New names and school colors have been selected for the merged high school and middle school that will begin operating in Cleveland in the fall.

“The decision has been made and the student body has spoken,” the Bolivar Commercial reported on its Facebook page. “Welcome Cleveland Central High School and Middle School. Colors are purple and black. Let’s go, Wolves!”

According to the Cleveland School District’s website,  the Student Advisory Committee presented the recommendation for the new name, mascot, and colors for the consolidated high school and middle school.

The school board adopted the students’ choices at its board meeting Thursday, according to the website.

The choices included:

  1. Bolivar Central High School/Middle School – Braves – Purple/Gold
  2. Cleveland Central High School/Middle School – Wolves – Purple/Black
  3. Cleveland High School/Middle School – Trojans – Black/Gold (East Side gold)

The Cleveland School District is under a federal desegregation order to combine the two high schools and middle schools by next school year.

Students this year attend one of two high schools: Cleveland High, called the Wildcats with black and gold colors, and East Side High, called the Trojans, also with black and gold colors.

Aallyah Wright is a native of Clarksdale, and was a Mississippi Delta reporter covering education and local government. She was also a weekly news co-host on WROX Radio (97.5 FM) and collaborator with StoryWorks/Reveal Labs from the Center for Investigative Reporting. Aallyah has a bachelor’s in journalism with minors in communications and theater from Delta State University. She is a 2018 Educating Children in Mississippi Fellow at the Hechinger Report, and co-founder of the Mississippi Delta Public Newsroom.