Long Island’s Connetquot High School (CHS) will be changing its mascot name from “Thunderbird to “T-Bird” in compliance with the state’s mandate that all schools with Native American-themed mascots be changed.
This decision was made after a Connetquot Central School Board vote was made on Tuesday, finalizing a proposal that had been ready for implementation if the board voted in favor of it. In a letter to community members, the district wrote about its decision, deeming its name change a slight compromise that allows it to retain the aesthetic of the former mascot.
“After careful consideration and extensive negotiations, the District has been presented with a proposed settlement that would allow us to retain all images, logos and use of the name ‘T-Birds.’ Such an agreement would also allow the District the flexibility to revert back to ‘Thunderbirds’ if there is a change in the current State law,” the board wrote.
The White House under President Trump has been adamantly against the renaming of school mascots that represent an indigenous theme. In June, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited a New York school whose mascot was being considered for a change.
“The Trump Administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes,” Secretary McMahon said to the school during her visit.
Some members of the indigenous community are dissatisfied with the slight mascot name-change for CHS. Mohawk tribe member (New York), John Kane, told The Associated Press that “there’s no other etymology for ‘Thunderbird’ than Native American culture. The mythical creature is associated with storms and often viewed as a powerful spirit and benevolent protector in many indigenous traditions,” Kane said.
