Colusa opens name change nominations
With Colusa High School's longtime mascot facing retirement, students and town residents will help decide the school's new standard-bearer.
The Colusa Unified School District today opened the mail-in nomination process for Colusa High's new mascot, with suggestions to be accepted if postmarked by Sept. 26. A final decision is due in mid-December.
The winning choice will become the school's nickname and logo in August 2011, replacing the current Redskins mascot on sports uniforms, fields and courts.
A divided district board voted on April 8 to replace the eight-decade-old symbol over heavy opposition from city residents, after complaints by local Native Americans that the mascot belittled native tribes and fostered racism.
High schoolers, staff members and Colusa residents can mail or e-mail proposed symbols for Colusa High, so long as they do not copy other nicknames at Mid-Valley schools.
Ballots suggesting tribal-themed nicknames like "Braves" and "Warriors" will not be considered, Superintendent Larry Yeghoian said.
"We've had people asking that question (since April) and we've said no, the board voted to change the American Indian theme," he said Tuesday.
In October, a 22-member mascot committee will consider the top three vote-getters from students, staff and townsfolk and choose three finalists to appear on a final ballot. Residents will receive ballots in the mail and students in grades seven to 12 can cast votes on campus.
The mascot committee will count the votes and announce a winner, although Yeghoian said the district has not yet set a cutoff date. The final selection will go to board members for approval on Dec. 16.
District officials have estimated the cost of a mascot change to be $60,000.
Colusa High's new mascot originally was slated for a 2010 debut, but the district board in May voted to delay its introduction by a year after members of the then-freshman class asked to graduate in 2011 with the Redskins nickname still in place.
CHOOSING A MASCOT
• Nomination forms for selecting Colusa High School's new mascot will be available online at the Colusa Unified School District's Web site, www.colusa.k12.ca.us. Completed forms can be mailed to the CUSD Mascot Committee, 745 10th St., Colusa, CA 95932.
• For more information, call district Superintendent Larry Yeghoian at 458-7791.
Contact reporter Howard Yune at hyune@appealdemocrat.com
