In 1977, the original school building was demolished and Willard closed for three years while a new structure was built. When the school reopened in the fall of 1980, students adopted as their mascot the Phoenix, the mythical bird said to obtain new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor. We proclaimed a new motto: “From the ruins of the past, a rebirth of learning.” Since that time, the Phoenix logo has adorned the Willard yearbook cover, T-shirts, stationary, and more.