TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County School Board has approved a mascot change for Chamberlain High School during its meeting Tuesday in a 5-1 vote.
In June, the student body made it clear they wanted to move away from the high school’s traditional mascot, which had been the Chiefs — a symbol that over the years had been increasingly viewed as insensitive to Native Americans.
Now, the school has decided on its mascot of the future while still honoring its past. Chamberlain High School will be known as the Storm.
The high school’s student government association began the process of searching for a new mascot over the summer.
A consultant was brought in and surveys were completed. The field was narrowed to three options and in the first week of October, they settled on "The Storm" – a green and gold Spartan Knight clasping a pair of lightning bolts.
For more than six decades, the mascot had been the Chiefs, but following a request from the Title VI Native American Parent Advisory Council to change the image, Chamberlain's student government collected input from students, faculty and alumni.
Some of those alumni, including Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, had said they’d prefer to have kept the name, but ultimately the school board sided with those who said the time for change had come.
“I like it. It’s cool. It’s fierce,” said Catalina Baron, visiting campus. “Politically correct.”
Corryn Lockett, a student seeing the new logo for the first time agreed.
“I really like it. I think it’s really cool. And I think it’ll match the school better,” she said.
Most of the signs and logos on the Chamberlain High School exterior have already been removed.
It’s been estimated the cost of switching logos would be about $50,000 including everything from changing the signage at Chamberlain, to stationary and, of course, team uniforms.
The principal has said a collection drive to cover the expense was already taking place.
As a gesture to those alumni who had made an emotional plea to preserve the Chiefs’ mascot, the school says it will be creating a display case near the front office complete with all sorts of Chiefs history and memorabilia. It will also include an explanation of the reason behind the change.
The East Bay High School Indians would now remain the only school in Hillsborough County to have a Native American mascot.
When asked earlier this year about whether they’d join Chamberlain in a name change, the school said for now there were no plans to do so.