New Pasco mascot revealed. But the high school may get a different name
If you ask 10-year-old Dane Heslop, he’s not a big fan of the name that Pasco picked for its third comprehensive high school.
“When I first heard about the name, Harvest View, my first thought was an abandoned, haunted farm or village,” he told the Pasco School Board this week.
Dane’s perspective is an important one since he’ll be among the thousands of students attending the school after it opens at 6091 Burns Road in Fall 2025.
“As a future student-athlete, I want to be able to have pride in my school and its name. The name Harvest View doesn’t inspire me or make me proud to be from Pasco — it makes me feel like I’m in a retirement home,” Dane said, asking the board to reconsider.
After more than a dozen community members, students and parents voiced similar disapproval with the name and frustration with the accelerated naming process, the board agreed to consider two other choices: Sageview and Desert Vista.
School district staff also unveiled preliminary mascot, colors and branding concepts, which were met with more enthusiasm from community members at the meeting.
Students from Pasco’s eight middle schools and high schools led the way in choosing the Lobos as the future school’s mascot, with shades of greens, grays and blues.
Lobos — Spanish for wolves — is a nod to the school district’s 74% Latino population.
“The selection of Lobos serves as resounding testament to our commitment to cultural and linguistic inclusivity,” said Planning Principal Raquel Martinez. “It resonates with our dual language programs, each day underscoring the value of multilingualism. In choosing Lobos, we embrace diverse representation. It’s a visual and symbolic testament to our dedication in celebrating the backgrounds, languages and cultures that thrive within our schools and community.”
The Lobos mascot is fairly uncommon among Washington state schools. However, it is already the mascot for Fuerza Elementary in Kennewick.
Athletic programs at the new Pasco school will compete in the mixed 3A-4A Mid-Columbia Conference.
Harvest View? Maybe not
Pasco’s third high school might not be named Harvest View after all.
After hearing from the public, the school board chose to incorporate the names Sageview High School and Desert Vista High School into the Lobos branding discussions.
Designs for Sageview and Desert Vista could be finished in time for the Dec. 12 school board meeting, and the board could pick a different name as early as Jan. 9.
The school district contracted DLR Group to design the school’s mascot and branding. The Omaha-based design and architecture firm has worked with several global brands, including Nike.
Pasco School Board President Amy Phillips said this recent naming process has had the most feedback of any new school in the district. She said she hopes more people will continue to give their ideas and remain engaged in the process.
“Even though it seems rushed and it seems like we didn’t have a lot of choices, we had a lot of choices (and) we had a lot of community input. Could we have had more? Absolutely. Can we make this better next time? We will, we promise,” Phillips said.
In a split 3-2 vote, the school board decided to approve Harvest View as the school’s new name at its Oct. 24 meeting. It selected the name among five suggestions provided by a community naming committee:
Desert Vista High School
Great Forks High School
Harvest View High School
Sageview High School
Sunset High School
A poll voted on by the readers of the Tri-City Herald showed that many favored the “Rattlers” mascot for Harvest View and the “Archers” mascot for Orion High School, the district’s future career and college academy.
The district has yet to consider mascot choices for Orion.
Both schools will open in Fall 2025.
Voter bond
Voters earlier this year approved a 21-year, $195.5 million bond to build a third comprehensive high school to serve 2,000 students and a technical high school to serve 600 in-district students.
These new schools aim to ease crowding and give more program options for high school students.
Fowler General Construction already is working to build the 300,000-square-foot Harvest View High School on a 65-acre campus.
Construction of the college and career high school near Marie Curie STEM Elementary will begin in spring 2024. In addition to a high school diploma, students there also will graduate with workforce-ready credentials, industry certifications and hands-on experience.
The school district has begun the process of redrawing its attendance boundaries to assign students among it’s three primary high schools — Chiawana, Pasco and the new school.
