Only a few high school students are lucky enough to have the perfect timing to be in the first graduating class at a brand new high school. I was one of 267 students who had that exciting pleasure. In addition, we were part of the students who got to vote on the name of our brand-new mascot. We selected Braves and that mascot is still being used to this day. Go Braves!!
With this background and the fond memories from our vote in the early 60′s, it pained me to learn of a situation in Draper, Utah.
The students at soon-to-be Corner Canyon High School were allowed to vote on the mascot of the school, which will open in 2013. The choices included the Bears, Cavaliers, Broncos and Falcons and Cougars. The winner? The Cougars. But the Board of Education decided that victorious mascot is too offensive toward women. The term “cougar” is often informally used to reference an older woman seeking a sexual or romantic relationship with a significantly younger man. They reached this conclusion because of the e-mail messages and phone calls from parents and patrons in Draper asking to reconsider the inclusion of ‘Cougars’. The Board selected the Chargers as the mascot, and it wasn’t even on the original list of five choices.
District officials are standing behind their decision despite growing media attention. (A USA Today piece cheekily notes that the Chargers mascot could stick “unless, of course, someone decides that would be offensive to people who use credit cards.”) District spokeswoman Jennifer Toomer-Cook told KSL-TV that although the Board sought student input, the intent was always for school officials to make the final decision.
Incidentally, BYU, the famous university in Utah, has as it mascot……..the COUGARS.
