PASCACK REGIONAL DISTRICT, N.J.—After students from both Pascack Valley Regional District high schools proposed their three mascot options to be voted on by their schools, several board members and parents criticized the selection process.
One trustee wondered whether mascots were even needed at the schools.
Pascack Hills and Pascack Valley high school representatives revealed the three final mascot choices for each school at Feb. 22 district board meeting.
Students at Pascack Hills High School, which serves Montvale and Woodcliff Lake, voted for, in descending order, Phoenix, Broncos, and Trailblazer.
Students at Pascack Valley High School, which serves Hillsdale and River Vale, voted for, in descending order, Green Wave, Hawks, and Panthers.
The students said that following schoolwide votes on Feb. 25—just after our press deadline—the final proposals will advance to the school board, which next meets March 8.
While board members lauded the students for their work in the process, questions were raised about whether students should be allowed to vote on simply a “Pascack Valley” or “Pascack Hills” nameplate for uniforms, instead of a mascot.
Pascack Hills student Jacob Levin said his mascot committee was not in favor of using “Pascack Hills” in lieu of a mascot, while Pascack Valley’s Delia Collis said having “Pascack Valley” as a name alone was considered, but not supported, by their mascot committee.
Each school’s mascot committee was formed in late 2020, following a June 2020 unanimous decision by the regional school board to “retire” PV’s Indian mascot and PH’s Cowboy mascot.
In a 1,000-word letter defending the mascots’ retirement posted on its website, the board said the mascots offended a significant portion of its communities and were not inclusive.
The board said much research and discussion had gone before the final June 22 vote was taken, a point disputed by many residents and public officials who called for the decision to be reconsidered. The district’s four participating towns’ mayors wrote twice asking for the matter to be reconsidered.
The board declined to reconsider its mascot decision and Superintendent P. Erik Gundersen moved ahead to create mascot committees at each school.
New Questions on Process
Concerns were raised anew by member Michael Weaver, of Montvale, about financing for the mascot changes, and whether the focus should be on individual schools, rather than a new mascot for each school. It was unclear if there would be a cost-saving to simply having Pascack Hills or Pascack Valley as school logos.
Trustee Kristin Martin of Hillsdale voiced concerns similar to Weaver’s and said some students felt left out of the mascot selection and voting process. Martin wondered what constituted a “majority” of students, asking whether the vote would count if half the student population didn’t vote.
Gundersen said he’d speak with athletic directors in charge of the voting process at each school and share that information with members.
Member Joseph Blundo of River Vale went further, saying “right, wrong or indifferent” the public perception he’s hearing believes that the selection process was manipulated and driven “in a certain direction. I’m not really thrilled with the process.”
Blundo added that he “definitely respects what the students did” and that “I will follow what the students vote.”
Final mascot choices revealed
PH’s Jacob Levin said the mascot committee selected the final three mascots, Phoenix, Broncos, and Trailblazer, which will be presented for a student/faculty vote. Each choice will include a rationale and visual representation.
PV’s Delia Collis said of her peers’ proposals, Green Wave, Hawks; and Panthers, a vote on a logo will come later.
The students did not publicly present the rationale for each choice Feb. 22 but both schools’ student representatives said all students voting would know why the specific mascot options were being recommended.
Blundo said he wouldn’t back a final choice of Hawks because he felt the mascot was strongly associated with Hillsdale, although River Vale’s middle schoolers are called Holdrum Hawks. He said choosing Hawks “would send a message to River Vale that you’re just our guests… I wouldn’t be comfortable with that.”
Three residents questioned the mascot selection process, financing, and whether all district students were engaged and included in the mascot selection process.
Carolee Adams of Montvale wondered about the word “rationale” and what it meant in relation to the mascots being recommended. She also cited a comment allegedly made by Pascack Valley’s Vasili Karalewich at the prior meeting over putting one’s beliefs aside.
Adams wanted to know who said that to the students. She also wanted to know what percentage of students voting and participating constituted a majority vote.
Montvale’s Chris Roche wondered how funds were being found for mascot changes and noted Pascack Hills budget appeared to show a 3.1% increase over last year.
Michael Zeretsky of River Vale questioned Gundersen several times about what message Gundersen would infer “if a majority of the kids don’t vote.” He asked, “If kids don’t vote will you take that as a vote against the process?”
Weaver spurred the board’s mascot discussion by expressing concerns about whether a mascot was even needed, noting the focus should be on the school, the team, and the students—not a mascot.
“I wish that this Board of Education would take more time to ask the question, What is a mascot and do we really need one?” asked Weaver. He said he had done research on sports teams without mascots, including the Washington Football Team (formerly the Washington Redskins) and said many of the best teams, including Olympic teams, are not represented by a mascot.
Member James Stankus, of River Vale said that the high school students had missed so many events and normal high school activities that it was important for them to do something they could look back on, such as selecting a new school mascot.
“Just a little something here, this one thing, you know, people will look back at it and say this was the year that we did this,” he said.