Sadly, it's maybe the school's successes that landed it in trouble this year.
In January, the school got a letter from a company representing the University of Florida. It ordered the school to cease using its UF-style logo or face legal action for
copyright infringement.
Principal Robert Egley was shocked. The school had been using the logo since 1965.
"This
has been tough," says Egley. The worst part: Egley is also a UF alumnus.
"There is a sting to it. This has been aggravating, and it hurts, but we
understand it. We just wish they wouldn't come after little schools
like us."
Glades Day adopted the logo as an homage
to UF when it opened, considering that so many alumni of Glades Day had ended up
Gators. The logo has adorned the school and uniforms since then.
But the letter from the Collegiate Licensing Co., which represents UF, demanded that the school remove the logos as soon as possible.
Egley
says he didn't consider fighting it -- there's no question UF has the
right to enforce its trademarked logo. So he began negotiating with the
company on how Glades Day could comply with the demand.
Glades Day is one of four schools warned by Collegiate Licensing
to stop using the Gator logo. UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes told the
Alligator, the school's newspaper, that asking high schools to remove the
logo is just part of protecting the copyright. "It's a
nationwide issue of how do we deal with competing licensing
agreements," she told the paper. "And legally, the university has an
obligation to
protect its trademarks."
Egley says Collegiate Licensing
has been good about working with Glades Day about how long it'll take to
remove the logos. The school can't afford to spend about $60,000 to
replace the logo right away. The first step began this year when the
varsity football team took the field with new, logo-less uniforms.
Next,
the school will replace the baseball uniforms when they wear out, and
the Gator logo will be removed from the gymnasium floor when it gets its
scheduled maintenance in three years.
Other places with the logo -- the press box, the sign in front of the school, the scoreboard -- will require some sweat equity.
"With
a little school like ours, we rely on alumni and parents a lot. When
it's time to replace the press box, we'll be asking for volunteers to
help."
But Glades Day will still go by the Fighting Gators. The
school is asking students and alumni to submit logo ideas that will then
go to a vote.
Athletic Director Mike Underwood says what hurts
is that last year's football title victory might have been what got UF's
attention.
"Nobody likes a winner," Underwood said.
