S-P-I-R-I-T, Spirit, let’s hear it!
Have you ever been curious as to where we got our fabulous school spirit and pride? The answers might surprise you…or at least peak your interest in the school we all know and love.
As students at this great university, we often show our support and school pride by wearing our school colors or sporting the UNCW seahawk. Did you know that our beloved color teal was not one of our original colors at all? It wasn’t until 2009 when Chancellor DePaolo and other university officials declared teal as our primary color. UNCW’s first batch of signature colors were the classic kelly green and yellow. These colors were actually decided upon by a group of students and were supposed to symbolize the ocean and the sand across the shore. However, there are many schools and teams that also showcase green and yellow as their own. In 1992 navy blue was added to enhance marketing opportunity and three years later, our current teal, gold, and blue were introduced as our brand.
Although learning or knowing about our school colors may seem arbitrary, it is important to all aspects of what make our beloved school more than just a place of education. UNCW is a place we as students and members of a community can come together as one, to learn and grow as people and to be united as Seahawks. Our university has come a long way from their green and yellow beginning, and so have the members that make it up.
Today you can find Seahawk gear in all kinds of colors, ranging from blue, to grey, to even pink. If you are interested in purchasing UNCW spirit or learn more on our schools history or traditions check out these cites:
https://www.uncw.edu/aboutuncw/aboutHistory.html
Click to access athletics_logo_StyleGuide.pdf
– Olivia Austin
IMC Hawks Blog 
Hey there! This article was nicely written. I liked the “SPIRIT” chant at the beginning, too it was actually a nice touch. The placement of the graphics was also well done, except I would have tried to add one more to the second row so that it could be symmetrical and tie the whole piece together. Solid, concise writing and no typos. Well done!
Keith, glad you liked the article and graphics! I didn’t want to over power by putting too many pictures, but I am a big fan of symmetry, so I will definitely take that into consideration next time!
This post is great! Personally, I do not attend any games or do not have much pride but reading this makes me feel more like a Seahawk. Even though we all have different majors, we all have that in common. I like how your writing starts off cheery. It gives the reader a sense of what mood the article provides. I like how in the end you provide a link with more information for your readers.
Gabrielle, school spirit or not, YOU are still a Seahawk and I am so happy to hear this increased your feelings as one
Although reading about how UNCW received their color pallet for the school didn’t seem that interesting at first it had a nice twist to it. I for one love our Seahawk colors, and just being part of a school with the products that we can all wear is my favorite. Having all students unite and wear the same colors helps create a family-like atmosphere here at UNCW. One of the main reasons I came here is for community purposes and it’s so fascinating to know that teal was never the primary color. Also seeing that the colors almost stand for the ocean is such an exciting thing to be a part of. It is nice to all come together in the same color palette to support many of the events here!
Jordan, I agree, sometimes the topics that might not originally peak our interest, turn out to be very beneficial!
This is so interesting! I feel like I don’t know a whole lot about our school and don’t necessarily have the most school spirit. I never would have known this about our school colors if I didn’t read this.
Emma, sometimes I lack a little school spirit as well, that’s why I chose to look into the subject. So happy I could add to your knowledge of our school!
This was a great post. While the concept may be simple, it is still a very meaningful and powerful message that also gives a neat bit of history of our school. Great job!
Austin, so glad you were able to take something away from the article, I think our history is important too!
Hi Olivia!
I really enjoyed your article. I had no clue that teal wasn’t one of our colors until 2009. You showed the new and old Seahawk logo but didn’t really discuss how and why it changed. This is something I think I would consider adding to your article.
Elizabeth, I agree the changing of the logo is a great topic and possible addition! This article was primarily about our school’s colors so that is why I chose to opt out of that, but great suggestion!
I thought this was very interesting. I always figured teal was our primary color for our school. I have to say, I am glad we put teal as our primary color instead of the green and yellow. The teal goes well with the beach vibe of this town. My favorite UNCW shirts that I have are either teal or navy blue.
Jackson, I’m glad teal is now a primary color too!
I am currently a Junior at UNCW and never knew our original colors were kelly green and yellow. I was surprised to learn that our primary color, teal, was not made so until 2009. UNCW is a relatively new university, but there is still deep-rooted history in the university. Being a current student, I cannot imagine UNCW without teal. Understanding the history of the brand helps me understand the current UNCW brand a little better.
Sarah, I was really surprised too! So glad you enjoyed learning as much as I did.
Super Cool post! I transferred here to UNCW last year and its been amazing. I love the school spirit this place has and the colors that represent our school. It is great to actually now know the origin of the UNCW teal. I always love rocking some UNCW merchandise. GO SEAHAWKS!
Love the spirit! So happy you transferred and are having a good experience thus far!