OKCPS Reveals Final Mascot Options For Capitol Hill High School

Nearly five months since that controversial vote by the OKCPS school board to remove the "Redskins" mascot at Capitol Hill High School, the district announces two new mascot finalists.

Next school year students will cheer for either the "Red Wolves" or the “Guardians”.

It's been an emotional ride for students and alumni since "Redskins" was removed as the school's mascot. After months of discussion from not only students and alums, but also from the community, most seem ready to move forward.

But there was immediate push back, soon after the OKCPS board voted, to remove a name that's been part of the community for nearly 90 years.

“The board stood in the gap to make this change, to be brave enough to make this change,” said a supporter earlier this year.

12/10/2014 Related Story: Capitol Hill Students Protest District's Decision To Change Mascot

The district said the term was offensive to some of its students. But not all agreed.

“Whenever I heard about this name change, I felt as though I had a piece of me ripped from me,” said a student.

Since December, the district has been gathering the names of community members interested in assisting in the transition.

“We wanted to create opportunities to engage the current student body with the Capitol student alumni association,” said OKCPS spokesperson, Tierney Tinnin.

The diverse group included student leaders, community members and Native Americans.

“All the kids had these big long list from unicorns, to honey badgers, to whatever we could think of, and we talked it all the way through,” said Capitol Hill's secretary, Wanda Thompson.

Thompson says she's confident the school and the district are moving in the right direction.

“This way it helps everyone and it contributes to everyone where everybody is represented,” said Thompson. “Old is good, but now it's time for a change and I think we created a good one.”

It will cost more than $220,000 to make a full mascot transition. Every trace of the Redskins mascot has to be removed.

Students will vote for their favorite later this week, and the new mascot will be selected sometime next month.