KLSD Mascot Steering Committee

KLSD proceeds in finding new mascot

The KLSD Mascot Steering Committee will hold a public meeting on Thursday, January 30, at 7:00 pm, at the John Jay Middle School Dining Room.  This is an opportunity for all community members—including staff, students, alumni and parents—to discuss the aspects we want in a new mascot. People will also have an opportunity to share their mascot ideas.

Christian McCarthy, the district’s director of health, athletics, physical education and wellness, reiterates the ground rules for any mascot: nothing that evokes race, religion, or weapons. “We want something that brings us together, that we want our students to embody—a mascot that we can all be excited about,” said McCarthy.

McCarthy,  is one of the three administrators leading the Mascot Steering Committee, along with John Jay High School Principal Dr. Steven Siciliano, and John Jay Middle School Principal Jeff Swiatowicz. 

All Welcome

  • Mascot Public Meeting

Mascot Steering Committee schedule

The 18-member Mascot Steering Committee also includes three staff—two coaches and a teacher; three parents—representing the Boosters Club, the Athletic Council, and a PTO; six high school students—two athletic captains, two Campus Congress members, and two students at large; and three middle school students. 

They met on January 15 to determine the best process for identifying a school mascot. One criterion the steering committee wanted to explore was a local connection. They invited Lewisboro Town Historian Maureen Koehl to review some of the animals native to the area. “What we’re really known for are our lakes and our most famous resident, John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States,” said Koehl.

 The KLSD Mascot Steering Committee also determined the following schedule:

  • January 30 - brainstorming session on new mascot criteria and ideas as well as ways to respectfully retire the current mascot
  • February and March – the steering committee will review community suggestions and ideas
  • First week of April – gather input from students in grades 6 – 12 and staff on top ideas
  • April 21 Board of Education meeting - the steering committee will recommend a mascot

More about the Meeting on January 30

The night's format will be very similar to our Learning Cafe. Participants will have the opportunity to speak in small groups with other community members, faculty, administrators and students. Typically, there are a few rounds of discussion in which participants speak in response to a question or prompt before changing groups. It's a great way to hear many voices in a relatively short period of time.

AGENDA

  • Introduction of the Mascot Steering Committee's charge
  • Process timeline and recommendations to the Board of Education
  • Purpose, goals and structure of the evening
  • Round Tables
    • Prompts given for 5-7 minute discussions
    • Reporting group thinking on various prompts
    • Rotation of tables to maximize interactions and ideas
  • Introduction of technology for data collection