Published March 6, 2025
BY ALEXANDER FREDERICK
Within the past six months Carmel High School has seen changes in design, from the school’s name plastered onto a wing of classrooms in the main quad to murals of CHS athletes in the gym foyer, all part of a campus branding project.
Partially inspired by principal Elizabeth Duethman’s time at Salinas High School, the project’s goal is to give students a stronger sense of connection to campus.
The campus design project led by principal Duethman aims to deemphasize the Padre while giving the campus a more connected feel. (photo by ALEXANDER FREDERICK)
“When I first came onto the campus the first thing I noticed was a lack of Carmel imagery, and that really stuck out to me,” says Duethman. “Slowly but surely we’re doing what we can to make things brighter, happier, and that’s what got the conversation going. It’s so that we have Carmel pride throughout the school, and we can see it.”
The project’s most recent installment was a series of murals in the gym building featuring near life-sized photographs of current and former CHS athletes that was completed over the district’s February break.
According to school administrative assistant Lisa Brazil, the whole project, which will cover various improvements around campus, including signage, wayfinding signs and the CARMEL lettering on windows in the main quad, among other things, will cost the school around $45,000. The most recent gym installment was completed by local small business Signworks, a sign design company based in Monterey that specifically handles installation, design and permitting of signage.
Noticeably absent from the beautification project is the school’s controversial mascot, the Padre. The murals refer to the school as Carmel and have no imagery to pay homage to the mascot. In the Padre’s stead is the Carmel block C logo in a circle ringed by “Carmel High School.”
This change in attitude toward the longtime mascot isn’t unique to this administration. In the last decade sports uniforms–from golf to football to cross country–have changed to contain Carmel lettering instead of the school mascot or mascot’s name.
“The C logo has a collegiate feel,” says Duethman. “It’s not that we are getting rid of the Padre entirely, but I don’t feel like the image of the Franciscan monk properly represents the local area.”
The absence of the mascot is an intentional decision by the administration as a part of a movement to de-emphasize the Padre and create an alternative that is less problematic.
“We don’t actually have a good Padre logo, and it’s such a controversial mascot that the decision was made to de-emphasize the mascot,” says Brazil. “Students really seem to like the C, and the kind of clowny Padre image is why we and the students wanted to go with the block C.”
The design project is expected to continue until the end of the year as the administration plans to add wooden signage and hand-painted murals to better represent the campus energy.
Hampton Stewart Class of 1957 / March 8, 2025
I was always a Padre and proud to be a Padre. I graduated as a Padre from Carmel High School. Sad to see you trash a mascot that we were all proud to call ourselves.
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