The devil's in the logo?

The imp may be out. Students at Lindhurst High School, whose Blazer mascot is described by the principal as a horned, mythological creature, will vote Friday on the fate of the little fellow in a controversy that extends to whether the figure represents an imp — or a cartoon devil.

"You need to take a look at it and make your own decision," said Larry Patty, who taught at Lindhurst when it opened in 1975 until he retired last year.

The student vote and community opinion could determine if the mascot survives.

"I want to hear all 1,389 students," Principal Bob Eckardt said. "And I'm ready to hear what the entire community feels about this."

Community meetings on the mascot will be held Dec. 2 and 3 in room C106 at Lindhurst High.

Eckardt said of the potential change that, "this was not a 'me' thing," but represents a broader interest by the high school in reviewing the mascot's status.

Cathy Manion, student body president, asked Marysville Joint Unified School District trustees Tuesday to help save the figure that she said is neither imp nor devil but a Blazer.

"He's a fighter," Manion, 17, said, prompting a score of supporters to stand and applaud.

She doesn't like the prospect of losing him — nor how she says Lindhurst school officials hadn't included students in on the mascot's fate.

Trustee Jim Flurry said the school, which takes its name from the communities of Linda and Olivehurst, has excelled in recent years in academics and athletics and inspires loyalty from students and the community.

"They've got a tough history," Flurry said of the high school. "They've risen above it."

In 1992 a former student shot and killed four people at the school and wounded 10 others.

In 2006 Principal Dean Miller, 58, was killed when his vehicle plunged down a 30-foot embankment after he drove from his Loma Rica home.

A Phoenix has been suggested as a possible new mascot for the school.

Long-time teacher Patty wants Lindhurst to go back to its "Flame" mascot, a figure with little legs that he said evolved about a dozen years ago into the present image with "horns and tails and everything else."

Michele Luster, 48, a student in the first class to graduate from Lindhurst, remembers how she and others attending Alicia Elementary in Linda voted for the Blazer mascot before the high school opened.

"This school has gone through so much," said Luster, who wants no change in the mascot.

Linda Roberson 49, a Lindhurst graduate who lives in Ventura County but still returns to Yuba County to watch the school's football and basketball teams play, said she relates to the present mascot — "someone strong and dominant and who just takes care of things."

She's puzzled by the possibility of losing the Blazer.

"I don't know if it's religious beliefs or because they think it's an evil looking thing," Roberson said.

Malcom Johnson, 17, a senior at Lindhurst, supports keeping the mascot and noted the big smile on the face of the figure. That grin represents the school, its success and the good students who attend, Johnson said.

Colusa High School in April dropped its Redskins mascot after eight decades following complaints from Native Americans. A final decision on a new mascot is expected next month.

McKenney Intermediate School in Marysville adopted a new Mustang mascot three years ago to replace the Rebel, after the school district said some students believed the confederate soldier mascot was not a welcoming image to the diverse student population.

Eckardt said before Lindhurst opened in 1975, the school's mascot was proposed to be the Cowboys — but that the school district opposed that plan, saying it didn't want the Cowboys of Lindhurst taking on the Marysville Indians.

Melissa Mosley Linson, a 1990 graduate whose sons attend the high school, said three other alumni were in her living room Tuesday night when she called Patty after hearing about the mascot matter.

She knows a half-dozen more alumni in her neighborhood.

"They are furious," said Linson, who share their opposition to any change.

"By next week we'll be seeing petitions everywhere," she said.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ryan McCarthy at 749-4707 or rmccarthy@appeal-democrat.com.