NWCC to phase out use of Thunderbird symbol

July 13, 2017

Northwest Community College (NWCC) is phasing out the use of its Thunderbird symbol from the College’s logo over the course of the coming months. NWCC officials recently uncovered the history of the development of the crest dating back to 1969 when the school was still called the BC Vocational School – Terrace.

The development of the crest was initiated at the request of the then Student’s Union, an initiative of the students of the day. The credit for the final design was given to the then Director of the Kootenay School of Art and was commissioned to be the the BC Vocational School – Terrace’s crest. At the time, it was meant to be illustrative of its motto, “Giving Wings to Learning”.

“When we learned the history of the symbol we knew we should phase out its use,” says NWCC President and CEO, Ken Burt.  “When examined through the lens of cultural appropriation, we felt it was incumbent on us as a post-secondary school to acknowledge this history and move forward.”

“Change is good,” says Barb McRae, Chair of NWCC’s First Nations Council. “Knowing this history, we agree that it is right to discontinue the use of the Thunderbird.”

NWCC acknowledges that over the last 48 years, the symbol has been refined and subtly changed and that many people have memories associated with it. We welcome any comments or memories that people may have and those can be forwarded to Sarah Zimmerman, Director of Communications & Public Relations at the address below.

The phase out of the Thunderbird symbol will occur over time and is one step in NWCC’s ongoing rebranding efforts.

Media contact:

Sarah Zimmerman
Director, Communications & Public Relations
E-mail: szimmerman@nwcc.bc.ca
Telephone: 250.638.5494 or cell: 250.631.6007

NT5