Sidwell Friends Athletics is excited to unveil its new visual identity today and to introduce a new spirit mark, a star-shaped fox. The identity is designed to unify the community around the athletic program and to build stronger visual cohesion among the School’s teams.

“I am proud to reveal a new visual direction for Sidwell Friends Athletics,” said the David P. Pearson ’52 Director of Athletics Keith Levinthal. “The new identity provides a timeless yet modern look that will reflect the strength of our athletic program and honor our legacy of being the only Quaker school in our nation’s capital for years to come. Our new visual identity will give us a confident, clean and cohesive look that will be emblazoned on all new uniforms and athletic apparel.”

“The new identity provides a timeless yet modern look that will reflect the strength of our athletic program and honor our legacy of being the only Quaker school in our nation’s capital for years to come.”

“This would not have been possible without the incredible generosity and support of a few alumni and parents who believe in the value of Sidwell Friends athletics and the need for a visual identity that reflects our proud athletic tradition and inspires future success.”

In the program, we will use consistent marks, colors, and fonts for both home and away games. Developing the visual identity was a long design process that involved gathering feedback—a considerable amount from students— and evaluating the distinctive elements of the School, in order to communicate visually in a consistent manner. Work on the School’s overall visual identity is forthcoming.

Inspired by the founder of Quakerism, our place in the nation’s capital—denoted on a map by a red star—and in a nod to the flag of the District of Columbia, the star-shaped fox embodies the quiet intelligence often attributed to the animal.

But why a fox? The words of George Fox, the founder of modern Quakerism, have given Quaker education its root of “answering that of God in everyone,” and the image of the fox is frequently seen throughout the campus. The Fox Den incorporates the animal throughout its space, and, when asked, students past and present have suggested a fox.

Incorporating a spirit mark provides a greater understanding of athletics for children throughout the School, from preK to 12th grade. As historian Delphine Lacroix writes in the 75th anniversary edition of Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s classic The Little Prince, “A fox is a figure to which children relate easily: It is jovial, understanding, and generous. It is intelligent and pragmatic, and mischievous, and it is charming and mysterious, to boot.”

It’s the fox who delivers the most important lesson of The Little Prince, says Lacroix. “‘Anything essential is invisible to the eyes. And anyone able to see through this invisibility to the underlying bond that gives meaning to things will be richer.”

Of course, foxes are also well-known devourers of grasshoppers, frogs, and other creatures of the ecosystem. See you on the field!

The School is grateful to the generosity of parents and alumni involved in making this work possible.