BELLEVILLE - Thunder can be heard from miles away, an early warning that a storm is about to arrive. So, perhaps, it's only fitting that the name of Belleville Mennonite School's sports teams didn't sneak up on anyone.

Three months after the school's plan to change its nickname first surfaced, BMS officials announced Friday afternoon that the school's athletic teams formerly known as the Trojans would compete as the Thunder starting in the fall.

"The students have been curious about what the new athletic name is," said Valerie Reed, who serves as the development director at BMS. "The excitement leading up to this (unveiling) has been very positive."

Sentinel photo by BRADLEY KREITZER Third grade teacher Jared Byler, right, and student Kyle Derstein unveil Belleville Mennonite Schools new athletics nickname and logo during a special assembly Friday afternoon at the school in Belleville. The school had a kiss-the-cow contest, sumo wrestling, karaoke and a pie-eating contest leading up to the unveiling as well as several other special activities afterward.

Friday's announcement came with great fanfare as the school held "Mascot Mania." Events included duct taping third-grade teacher Jared Byler to the wall; throwing pies at Superintendent Kevin Dellape and fund-raising efforts that led to a BMS senior kissing a cow. The events were organized by the high school student senate, led by Brittany Yoder, a guidance counselor and senate adviser at BMS.

All proceeds from the events benefit Hershey Medical Center's Pediatric Cancer Center. The school will also host a mini-THON in May, modeled after the annual event held at Penn State.

Murals painted by art teacher Tami Peachey also were unveiled in the school gym and cafeteria. The cafeteria is now called "Thunder Cafe." BMS students also received T-shirts sporting the Thunder logo.

Selecting a new mascot is the first step in what Reed called a new athletic branding for the Belleville school. Now that the school's sports teams have a new mascot and logo, work will begin on revamping the school's logo and website.

"We are here to provide an excellent, Christ-centered education to children in our community," Reed said. "Education and faith in Christ are first and foremost. As the school continues to grow and thrive, it's important to continually be evaluating all areas of how we present ourselves.

"We are hoping that this new mascot and logo will enhance our overall brand and image, but this only a small piece of what the public sees of Belleville Mennonite School," she added. "The main image that we want to portray is a growing, thriving community of students and faculty working together to develop minds and build faith."

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Belleville Mennonite School teams to be known as 'Thunder'