Commentary: PVSP staffers reflect on mascot selection process

Personally, I was glad to see the Indian mascot retired, and as a senior, I’m excited to be able to graduate with a new mascot. However, that doesn’t change the fact that I wish the district had been more transparent with the mascot selection process. After being given the opportunity to be a member of the Mascot Selection Committee, I couldn’t wait to have another staff writer provide coverage o...

While I believe the Mascot Selection Committee and those in charge of it had good intentions in terms of community involvement, I believe the ball was dropped when it came to transparency and communication with the vast majority of the student body. Those who were not part of the committee were essentially kept out of the loop, and quite frankly I see no good reason for the “top secret” mental...

First and foremost, I’m grateful that the Mascot Selection Committee had representation from all clubs and extracurriculars in the school, since it is important to try to make everyone’s voices heard. It would be impossible to have the opinion of the entire student body, so this was probably the best way to form the committee. Although I like the idea of the committee, I feel like the rest of the...

When I first found out that our publication needed someone to take initiative and cover the Mascot Selection Committee meetings, I was excited to have the opportunity to learn more about the mascot selection process. I was grateful to the committee organizers and the student representatives for taking the time to share the process with me and give me updates as to when the mascot would be revealed. H...

Some individuals view the Indians as a lasting tradition and strongly feel that we are losing our school spirit. However, I feel that the idea that the removal of the mascot coincided with a loss of school spirit is debatable. The idea of a school adopting a mascot is to create a sense of unity, not at all like the division in which the Indian mascot produced. Although it has been overdue, I admire, ...

I went to South Dakota to ask people on the Pine Ridge Reservation if our school's prior symbol was offensive, and they agreed that it was. I admit prior to asking them, I didn’t really understand a need to remove the symbol of the Indian, but now I understand it needed to be done. With this being said, I wish the curriculum taught me the relationship between Pascack Valley and the Native American ...

This year has been crazy, but I could not be happier that the board finally decided to do the right thing and remove the Indians as our mascot. I would personally not prefer the Hawks because it is too similar to the middle schools. The Panthers is a nice alliteration but I feel that nickname and mascot is common and very general. Although I do not believe the Green Wave is a great option, I think...

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...

Looking at pronunciation and alliteration is something that matters greatly to me as I tell others about my high school. When saying both Pascack Valley Hawks and Pascack Valley Green Wave, I do not find that satisfaction; however, the Pascack Valley Panthers sound much better.

I’m not overly enthusiastic about any of the mascot choices, but I would take both of the other options over the Hawks. I thought I escaped the Hawks mascot when I left middle school, so it came as a shock to find out that the mascot was once again an option for my school’s logo. After having the same mascot for a long period of time, I got sick of seeing the logo on every school apparel item an...