Warriors mascot & name in local news

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

The on and off topic of the name change from Warriors.
I saw this local story and where a compromise was reached.  The new logos can be found at the link if interested.

http://www.courant.com/community/west-hartford/hc-west-hartford-new-high-school-logos-0820-20150819-story.html

West Hartford High Schools Get New, Non-Native American Logos

By Suzanne Carlson contact the reporter

West Hartford High Schools replace Native American logos with new mascots.
August 19, 2015, 8:02 PM

WEST HARTFORD — The town's two high schools are set to start the new year with fresh logos, created after the board of education recommended that use of all Native American mascots and imagery be discontinued..

"We're very proud of the work that's been done by the students and the faculty and the community at both Hall and at Conard," said Assistant Superintendent Andy Morrow.

Conard's new logo is a "C" on a shield similar to a coat of arms, divided into quarters to represent academics, the arts, athletics and community.

Hall's new logo is in a similar style with an "H" and "W" for Hall Warriors.

Conard's Chieftain and Hall's Warrior mascots had previously been represented by Native American imagery, and controversy over the symbols has been simmering for years.

The issue came to a head in the fall when students at a soccer game between the two schools began yelling anti-semitic chants, prompting a letter from administrators to the school communities admonishing cultural insensitivity. Subsequently, some students came forward to say they thought the Native American logos were racist and should be eliminated, and the board held several meetings and a community forum on the issue.

Republican school board members Jay Sarzen and Mark Zydanowicz defended use of the mascots. But the four Democrats on the school board said the images, which included tomahawks and stylized Indian heads in war bonnets, were disrespectful and have no place in the schools.

Board members eventually agreed to a compromise and voted unanimously in March to recommend that the schools drop the mascots but keep the Chieftain and Warrior names.

"We never want to disrespect Native Americans. Our students are our mascots, and we remain the Conard Chieftains," Conard football coach Matt Cersosimo said.

Conard Principal Julio Duarte said a committee of parents, teachers, and students came up with the idea for a family crest style of logo and it was designed by Nina Fox, a parent and professional marketer.

Sports uniforms with the existing Native American imagery will either be replaced or have a patch with the new logo sewn over the old logos.

"The logo is just a symbol, but the reality is our students and our scores and all the good work that we do, it's really us. It's nothing to do with a logo or any of that, so that's not going to change," Duarte said.

Hall Principal Dan Zittoun could not be reached for comment.

Although Hall had already dropped its Indian head mascot in 2012, students maintained a student pep club called, "The Reservation." Conard's student pep club called itself "The Tribe."

Board Chairman Mark Overmyer-Velazquez said that the schools can't legally order the student-led clubs to stop using the names. Duarte said he's spoken with the leadership of Conard's pep club and they've tentatively decided to call the group, "The Red C," going forward.

The Conard student newspaper, the PowWow, also formerly had an Indian head logo in its masthead, but the March issue eliminated the image and changed the newspaper's name to "Wow!Pow!"

Courant staff writer Tom Yantz contributed to this report.