The Friar is not going away, but he will look more “athletic” and “intimidating.”

Malvern will change its school mascot design and logos for next year for the first time since the early 1980s.

The new Friar, named “Auggie Tolentine,” was unveiled at this year’s B.A.S.H. held on April 29. The new sports logos and prints of brand designs will be announced on July 1 according to Campaign Stewardship Officer Mr. Carlo Chinici.

“There will be new everything, like new sports logos, new print of the word ‘Friars.’ All of our logos are being redone professionally,” Chinici said.

The current mascot costume was purchased back in the late 1970s when Chinici was Athletic Director.

“I worked with Mr. Gibson, who was Student Council Moderator, and we decided to purchase a new mascot,” Chinici said.

The mascot costume began its use in 1981 according to Chinici. It has gotten repaired every five to ten years, but Director of Strategic Initiatives Mrs. Carrie Snyder believes that it is time to make a switch.

“[The mascot costume] was beginning to fall apart. Some of the kids were not excited to wear it. It was time to get a new one,” Snyder said.

Another reason for the new mascot is that Malvern is trying to stay more consistent with their branding across sports.

“We began to realize that the different sports had different logos, and people were trying to draw different Friars for different things,” Snyder said.

At this year’s B.A.S.H., Malvern raised $25,000 to pay for the new mascots and logo designs, exceeding the goal of $15,000. Snyder gave a breakdown of where the money is going.

“We are going to purchase the costume. We are waiting to see how much it actually costs. We are working with the company right now to sketch it out and get pricing,” Snyder said.

For the money that is leftover, Snyder said that they will use it for a scholarship for the student who wears the costume.

“I don’t know if you’ll get something in the bookstore, if we’ll add money to your account in the cafeteria…Those details haven’t been worked out yet, but we want to make it an honor for the person– there will probably be more than one– who plays the Friar,” Snyder said.

Junior Peter Nguyen saw the cutout of the new mascot and said that it has much more defined features than the old one.

“It looks much more athletic-looking,” Nguyen said. “He looks thinner and more intimidating.”

Regarding what will happen to the old mascot, Director of Student Life Dr. James Fry said that he’s unsure. “There is a Malvern Prep Archives, so my gut is telling me that it will end up there,” Fry said.

Snyder wants the new mascot to become the face of the school.

“I’m really excited about it,” Snyder said. “I hope the students are excited about it. I think it’s going to initiate a great spirit and great pride in Malvern.”

The Chapel always looks beautiful this time of year! #MalvernProud #SpringHasSprung pic.twitter.com/X3cO5YQ9ID

— Malvern Prep (@MalvernPrep) May 2, 2017