Charlie Breitrose
The six concepts for Watertown High School’s next mascot were considered by the committee charged with coming up with a proposal to the Town Council.
The options for Watertown’s next mascot, or logo, to go with Watertown High School’s Raiders name were narrowed down to four Tuesday night and the decision will now be up to the School Committee.
Before the final choice is made, the proposed logos will go to the public so they can give their input about which one they favor, said School Committee vice chairman Kendra Foley, who is chair of the Mascot Subcommittee.
The committee was presented six possible concepts for the logo on Tuesday. The images looked different from the previous meeting in September when the group was unable to narrow the choices beyond six.
After looking at the latest concepts, the group was uneasy with how they looked, saying that the liked some of the ones from the previous meeting better.
In the end, the group eliminated one with a colonial figure and one with a masked man who some referred to as Zoro.
That leaves four images that all have some sort of knight or shield, or both.
The group agreed they wanted more polished pictures before asking people for people’s input.
“It should be something people could see and connect with, something sharp, something that people will say I want that to represent the high school,” said Todd Robbins, the television production teacher at WHS.
The committee members also noted that the logo may not end itself to something that could be turned into a live mascot (i.e. someone dressing in a costume) or for students to dress as when attending games.
Foley said that this is the first step, and that a mascot that someone can dress up as may grow out of it. Robbins noted that the newest NHL team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, has a golden alligator as its live mascot, which has no direct connection with a knight.
Originally, the plan was for the final proposals to be shown to the School Committee on Oct. 23, with a month of public input before the School Committee votes in November. Foley said she is not sure the changes can be made in time for the Oct. 23 meeting, so the first presentation may be delayed until November.
The group had some minor tweaks they wanted to make to the proposals.
Knight on a Horse
Charlie Breitrose
A knight riding a horse carrying a shield was one of the concepts liked by the Mascot Subcommittee. The dots are not part of the image.
The group liked the concept of a knight on a horse holding a shield. Some said they would like to change the color of the horse to white. The designer said that would make the horse pop out more, and appear closer to the eye than the knight. Others said the knight’s mask should look more like a traditional Medieval mask, with a grill.
Shield with a W
Charlie Breitrose
The W on a shield was one of the logos favored by the mascot committee. The dots are not part of the design.
A shield with a W on it was one of the options favored by the group. They decided they would rather not have the lightning bolt. Also, they wanted to change the color of the W so that it stands out more. Either white would replace the red in the W or it could be all black. Some suggested adding a script Raiders in front of the W like on the letters given to varsity athletes.
Knight Helmet with a W
Charlie Breitrose
The knight’s helmet with Raiders in the mask was also a finalist. The dots are not part of the logo.
The committee liked the design of the knight’s helmet with Raiders across the grill. Some worried that it was not clear that the letter it in back of the helmet was a W. Members suggested either making the helmet smaller, or raising the peak in the center so it is clearly a W.
Knight Behind a Shield
Charlie Breitrose
The knight behind a shield is one of the finalists for WHS’s new logo. The dot is not part of the image.
The committee liked the concept of a knight behind the shield, but had similar concerns as they had with other designs. They prefer having the knight’s helmet more like a traditional knight, with a grill on the mask, to change the color of the bottom of the W to make it stand out and remove the lightning bolt. Adding a script Raiders in front of the W was also floated for this concept.
Don’t like ANY of them..there was NOTHING wrong with the one they had…
# 1 – keep the colors red & white. Those are the school colors.
The Red White and Black colors will remain.
2 of the final 4 do not even have the name “Raiders” in the logo, so how can they even be in the final 4? The current mascot has been there for years without any issue why does it need to be changed? We were always proud to be a raider
Why does it need to be changed?
Alumni won’t acknowledge or relate to it. Sometimes things are better just left alone.
Ploy to sell a lot of merchandise !
Why not have just a grey square? A nice neutral blank grey slate so that we can ensure we don’t offend anyone’s delicate sensibilities. This politically correct garbage sickens me.
I don’t like any of them. Mascot shouldn’t be changed!
Knight in a horse.
change as reflected in the imagination of comtemporary students is worthy of sincere considerations. life is not stationary.
The indigenous people should be identified in the mascot. They assisted the colonials. Pokémon and LEGO knights etc make no sense.
I like the one with the horse/raider person.
