Recently, some folk from out of town informed me that our school name was un-intimidating and unclear.  A few years ago, our school name was changed from the “Indians” to the “Pride” in an effort to be racially sensitive.  I am not against the change, yet the “Pride” leaves a dissatisfying and intangible feeling of school spirit.

Before we critique the name of our sports teams, we must first define what the “Pride” truly represents. Most students believe that the pride represents a feeling of self-respect and confidence in our school. However, in reality, the “Pride” is supposed to represent a pack of lions.  I have yet to see any pictures of lions painted around the school or people dressing up in lion costumes. Rather, I have only see a giant “O” on our sports fields or courts.  The solution to this issue is simple, either we change the name of our school teams, or we start embracing our school as a representation of a pack of lions.

I understand a feeling of self-respect and confidence is necessary to school spirit. However, wouldn’t we want to emulate an image of something tangible that has both self- respect and a real presence? We are one of the few schools in Westchester that doesn’t have a carnivorous animal as our team name. Here’s an idea; why don’t we develop a name that is both catchy and reminiscent of an animal with pride. For instance, the Ocelot is a cat of prey that when they form a pack, they are known as a “pride”. The phrase “Roll Pride” can still be used, however now it would serve as a complementary reference to our new mascot.

I have ranted about the changing of our name both on the radio (91.1 FM) and in personal conversation. Either we change the name of our school teams or we start painting some pictures of lions around the school.  I abhor the fact that we are viewed as a “feeling of self-respect”; let’s transform our school image into something that other schools fear.