After Guilford Dropped 'Indian' As Mascot, Down To 14 Finalists

GUILFORD, CT - Maybe the Green Wave? How about the Gryphons? Or Giants? After 86ing the Guilford High School “Indian” mascot last summer, the finalists for who/what will be the new name of the school’s sports teams, and its official mascot are in. Whittled down to 14, it will be left to students to decide.

The mascot finalists were chosen by a search committee of students, parents, faculty and community members. The group reviewed the list of submissions by over 300 school and community members and pared them down.

On Nov. 23, students in grades 5 through 12 at Baldwin Middle School, Adams Middle School and Guilford High School will be asked to select their top five choices from the list of 14 submissions. They will then be asked to rank their top five.

Then, after Thanksgiving, the top choices from this survey will be presented to these same students to choose the new mascot.

Here are the finalists:

Bears

Eagles

Falcons

Giants

Green Wave

Grizzlies

Gryphons (Griffins)

Hawks

Hurricanes

Mariners

Rams

Seahawks

Whalers

Wolfpack

Recall that back in late June, the Guilford Board of Education removed the 'Indian' as its moniker and mascot.

After advisory opinions from the town's Human Rights Commission, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and myriad Indian mascot experts, the board voted unanimously to drop the school's Indian mascot and nickname during a special meeting live-streamed on YouTube and watched by nearly hundreds.

Schools superintendent Dr. Paul Freeman recommended the board "immediately discontinue the use of Indian as Guilford mascot," to honor student voices as well, students who said they felt "uncomfortable outside Guilford" wearing clothing with the Indian logo.

"They are embarrassed to be wearing a Native American name when it has been made clear that Native peoples do not want to be identified" in that way, he said. "Students have asked us to cease this practice," Freeman said, but noted that he was "not suggesting we erase our local Guilford history."

Rather, he said, the move to immediately stop using the Indian moniker and mascot is "the beginning."

"I'm not suggesting we remove it to avoid talking about race. In fact, this is only one step in a process ... an emotional step for many but I want to highlight the fact that this is not the end of a discussion," Freeman said. "It's the beginning."

Freeman said at the time work had already begun with a curricula audit around Native history, race, equity and culturally responsive instruction.

The move to dump the offensive-to-many mascot led to the committee to find a new one.