Allison Varghese

As a student and journalist who covered the Mascot Selection Committee meetings, I felt the adults that are part of our community failed to be clear with us. There were multiple times where there was confusion about whether we were moving on from our old, offensive mascot, the Indians. In the end, the students were able to take charge and move on to new beginnings. The student body that wasn’t on the Mascot Selection Committee was also kept in the dark. Despite everything, this was a difficult situation for our community and I appreciate and acknowledge all the work everyone has put in. To dive into the more specific aspects of the mascots choices, I personally thought that the Pascack Valley Vipers was a great choice. Unfortunately, that option was taken out, and instead, one of the finalists ended up being the Hawks. Both middle school mascots are the Hawks and moving into high school and having a new mascot is a right of passage.