The state of California recently voted that the mascot "Redskins" is offensive and "disparaging of Native Americans" so of the 63 high schools in California that share the Redskins nickname, four will have to change their mascot by January 1, 2017, according to MaxPreps.
Calaveras HS (CA), located in San Andreas, was one of those schools forced to change their mascot and they decided that instead of changing it, they're dropping the idea of having a mascot altogether. When faced with a few options, including Redhawks, Skulls, Reds, or no nickname at all, the board of trustees for the school, along with a committee of parents, teachers, and other community members decided overwhelming that no nickname was the proper course of action.
“Calaveras High School was faced with AB30 this year, which mandated the removal of our Redskin mascot, which has been in place since the mid-1940s. The dignity and pride that we have maintained in the use of our logo will not change.”
Moving forward, they will simply be known as "Calaveras High School".
According to a report, the Redskin logo will be removed from campus but school stationary will continue to show a Native American in a headdress.
"We are Calaveras HS and we are proud, dignified and strong," Calaveras HS principal Mike Merrill told the Calaveras Enterprise.
In a day and age where North Dakota created a bunch of hoopla when choosing a new nickname after deciding to drop "Fighting Sioux" (including the Fighting Hawks, Green Hawks, Nodaks, North Stars, Roughriders, and Sundogs) before eventually settling on the Fighting Hawks, going with no nickname at all seems odd.