As 2021 begins, the athletic teams at Saugatuck Public Schools will go without a mascot. With the help of the public and a small group of students in a selection committee, the new mascot should be announced by the end of February.

The public was allowed to vote on the eight finalists in December and the final three mascots were announced on January 18th during the Saugatuck school board meeting. The final three potential mascots are -

  • Lakers
  • Storm
  • Trailblazers

The next step will be Monday, February 1st, as the school board will reconvene to discuss the final three mascots with the context of the position statement guiding the selection process. That statement involves the new mascot having "local relevance, relatable to current students and alumni, and portray a positive, uplifting image."

The workshop will also allow the Board to view the first graphic concepts for each finalist that were created by students in the High School's graphic design program. The next full school board meeting will be Monday, February 22nd, where a final vote is expected to take place.

With the three finalists named, here is the breakdown of how many other schools use the nicknames for their athletic teams in Michigan -

  • Lakers - 11 (Closest to Saugatuck are Spring Lake and St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic)
  • Storm - 1 (Ann Arbor Rudolph Steiner)
  • Trailblazers - 0

Saugatuck's school board voted in August 2020 to retire the former Indians mascot after introducing the possibility of a name change in July 2020. It followed the most recent change in the last year at Paw Paw Community Schools, where their athletic teams are now the Red Wolves, retiring the former and controversial Redskins mascot in July 2020.

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