Another New York school has changed its Native American mascot.​

Waterloo Central Schools will go from being the Waterloo Indians to the Tigers this fall. The Finger Lakes school district changed its mascot after the board voted to drop the insensitive Native American name.

“I would like to thank the Board of Education for listening to our students and the community and for approving this change,” Superintendent of Schools Terri Bavis said. “I would also like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to all who served on our Mascot Search Committee – especially our students – and everyone in the community who contributed to the process. Go Tigers!”

Not everyone in the community wanted the change. Over 1,000 people signed a petition to keep the original mascot, arguing it honors Native Americans, according to Spectrum News.

The name will change but the orange and black colors will stay the same. The new mascot suits have even arrived just before the school season begins in the fall.

Credit - Waterloo School District via Facebook
Credit - Waterloo School District via Facebook
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Football Field Logo

The new mascots may have arrived but the old Indians logo will remain on the football field. For this year at least. The cost to replace the turf is $150,000, money the district hopes to place in the future budget.

A number of schools across the state have changed their mascots over the years. Several national sports teams have moved away from the Indian logo too - Cleveland's baseball team and Washington's football team.

There's a bill in the Senate that would ban all public schools from using Native American mascots by 2024. It was amended and sent back to the Education Committee in May where it's been ever since.

Name Changes

Teams, professional on down to the school level, have a history of name changes over the years. Here is a look at a few.

13 Major Changes Coming To New York State

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