Somerton High School has its mascot: Toros.

Yuma Union High School District unveiled the new high school’s mascot name on Tuesday, March 1 with a 2-minute video premiere on the district’s Facebook and YouTube channels. The video was narrated by Somerton High School Principal Lucky Arvizo and was posted for the district’s more than 11,000 followers to view in English and Spanish.

“We wanted a name that reflected a lot of the values that the new high school will stand for,” Arvizo said. “Toros are an essential part of a family. They are strong, resilient, powerful, and agile. I’m excited the name was selected, and we are ready to get to work. Go Toros!”

The selection of Toros was part of a three-step process for choosing the new school’s identifying features. Initially, YUHSD released a survey for the selection of the school colors with 69.9% of the respondents choosing copper and navy blue. A field of more than 140 suggested names was next pared to five semifinalists in November 2021 and a final survey was distributed in February with choices narrowed to Scorpions or Toros. After collecting 2,868 responses over a 10-day period, the Toros name was selected by an overwhelming 66.2 percent.

Next, the school district will begin soliciting artwork for the Toros mascot. More information is expected to be available about the submission process for the community in the coming weeks.

Somerton High School was initially approved by Yuma County voters as part of the 2015 “Yes! Yes! Your High Schools” Bond. Planning and development began for the new school in 2017 with the final $33.04 million of funding for the project approved in the Arizona Legislature’s General Appropriations Act, which was signed into law by Governor Doug Ducey in October 2021.  

Classes at Somerton High School are expected to begin in August 2023 with a freshman cohort.