SOURCE: www.jpsny.org

September 22, 2023

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. - The Jamestown High School Nickname Committee has narrowed down its options for the school's next nickname.

Following a community survey and discussions with student groups at the high school, the committee will now seek input on two nicknames - "Catamounts" or "Red & Green" - to accompany the district's "big cat" mascot, adopted in 2022.

"We are appreciative of the community's input throughout this process," said Ben Drake, JHS Athletic Director. "As we move forward, the committee has taken the public's voice into consideration in narrowing down our options and we are excited about these two nicknames that we'll be presenting to our school community."

Though it was another popular choice, the committee made the decision to eliminate "Jaguars" from consideration.

"The committee made the decision to eliminate 'Jaguars' so that we could avoid confusion internally with Jefferson Middle School," Drake noted. "Additionally, our 'big cat' imagery would need adjustments in order to resemble a jaguar."

Made popular as the century-old nickname of the University of Vermont, a "Catamount" is another name for the American panther, cougar, mountain lion, or puma. The nickname is also used by Western Carolina University.

"Red & Green" was the high school's first known nickname from 1905-1935 prior to the introduction of the "big cat" logo first seen in the 1940s. The school's colors, "Red & Green" also served as the longtime name of the JHS annual yearbook.

Students at Jamestown High School have had a chance to weigh in on the school's next nickname during the first few days of school. The community will also have the chance to voice their opinion in a survey available at jpsny.org/nickname. The survey will be open until September 30 and the committee will then aim to make a recommendation to the JPS Board of Education by December.