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The Groton Central School district (GCS) is one of 55 school districts and 12 high schools on Long Island that are charged by the New York State Department of Education (SED) with retiring Native American team names, mascots and logos – and the change must be completed by the end of this school year.
In November 2022, SED sent a memo stating that schools with a Native American mascot must commit to making these changes by the end of the 2022-23 school year. Noncompliance would risk losing state funding.
Specifically, the regulation states that “team names, mascots, and logos derived from, or that have connections to, Indigenous peoples, in the past or at present, which are being used without the express consent of such peoples are contrary to the requirements of the regulation and New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act and must change.”
Thus, GCS and its Board of Education (BOE) began planning for the transition. In fact, in its planning for the most recent capital project, the district was already very strategic in ensuring that any new signage did not depict any former logos, including the rebranding that occurred in the mid-2000s of the former Indian head to a circle with cascading feathers.
The BOE is cognizant of the rich history and attachment to the “Groton Indians” and its “Indian Pride,” yet the board also recognizes the position of SED, which states that ”the use of Native American symbols or depictions as mascots can become a barrier to building a safe and nurturing school community and improving academic achievement for all students.”
This past spring, GCS sought public input on ideas for a new mascot via ThoughtExchange, an engagement and survey platform in which participants entered their thoughts on the subject. Using ThoughtExchange enabled the district to base its decisions and plans on ideas contributed and supported by community members, students and staff.
In the meantime, Groton High School (GHS) junior Riley Lockwood had done some research of her own, seeking and receiving assistance from GHS English teacher, Brynn Albro, who helped Lockwood start a student group to continue her research.
“I’ve been going to Groton since kindergarten, and I am currently in my junior year,” Lockwood said. “I play volleyball in school and for a club, golf, do powerlifting, and I’m on the committee for choosing the mascot.”
Ideas generated from ThoughtExchange were passed on to the student group, who worked diligently throughout the summer. The result was seven mascot options that Lockwood presented to the BOE at the end of August.
“There were about 15 kids who worked together to research different options for the new mascot,” Lockwood said. “Mrs. Albro and our assistant principal, Mr. Doane, have been a huge help in changing our mascot.”
Lockwood also added her own thoughts on the matter.
“I know lots of people who don’t agree with me on this, but I have changed some people’s minds,” Lockwood said. “Schools don’t talk enough about how absolutely awful we have treated Native Americans in the past and in the present. If you fill a form out and it asks for your race, ‘Native American’ is a race. Do you think that, for example, the name ‘Groton Africans’ or ‘Groton Asians’ sounds ok? Because it doesn’t, and this isn’t any different than that.”
Lockwood continued: “I have also been on teams, and for a cheer we would say ‘Lady Indians.’ That’s not any different than saying ‘Lady Whites’ or ‘Lady Blacks.’ I feel as if this topic isn’t talked about in an open and respectful way, and I would like to change that. I know plenty of people who disagree, and I still respect them. Topics like this need to be addressed more openly instead of telling someone they are wrong. So, please, if you take anything from this, let it be that you should just try to take a deeper understanding on things like this.”
At its September 11 meeting, the BOE narrowed the seven options to three. In alphabetical order, those finalists are the Grizzlies, the Red Hawks and the Steamrollers.
The BOE found the student research statements very helpful in coming to agreement on the final three, which follow here:
Grizzlies protect their kind, regardless of their circumstances. As a community that thrives through cooperation, this is an important quality. Groton is also a district that is focused on athletic ability. With the important quality of strength that grizzlies possess, Groton would benefit from having a mascot to represent them that depicts such physical strength.
Red Hawks is a name created by a group of Native Americans as a substitute for “Indians,” so it would be a perfect way to honor and respect them. Red hawks are also an animal that is sacred to them and symbolizes courage and determination. These are qualities we identified as attributes for the students in Groton.
A steamroller keeps moving regardless of what is in its way, and it always gets the job done. As one alum put it, “I think [the name] speaks to where we’ve come from and where we are going.” In addition, steamrollers have been around in Groton for over 200 years.
So, what’s next? Another ThoughtExchange will go out in the near future, and students will also present the finalists to the community in various ways to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to comment. Simultaneously, the GHS STEAM graphic design class will generate possible logos for each mascot for the BOE’s consideration.
After considering public input and a presentation of mascots and logos, the BOE will make its final selection. It is the goal of the district to roll out the new mascot by January 2024.