The classic knight of old is not a raider. I am not sure how raider and knight came together here other than a general ignorance of western history by the mascot committee. A raider would be synonymous with either a viking or pirate, both of whom took pleasure in conquering and plundering those who were weak and unprepared.
I think you should leave well enough alone. The Indian was worked for all of us for many years. I don’t care for any of your new desigsn. But thanks for trying anyway.
Susan McCarthy Rogers Class of ’73
Logo was fine the way it was!!!
The old logo had to go. However, the new options are horrible. Why couldn’t the district hire a professional designer and come up with some real options. Those are amateur!
I don’t like any of them. This changed is being pushed by a small group of people who continue to insist that controversy exists where there is none. There has never been any image of a Native Indian on any school uniform in the school’s history. Watertown Raider teams have used the simple “W” in the Watertown red, white and black team colors on their uniforms for years. There has never been any issues or concerns by anyone. I am a WHS alumni and I have raised two sons in the Watertown school system. Both played multiple school sports. I have been at many Watertown school sports events including HS championship competitions and have NEVER seen or heard of any student dressing as a Native Indian, or wearing clothing that in anyway was offensive to the Indian people. Regardless if the Raider name and colors survive, its roots, meaning, and tradition will all be expunged from Watertown history. What gives this small group of individuals the right and power to take that away from thousands of alumni and residents as well as hundreds of current students? The alumni did not want a change in 2015. The vast majority of the towns’ people did not want it. The students did not want it and even refused to vote on the four replacement options being forced upon them then. This is another progressive step by progressives to advance a political agenda. Next will be the removal of all American flags from the schools and the elimination of the national anthem before the start of school sporting events.
Thanks for your comment DM.
A couple things. There has not been a Native American for several years, but in the past uniforms did have them. I have also seen some students dressing in headdresses in recent years. I think it was more common years ago.
DM, You can only comment once without using your full name.
I believe there were some examples shown at the School Committee meeting a few years back showing an Indian. There used to be a Facebook page with old yearbook photos but I can’t find it.
Some athletic booster groups in the long past (60’s,70’s) began to use the North Quincy High School mascot caricature in Watertown colors and in various applications. The Native Indian caricature logo in question carries the name of Yakoo. It was created by a North Quincy High School student named Peter Fredericksen in 1958. It was modeled after Dr. Allan Yacubian who posed for the student in Indian dress. Yakoo is the mascot of the North Quincy High School Red Raiders. It has appeared over the years on some Watertown Youth sports apparel. The caricature is found to be offensive to the Native American people. Its use was never approved for use by the Watertown school administration and is not the official logo or mascot of the WHS. I do not believe an image of a Native American Indian has ever been approved and incorporated on any official WHS sports uniform. The Watertown Red Raiders name was changed to the Raiders in the 1990’s to remove any offense to the Native American people.
I think the four logos in the paper are not good. The Knights of the Round Table were not Raiders. They had other values and strict behaviors and displayed high standards (besides Lancelot in love), but all they did was fight. I am glad there will be no more Native Americans pictured, or connected with raiding. But what is the point of knights and raiders?
I’d rather see an animal name—panthers are black and would fit with the Watertown colors and are swift and strong and well behaved as animals. And make a great picture in a logo. No need to be bloodthirsty, just smart and good at what they do.
Can’t the committee reanalyze the circular thinking that kept the Raider idea, but substituted a knight? It doesn’t really fit and doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Watertown’s history.
Let’s modernize while we’re at it. Animals, like the Panther; Rockets; Transformers; Explorers; be creative.
There was once a terrific sign that briefly hung over the WHS marker that says “Home of the Raiders.” It read “Home of the Readers.” Didn’t last long, got no publicity, and isn’t a good logo anyway. However, I think the Raiders idea should go. It’s a concept of the gory past.
Sincerely,
Barbara Ruskin
140 Spring Street
I don’t like any of these. They are not easy to identify or connect with. The indian made sense because of the history of Watertown. The knights have no connection. I also thought that this was a committee to choose a new mascot?
I think you should go back to the drawing board, and develop something better. Perhaps seek a wider range of input. Please don’t settle for these; they are not a good representation of the potential of Our Town. Good luck finding something that won’t offend someone.
Make sure to take the survey and let them know what you think. The link is in the story.