West Hartford High Schools Have New Mascots Following Board Approval

WEST HARTFORD, CT — West Hartford's high schools officially have new mascots after the board of education approved the names during its meeting Tuesday night, according to several reports.

Following a 5-2 vote, Conard High School changed its mascot from the Chieftains to the Red Wolves, while Hall High School changed its from the Warriors to the Titans, WTNH reported.

The vote comes around four months after the board voted to rid both high schools of their mascots, with the goal of eliminating insensitive references to Native Americans.

Both schools had chosen their mascots before they were put to the board for a vote, according to Fox 61.

"Each respective school had well over 100 possible names and so they had to funnel that down," Chair Dr. Lorna Thomas-Farquharson said, as reported by Fox 61. "So there was definitely enthusiasm and excitement for the new name and, really, a way of trying to build group community together moving forward."

West Hartford's former mascots would have denied the schools $28,000 from the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Fund, under a state law that would prohibit tribal funding to municipalities that use "any name, symbol or image that depicts, refers to or is associated with a state or federally recognized Native American tribe or a Native American individual, custom or tradition, as a mascot, nickname, logo or team name," Hearst Connecticut Media reported.

The vote to change the mascots passed despite a last-minute lawsuit filed by two residents, who argued the school board violated "policy, law and due process" during its vote to remove the mascots, the Hartford Courant reported.

A superior court judge scheduled a virtual hearing on the lawsuit for July 7, the Courant said.

Related:

• Native American Nicknames Officially Scrapped In West Hartford
• Keep 'Chieftain,' 'Warrior' Names, Tribal Leader Says: Report