The student-led Warrior Renaming Committee has completed their final survey and Golden Knights received the most votes. You can view the results here.
Based on the results of this survey, the student-led committee unanimously recommended Golden Knights as the new nickname to the superintendent. As a result, the June 17th Board of Education Meeting will have a recommended action for the Board to adopt this nickname, which will go into effect for the 2025-26 school year. The District will take the 2024 – 2025 school year to develop a new logo and mascot. During this time, the District will continue to use the Warriors nickname.
Below is a summary of the process used to determine the new nickname:
- April 2023 – The Board of Regents approved a proposed amendment to Commissioner of Education Regulations that prohibited the use of Indigenous names, mascots, and logos by public schools in New York State
- May 8, 2023 – The Board of Education passed a resolution which requested that the Commissioner of Education “grant permission for the School District to continue to use the term “Warriors” as its District logo.”
- June 12, 2023 – The Board of Education passed a resolution to dissolve the nickname Warriors due to the State’s regulation that banned names and images of school mascots that were at any time related to Indigenous people. The Board had to act before June 30 or would be subject to penalties from the State.
- September 2023 – A student-led committee was developed and tasked with identifying potential names and providing frequent opportunities for the Averill Park community to be part of the renaming process. To that end, three surveys were launched on February 12, 2024, March 20, 2024, and May 3, 2024. The third and final survey was closed on May 22, 2024.
- June 3, 2024 – The student-led committee recommended Golden Knights as the new nickname to the Superintendent. Dr. Franchini supported this recommendation.
- June 17, 2024 – The Board of Education will vote to approve the Golden Knights as the new nickname.