Sewanhaka creating committee to change high school name, mascot. I know some people object to the red face, but we dont have that. There's much more consensus on that [than on changing the team name]. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. The school will be consulting amongst faculty and students and is unsure if and when the mascot will be changed. The school has also commissioned a $20,000 White Guy statue to replace the Native American sculpture in front of the school's main office. The Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Black Hawks, The Fighting Illini and many high school teams among them. Academics and rankings[edit] We want to elevate all people, Regent Kathleen Cashin told The Post over the phone. ", After the 2020 petition the Manhasset School District held board meetings, where, Trigg recalls, "Indigenous people joined to speak up regarding their opposition to the use of the mascot, along with numerous people who also supported the removal, which far outnumbered the people who wanted to keep the mascot.". Lets go! instead of the old-fashioned Lets go, Indians!, I cant wait for our school newspaper to be renamed White Guy Ink, too, a Manhassetjunior said. Thirty-five graduating seniors co-signed a letter urging not to alter the school's Indian representation. Manhasset, Sewanhaka pressured to change Indian mascots, A Sewanhaka High School student dressed as an Indian, the schools mascot, at their 2017 homecoming parade. The first time I actually saw the mascot and when I saw how similar it was to the Redskins franchise is almost an exact duplicate except for the colors.. [37][38][39] Manhasset music students are regularly among the selectees for NMEA All-County, NYSSMA All-State and NAfME All-Eastern and All-National honor ensembles. It is especially offensive given that the school has little contact with indigenous populations, and a community of predominately and historically white people have appropriated the mascot. Will you do the same? Over a week later, the board has yet to respond or confirm the receipt of that email. Albany Countys Supreme Court ruled that public schools violate the Dignity Act when using Native American mascots. However a demeaning and racist depiction of an entire racial group that were killed and forced out of their home to create the town of Manhasset that stands today is not something that should represent any kind of school spirit. The mascot needs to be changed now to change this incorrect perception and belief., Yet another commenter said the mascot made Manhasset look out of touch with the national dialogue., How can Manhasset claim to be a leader in education if it is so behind other schools in this way? the commenter wrote. Manhasset school's new mascot - Newsday In 2020, a petition demanding that Manhasset cease to use the "Indians" name and mascot was created on Change.org by Manhasset resident and Manhasset High School alumna Jo Trigg, garnering over 3,000 signatures. It has 976 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 10 to 1. Email your opinion on the issues of the day toletters@newsday.com. It should. Learn more at manhassetschools.org! The state DOE released a memo on Nov. 17 ordering school districts to stop using mascots, team names or imagery depicting Native Americans by the end of the . ", Manhasset High School Should Change the Racist Mascot. Its very interesting to see how the students are making this known to the entire community now, rather than the board of education making it known which is what they said they would do., Manhasset is an Indian tribe. And we are the Indians." 100s Oppose Brookhaven Plan, Local Jobs: See Who's Hiring In The Port Washington Area, General Mills Gold Medal Flour Recalled In NY Over Salmonella Risk. VIEW ALL BIOGRAPHIES: Family News Summary We propose an Indian Appreciation Day in Manhasset, where community members are invited to educate and immerse themselves in Indian culture at Mary Jane Davies Park., Max Schwenk co-authored the letter to the board of education and is the high schools varsity boys soccer captain. A small but vocal minority of meeting participants only five of 29 Manhasset-affiliated commentators voiced support for the mascot pointed to the name as a point of pride and respect for Manhasset's school traditions and indigenous history, proudly identifying as a "Manhasset Indian" (even though not descended from peoples indigenous to Manhasset and its environs). Manhasset High School has a 98% four-year graduation rate according to 20172021 data, coming in significantly ahead of the New York state average of 86%. She says she hopes the district can move quickly to enact changes. The memo from the states education department came on the heels of a court case involving Cambridge Central School District, which voted to retire its Indians team name, logo and mascot in June 2021 before reversing its decision a month later after new board of education members took office. All Rights Reserved. They most likely do not know much about Native history in general because Native history is not taught in school., One signer who commented on the petition said, I swear to god Ive been saying this for years. In Manhasset's cohort of student entering in 2017, 86% of students were graduated in 2021 with a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation, 10% with a regular Regents Diploma and 1% with a Local Diploma. To prove how wrong this mascot is, consider a mascot called the Blacks, the Jews, the Caucasians, the Asians, image and all? Trigg wrote in the petition. Last week, Shelter Rock 3rd graders transformed into famous figures for their Biography Wax Museum! The Manhasset and Sewanhaka school districts are both receiving heat from