Jasper’s Walker High School to get new name

Jasper, AL – When the Walker Vikings take the football field to open the 2017 season they will be under a different name.

The Jasper City School Board has decided to change the name of the school from Walker to Jasper High following the school’s move to a new $52 million dollar campus in late 2016.

A press release from the Jasper City School board pointed to several reasons for making the change, including their opinion that many, outside the northwest Alabama area, do not associate Walker High School with the city of Jasper.

Jasper Schools superintendent, Dr. Ann Jackson, said that the controversial decision to re-brand the school has been debated for sometime.  There was also some debate about what the school’s new name would be.  One board member purposed the name Jasper City High School, however, City was dropped when the new name was unanimously approved.

Walker students will move into the new facility in December of this year but the name change will not officially go into effect until the beginning of the 2017 school year.

The new name and location will not be the only changes coming to the new Jasper City School system.  Seventh and eighth grade students, who currently attend Maddox Middle School, will be consolidated to the new JHS campus.  Also, the Maddox Panther mascot will be scrapped in favor of uniting all Jasper schools under the Viking banner.

The schools Viking mascot and black and gold colors are not expected to be effected by the name change.  There are estimates that re-branding the athletic department could cost in excess of $100,000.