BY Stephanie Specchio
WATKINS GLEN--In a community-wide effort that was student-driven, Watkins Glen Central School will now be known as the Lake Hawks. This follows a notice from the New York State Department of Education in November of 2022 that required schools with Native American mascots to find a replacement.
Although Watkins Glen had originally modified their name to just Senecas, relating to the physical proximity to the lake and removing the connection to Native American imagery, the state decided that change was not enough.
Beginning in 2022, neighboring Odessa-Montour re-branded to the Grizzlies and the combined teams went by the Schuyler Storm. Other regional teams that have re-branded include Waterloo and Candor with others actively working towards a change.
The Watkins Glen new name was selected after a school/community survey was completed that garnered over 700 responses. According to guidelines from New York state, the new name needed to be region-specific, could not have vestiges of the former name and could not have indigenous ties.
“We received about 150 viable options from members of the community and our school community,” said Superintendent Kai D’Alleva. “I am pleased with the process. The students really got into this. The younger students voted as a class, so we introduced them to the democratic process. Every student had the opportunity to participate if they wanted to.”
With 16 contenders left standing, a “Sweet 16” bracket was formed: eight options represented Mother Nature (thunder, waves, cyclones, etc.) and eight possibilities represented Mammal Madness (eagles, fishers, ravens, etc.). In the final round, Thunder went head-to-head with the Lake Hawks.
“I think the students saw this as an opportunity for branding,” said D’Alleva. “When I was a kid, branding wasn’t a thing, but today’s students live in a very visual world. They could envision what a Lake Hawk might look like, but it was harder to imagine a mascot representing Thunder.”
Branding is the next step, according to D’Alleva. A small team of administrators and alumni who work at the school will collaborate with a contractor to develop the imagery, which may be based on the osprey, a predator native to this area that has unique talons for hunting on the water. Students in the marketing/advertising class and varsity club will also have the option to participate in the process.
“We’ll go a little slower with the branding process,” said D’Alleva. “In the end, we’re going to make it awesome.”
WATKINS GLEN--In a community-wide effort that was student-driven, Watkins Glen Central School will now be known as the Lake Hawks. This follows a notice from the New York State Department of Education in November of 2022 that required schools with Native American mascots to find a replacement.
Although Watkins Glen had originally modified their name to just Senecas, relating to the physical proximity to the lake and removing the connection to Native American imagery, the state decided that change was not enough.
Beginning in 2022, neighboring Odessa-Montour re-branded to the Grizzlies and the combined teams went by the Schuyler Storm. Other regional teams that have re-branded include Waterloo and Candor with others actively working towards a change.
The Watkins Glen new name was selected after a school/community survey was completed that garnered over 700 responses. According to guidelines from New York state, the new name needed to be region-specific, could not have vestiges of the former name and could not have indigenous ties.
“We received about 150 viable options from members of the community and our school community,” said Superintendent Kai D’Alleva. “I am pleased with the process. The students really got into this. The younger students voted as a class, so we introduced them to the democratic process. Every student had the opportunity to participate if they wanted to.”
With 16 contenders left standing, a “Sweet 16” bracket was formed: eight options represented Mother Nature (thunder, waves, cyclones, etc.) and eight possibilities represented Mammal Madness (eagles, fishers, ravens, etc.). In the final round, Thunder went head-to-head with the Lake Hawks.
“I think the students saw this as an opportunity for branding,” said D’Alleva. “When I was a kid, branding wasn’t a thing, but today’s students live in a very visual world. They could envision what a Lake Hawk might look like, but it was harder to imagine a mascot representing Thunder.”
Branding is the next step, according to D’Alleva. A small team of administrators and alumni who work at the school will collaborate with a contractor to develop the imagery, which may be based on the osprey, a predator native to this area that has unique talons for hunting on the water. Students in the marketing/advertising class and varsity club will also have the option to participate in the process.
“We’ll go a little slower with the branding process,” said D’Alleva. “In the end, we’re going to make it awesome.”
