Logo promotes SLE school pride

When then-sixth grader Nic Little Coyote heard about the logo contest for Seeley Lake Elementary he decided he would submit a design. Eagles are sacred in his Northern Cheyenne culture and he enjoyed drawing.

Now six years later, Little Coyote's logo continues to be a symbol of SLE school pride. The Seeley Lake Elementary Parent Teacher Club adopted the logo and is now offering SLE Spirit Gear.

Little Coyote was raised on the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Lame Deer, Montana. He moved to Seeley Lake and started SLE as a sixth grader.

"I thought it was really cool to have an Eagle and now a Blackhawk as my school mascots," Little Coyote said.

The eagle is a very sacred bird in Northern Cheyenne culture

The SLE Jobs for Montana Graduates (JMG) class, taught by Michele Holmes, decided to sell spirit gear as a way to incorporate practical business skills. Along with financial contributions from JMG and the SLE Student Council, the class purchased a t-shirt press to promote school pride.

Then they announced a school-wide logo contest where the winner received a free t-shirt. The JMG students narrowed down the submissions and Little Coyote's design was chosen by popular vote.

"I was just messing around and doing it for fun," Little Coyote said and smiled at the memory. "I just drew an eagle head because to me it was impossible to draw the whole eagle. After four or five drawings I had an eagle that I liked and I got a free t-shirt."

Little Coyote and Holmes worked with graphic designer Brandy Wolfe and Exact Image to incorporate his logo into a printable design for shirts and other apparel. The JMG class sold the gear until Holmes left to teach at Seeley-Swan High School five years ago.

Holmes trained the SLE PTC on how to use the shirt press. Parents and students loved Little Coyote's design so much that the PTC adopted the logo for their Spirit Gear.

"I'm excited to see Nic's logo still being used and the PTC offering spirit gear again," Holmes said.

"I'm glad that my logo came back at Seeley Lake Elementary and my design can live on," Little Coyote said. "It brings good memories to see that again. It makes me feel good."

Little Coyote is now a senior at SSHS. He is also #3 on the Blackhawks Basketball Team and the starting point guard. He said he still enjoys drawing because it helps him calm down and relax when school or sports stress him out. While he has never considered himself a great artist, he hopes his success encourages other students to put themselves out there and try new things.

"If you put in that work and that effort you can achieve big things that maybe you can't see in your little mind," Little Coyote said. "It could take a long while to achieve that but once you do it will be amazing."

The PTC will be selling spirit gear at the home basketball games and taking orders for t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts. Follow the Seeley Lake Elementary PTC on Facebook or email sleptcmt@gmail.com for more information.