Public chooses new nickname for Lake George schools

LAKE GEORGE | The students of the Lake George School District will now be hearing a new nickname used when people and the press refer to their sports teams, as a new yet historic moniker — "the Lakers" — has been chosen for the district. Unlike the uproar in Cambridge Central School District which drew state and national notoriety, there was little apparent pushback over a pending change in nickname and logo in the Lake George School District, as the entire Lake George community was involved in the selection process which concluded Aug. 23 when the results of an online survey were announced. The Lakers moniker, which was used by Lake George's elementary and high schools from the 1920s through the early 1940s, received 47.1 percent of the online balloting, or 461 votes in a choice between four finalists culled from an initial list of 270 suggested nicknames. Those finalists were the Islanders, Lakers, Owls and Falcons. The latter was the second most popular choice, with 319 online votes. Lake George Superintendent of Schools John Luthringer said Aug. 25 that the transition from "Warriors" to "Lakers" is underway. Many of the Warrior logos and written references have already been removed, in response to a mandate by the state Education Department to retire nicknames such as Redskins and Indians, and similar references to Native Americans, and their accompanying imagery, from the state's public schools. While Cambridge Central School District's Board of Education — responding to local public outcry — fought the state Education Commissioner's mandate to retire their "Indians" nickname and logo, the negative response to the impending changeover in the Lake George community was limited to merely some grumbling by relatively few people. This lack of outcry in Lake George may have been due to having students fully involved. In January, Lake George students were briefed on the state Education Department directive and they learned about the history of Lake George Central School District, the logo and nickname, leading to a Student Advisory Committee overseeing the selection of a new name as well as the monitoring the transition process. Cambridge School District's refusal to comply with the state Education Commissioner's mandate and their appeal of the state Supreme Court ruling upholding the commissioner's order cost Cambridge district taxpayers more than $50,000 in litigation expenses. Lake George's nickname and logo change will continue into next year, Luthringer said. The "Warrior" logos and nicknames on sports garb are transitioning as new athletic jerseys are ordered for Lake George's various teams, he said. The imagery accompanying the Lakers moniker has yet to be designed, but one option under consideration is to use the outline of Lake George's shoreline that's become trendy with local residents, Luthringer added. "The transition to the 'Lakers' isn't only a change in name, it's part of our history," he said, noting he appreciated the community input as well as the local students' ongoing work related to the transition. Luthringer added that some signage has yet to be changed, and the upcoming sanding and refinishing of the high school gym floor will remove the existing "Warriors" references. The high school's varsity girls soccer team will have new uniforms this week bearing merely the words "Lake George." The Student Advisory Committee will be involved in choosing the design of a new logo, and they will be collaborating with school clubs and the local booster club regarding the adoption of the new nickname and logo, Luthringer said. Longtime Lake George High School Principal Fran Cocozza said he was "excited for the student body as we embrace our future," as he referred to the adoption of the historic nickname.

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Public chooses new nickname for Lake George schools

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