Edmonton high school recalls graduation merch after comparisons to Nazi eagle design
Ross Sheppard High School is recalling and redesigning graduation merchandise after concerns were raised over the 2024 logo.
The mascot and logo of the school is the Thunderbird, a mythical being from First Nations culture in North America.
The logo that was designed for the 2024 graduating class merch was described by a parent of a student as an eagle that looked like the Nazi Reichsadler eagle.
"Who let this new design skip through? It’s the SS Nazi eagle replacing the school logo of decades," a parent wrote in an email to CTV News Edmonton.
The eagle has been a symbol of Germany for centuries, dating back to the holy roman empire, and was adopted by the Nazi party as one of its logos.
"The design was intended to reflect the Thunderbird, which is the school’s logo, and on top of the totem pole outside of the school," said Veronica Jubinville, a communications consultant with Edmonton Public schools.
A photo of the recalled Ross Sheppard graduation merchandise (left - supplied) and a Nazi logo (right - Wikipedia).
In online comments, people expressed confusion over the design of the 2024 logo, questioning why it looked like an eagle instead of the Thunderbird.
One difference pointed out online is that the beak on the Thunderbird in the actual Ross Sheppard logo is much longer than the beak on the merch design.
"In response to concerns raised about the logo, the school immediately reclaimed the few items that had been distributed to students," Jubinville said. "The school is working on a redesign of the logo and will redistribute graduation merchandise later this year.
"The school and Division take these concerns very seriously and we are committed to ensuring that the graduation gear meets the highest standards of quality and representation for Ross Sheppard’s graduating class."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It's not realistic': Former PM Chretien thinks Trump will back off trade war
Former prime minister Jean Chretien says U.S. president-elect Donald Trump is likely to walk back his threat of punishing tariffs and the resulting trade war with Canada, because the Americans are too reliant on a number of Canadian exports, namely in the energy sector.
This Canadian teen lost her hands and feet to an infection. She's on a mission to share her story
A Canadian teen is reaching audiences around the world with powerful social media videos showing life without hands and feet – the price she paid after developing sepsis.
Vancouver strip club's X account suspended over cheeky marquee message
The marquee at The Penthouse strip club in downtown Vancouver is known for its edgy comments on politics and pop culture.
'I'll never call him dad again:' Gisele Pelicot’s daughter says she suspects her father also drugged her for sexual abuse
Caroline Darian, the daughter of Gisele Pelicot who sustained years of horrific sexual abuse by her then-husband and other men, has described how she’s certain her father drugged her and strongly suspects she was raped too.
Tough lesson: Thousands of 'unqualified' teachers in Quebec schools
Monique Henry has been teaching English in Quebec for the better part of two decades without official certification. As a so-called "unqualified" teacher, she has had to learn her profession the hard way.
West Kelowna fire chief says L.A. devastation a haunting reminder of B.C. blaze
The fire chief of a British Columbia community devastated by a fast-moving wildfire in 2023 says it's "haunting" to see similar circumstances playing out in Southern California.
'A miracle.' James Woods posts on X that his house survived Los Angeles wildfires
Actor James Woods says his house in Pacific Palisades has survived the Los Angeles wildfires that had devastated much of his neighbourhood.
No 'water system in the world' could have handled the L.A. fires. How the region could have minimized the damage
Even as flames in Southern California continued to carve a destructive path on Friday and fire officials sought to assess the damage and determine how the fires began, a larger question loomed: Could this level of devastation somehow have been minimized, or is this simply the new normal in an era of climate-related calamities?
'I didn't want to go cold turkey:' Environment Canada's David Phillips on why he keeps working after retirement
When Environment Canada Senior Climatologist David Phillips retired this past September, he wasn’t quite ready to call it a career.