Jamestown High’s nickname changed to Red & Green
Introducing the Jamestown “Red & Green.”
On the recommendation from the Nickname Committee, the Jamestown Public Schools Board on Tuesday officially adopted Jamestown High School's new nickname.
“We felt that ‘Red & Green' bridges the gap between the tradition of our school and the new logo,” said Ben Drake, JHS athletic director. “It provides a connection to our storied past and also a bridge to the future. And we also firmly believe that our current and future students will rally around this decision, just as they have past transitions.”
Following requirements the New York State Department of Education released in March 2023, Jamestown Public Schools began the process of changing the high school nickname away from Red Raiders last spring.
After receiving input, the committee narrowed its choices to Red & Green and Catamounts.
Drake said a survey opened to the community resulted in 397 responses, with 134 students preferring Catamounts and 283 community members voting for Red & Green. Taking all votes into account, the committee went with Red & Green as its recommendation to the school board.
Paul Abbott, school board president, thanked Drake and members of the committee for their work. He said the high school's nickname — and what led to its eventual change — has been discussed in the community “at length.”
“I don't think we're going to come to any decision that everybody's going to be happy about,” Abbott said. “I know that most of the people I heard from said ,‘Red Raiders.' Well, that's not happening. … At the end of the day, this is the decision we have to come to.”
In a news release, the district said Red & Green — the school's longtime colors — was the high school's first known nickname from 1905 to 1935 prior to the introduction of the “big cat” logo first seen in the 1940s.
“Red & Green” also served as the longtime name of the high school's yearbook. The nickname will accompany the “big cat” mascot and logo that was adopted in 2022.
Between the two options, Patrick Slagle, school board vice president, said he liked Red & Green. “I think it makes sense. It goes with our past,” he said.
Slagle also thanked the committee for its work to bring forward a recommendation.
School board member Frank Galeazzo said Catamounts, the choice by students in the survey, should have weighed more in the final decision. He also believes the nickname should have matched better with the current “big cat” logo.
“It's disheartening that we reach out to the community, reach out to students, and we get less than 400 pieces of feedback,” Galeazzo said.
The “Red & Green” name will be phased in beginning later this spring, the district said.
Dr. Kevin Whitaker, Jamestown Public Schools superintendent, said the nickname discussion has been a “challenging part of our history.”
“It was very much an external state down to the district's edict,” he continued. “Some places are fine with that, and they were ready for that change, and other places are not fine with that. … I'm glad that we are through this; I'm glad that we had the representation on the committee that we did; I'm glad for the open and honest conversations that happened as a result of this process. Now we move forward.”
In March 2023, the state said it would withhold aid to districts that continue to use Native American imagery and names. In 2014, the school board voted to eliminate the use of Native American imagery after the Seneca Nation sent then-Superintendent Tim Mains a letter regarding the nickname.
Last spring, the school board agreed to move forward with finding a new nickname.
“I'm not going to play chicken with education. I won't do it,” Abbott said at the time. “It's funding for a proper education and it's not a pawn I want to use in this game.”