot Search Committee, composed of students, alumni, coaches, faculty, staff and parents and chaired by Bob Grandizio '91 and Jamie (Brush) Scott '98. Through a series of emails and fun videos, SSA community members were encouraged to submit their mascot suggestions via an online survey. The committee received more than 600 suggestions, which they narrowed down to 22 semifinalists. Another online survey asked community members to choose their favorite semifinalists, and the committee used that feedback from more than 1,500 respondents to elevate five finalists for consideration to the Board of Trustees: Bulldogs, Hawks, Lions, Owls and Wolfpack. After a lengthy and spirited discussion, the Board officially voted to adopt Bulldogs as Shady Side Academy's new mascot on Thursday, December 17, 2020.

"This is an exciting new chapter for our school and our athletic program," said Athletic Director Gene Deal, who served on the search committee "The Bulldog is a mascot our kids, our coaches and our teams will rally behind and wear with pride. I have no doubt it will bring a whole new spirit to our games and to our entire community as we cheer on the Shady Side Academy Bulldogs."

"The Bulldog is a playful mascot we trust will be a lot of fun for all of our students, and a community builder for all who care about Shady Side Academy," said SSA President Bart Griffith '93.

Now that Shady Side has chosen the Bulldog as its mascot, the next phase of the process will begin: designing a new logo and branding. The school hopes to unveil the new Shady Side Academy Bulldog logo and branding by the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

Learn more about Shady Side Academy's mascot search at www.shadysideacademy.org/mascot-search.

GO BULLDOGS!