community members and alumni to retire the mascots as the Washington Redskins football team announced that it would. Manhasset High School - Class of 1991 - Classreport.org Booster Club, District Office Community Room, 7:30 p.m. Board of Ed Mtg. History [ edit] Therefore, we all need to take initiative to ensure it is changed, once and for all.". The Island Nows mission is to create an educational platform that educates through simplicity and entertainment. My dude, Im pretty sure that Trigg has always been an advocate for racial injustice should read Trigg has always been an advocate for racial *justice*nice proofreading. Many parents and students in some districts feel like their teams nicknames pay homage to the rich Native American heritage of the state and the Iroquois tribal confederacy from which countless town names are derived. Schools with Native American mascots must change or face - MSN Opponents Of Manhasset Indians React To No-Native Mascot State Ruling Manhasset Senior High School is a part of the Manhasset Union Free School District and has around 1,157 students and 26 varsity sports. What was once acceptable, no longer is. Groundwork for the new changes had been laid out long before the NFLs Washington Redskins and MLBs Cleveland Indians changed their names to the Commanders and Guardians respectively in 2022. All sports are separated into boys' and girls' with both teams competing in the same season unless otherwise noted. Copyright 2023 Anton Media Group All Rights Reserved , Manhasset Under Pressure To Change Mascot, Community Icon Matthew Falcone Passes Away At 83, Halloween On Ryder Road During A Pandemic, Groundbreaking Endometriosis Study Enters Phase 2, Welcome The Newest WWE Hall Of Fame Inductee: Andy Kaufman, Hicks Nurseries And The Rise (And Fall) Of The Gold Coast Estates, The Bahr Gallery Presents The Hippie Ethos Exhibit. It represents this really purely stereotypical and whitewashed view about what we think Indians look like.. Manhasset High School is a very competitive school as their SAT scores are around 1300s. All Rights Reserved. Pick a target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. Sewanhakas school newspaper is called The Chieftain, and the yearbook is called Totem. MJI has around 15 to 20 members, each of whom are Manhasset students, alumni or residents. It never happened. We dont believe that a mascot should be represented by people, its degrading, Emma Klainberg, a Manhasset alum and cofounder of MJI, said. State Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) has requested that the county Legislatures Public Safety Committee look into corruption claims within, The Towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay have repealed local abortion restrictions following recent calls from elected officials. Theres no way to justify the mascot as it is. The new White Guy'' mascot is receiving increasing support from the student population. Many other states with significant Indigenous populations made these mascot changes back in the '90s. In a statement responding to the students letter, the Manhasset Justice Initiative, an online organization comprised of current and former Manhasset school students, cited extensive support for replacing the mascot, as well as a disconnect on how to honor local native communities. Upstate New York and the North Country take pride in our history and forcing them to replace these historical mascots is prioritizing the Far Left mob at the expense of our students education, Stefanik said. It is a privilege to have the Manhasset Indians.. We urge the school board and administration to immediately stop proceeding with the backdoor termination of our Indian image and rather speak with the proud Manhasset community before any changes are made.. After an upstate district lost their bid to keep their mascot, school districts in New York state have been instructed to stop using Native American symbols and imagery as mascots, team names and logos by the end of the year or face the loss of state funding. At Mohonasen High School in Schenectady County, one alumni and parent told The New York Times Monday she was praying we dont lose our Warrior name, because Warrior can have so many meanings., We shouldnt be erasing history, we should be learning from it, Danielle Ciampino reportedly said, adding, I know I am in the vast majority when I say we want to keep our Warrior name and should be allowed to do so. For any questions or concerns about the petition moving forward, contact MJI at manhassetjustice@gmail.com or on instagram at @ManhassetJustice. During my 13 years of education in the Manhasset school district, I was taught to think critically and to honor and value diversity and inclusion. The boys' and girls' fencing teams practice together and compete separately on a coordinated schedule. The Sewanhaka superintendent also made mention of online petitions that circulated in 2020 to have his district and Manhasset change their mascots. ", "The Manhasset UFSD is proud to announce that 130 students were selected to perform in NMEA All-County ensembles grades 5-12. Further south on Long Island, the Sewanhaka school district has also faced calls to retire its high schools Indian mascot. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN OUR DAILY CONVERSATION. 94% of class of 2021 graduates enrolled in a four-year college, 3% entered a two-year college, the military or another postgraduate program, and 3% did not continue their education beyond high school. Book & Author Luncheon Featuring Dani Shapiro, Best-Selling Novelist and Memoirist, Minimum Wage Would Increase On Long Island Under $229B Budget Deal, Pet Adoption In The Port Washington Area: New Pets Added This Week, Jail Time For Airbnb Hosts?