The Manhasset School District mascot will be no mascot at all.
Instead, the district announced last week that the school’s “Indian” mascot would be replaced by just the school’s name, “Manhasset,” or abbreviated to just “Set.” As in, Go Set.
“Manhasset is a brand, that ‘M’ is a brand,” said Mickey Giacobbe, chairman of a renaming committee. “At this point, our recommendation as a committee is that we don’t need a mascot. People know who we are and they know what we represent.”
Giacobbe explained that the name is a natural progression for the school district, with many sports teams yelling “Go Set” at events.
The mascot, or rather lack thereof, was suggested by the school district’s Team Name Committee after multiple student and community polls and adopted by the Manhasset Board of Education Thursday night.
The district was required to change its “Indian mascot” after the New York Board of Regents voted to ban school districts from using Native American mascots, team names, logos and depictions in April 2023,
School districts that utilize Native American mascots must make the change by the end of the 2023-2024 school year. If they fail to comply, then state funding will be withheld.
The district reached out to the community after the regents’ decision to solicit team name recommendations. About 275 were suggested.
“Some were appropriate, some were not,” Giacobbe said.
These 275 suggestions were then used as the basis for the team names then selected for consideration.
The district’s Team Name Committee was then formed. It included 29 volunteers who were alumni, parents, students, district employees and board of education members.
“It was a really nice cross-section of people with differing views,” Giacobbe said.
The committee began with student engagement. They informed the students of the suggested mascot names and the possibilities associated with them.
Students in grades 7-12 were polled with a 75% participation rate. These students ranked their top three choices from a list of eight mascots, including a write-in option.
The student poll ranked the Mavericks, Manhasset or “set” and Eagles as the top three mascots, respectively.
These three options were then offered in a community poll. Community members able to vote were adult residents of the school district, students grades 7-12 and faculty and staff of the Manhasset Secondary School. About 1,800 people participated.
Nearly half of the community voters opted for no mascot, receiving 48.4% of votes. Mavericks received 33.6% of votes and Eagles received 18%.
The Manhasset School District has used the Native American mascot since its founding in 1920.
The history of Manhasset’s “Indian” mascot is traced back to the Matinecock Indian Tribe, a group that occupied most of the Town of North Hempstead and was later forcibly removed from the area.
The Manhasset School District used the “Indian” mascot name, along with an orange feather attached to the “M” in its logo, and called its newspaper “Indian Ink.”
The board also adopted a budget revision to spend up to $432,000 on the costs associated with the team name change. This includes replacing team uniforms, signage, decals, and equipment with the original logo.
These funds will come from the unassigned fund balance for the 2023-2024 budget. No funds for the mascot change are budgeted in the 2024-2025 budget.
Passi said he has also contacted state Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti for assistance in finding state funds for the team name changes.
Passi also discussed state amendments permitting boys and girls to play on the same sports team if no team is designated for each gender.
The regulation would require an athlete to get local approval. Based on tryout performances, schools would assess whether the athlete’s participation would significantly adversely affect the team’s members.
An example in Manhasset is its field hockey team, which is only offered to girls. This state amendment would permit boys to join the team.
Passi said decisions currently are made individually by the school districts for what he called “one-off” circumstances.
He said he feared the state amendment would “open the door” to greater interests and mixed-gender teams.
“Which would in essence limit opportunities for female athletes to participate and could have an adverse effect on female sports,” Passi said.
Jill Pullano added that it could also cause injuries in contact sports.
The board discussed the possibility of sending a letter to the state about the amendments but suggested that it be led by the district’s Manhasset Athletic Advisory Committee Members.
In other news, the school district’s scheduled bonded summer construction will be delayed due to delays in state approval.
Passi said the plans were submitted in November and December, fit within the state’s timeline to be approved by the summer, yet have not received approvals.
The community approved a 2022 bond for the school district to conduct $43 million worth of improvements. It was intended to be done over three years but is significantly delayed due to state reviews.
Gergis also presented the district’s 2024-2025 school year safety plan, which community members can view on the district’s website and provide comments on for the next month.
The Manhasset Board of Education will convene again on June 20.
