The Manhasset School District Is Taking Mascot Suggestions

On August 1, the Manhasset Superintendent, Dr. Gaurav Passi, released a statement in regards to the change of the Manhasset mascot from the “Indians” to a new name. New Commissioner regulations prohibit the use of Indigenous names, logos and mascots.

“Dear Manhasset School Community,

As you know, over recent months, the Board of Education has extensively discussed Part 123 of the Commissioner’s Regulations. These regulations prohibit the use of Indigenous names, logos, or mascots. In accordance with the regulation, the Board passed a resolution at its meeting on June 21 to eliminate the use of the name “Indians” and associated imagery. The Board also resolved that legacy or memorial items, considered to be historical artifacts, will not be removed or changed. Our traditional school colors of blue and orange will remain unchanged.

Consequently, the new regulations require us to develop a process to change our team’s name. We are committed to involving our school community in this endeavor to envision a team name that will inspire passion and pride throughout the District. Our objective is to create a team name that encapsulates Manhasset’s distinctive character, culture, traditions, and history and symbolizes our strive toward excellence while projecting a positive image for the Manhasset Public Schools. Our new team name should be one all community members can proudly associate with.

As an initial step, we invite all members of the school community to contribute their ideas and suggestions for a new team name. Suggestions can be shared via Google form, which will be open until September 15.

We are also opening an application for those who may be interested in participating on a committee tasked with reviewing the suggestions and recommending a process for selecting a new team name. The committee’s responsibilities will include:

• Reviewing the team name suggestions from the school community.

• Defining the characteristics and qualities of the new team name, including factors such as appropriateness, uniqueness, relatability, creativity, and the mascot’s ability to resonate with our school community.

• Ensuring that the new team name recommendations align with our District’s values, mission, and vision.

• Develop a list of recommendations for a team name and recommend a voting and selection process.

If you are interested in an opportunity to serve on the committee, please complete the attached interest form and return it to the District Clerk via email (districtclerk@ manhassetschools.org) by September 15. We thank you for your active participation and valued input. Please accept my best wishes for a wonderful and safe rest of your summer.

Sincerely,

Dr. Gaurav Passi Superintendent of Schools” —Information compiled form

Julie Prisco

jprisco@antonmediagroup.com

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, Manhasset hosted its third National Night Out (NNO) at Whitney Pond Park. The national campaign is meant to cultivate relationships between the residents, police forces and elected officials. At NNO, residents have the opportunity to learn more about local organizations and meet the faces behind them.

National Night Out is 39 years in the making, reaching 38 million neighbors in 17 thousand communities, according to the National Night Out website (natw.org). In New York, more than 150 cities host a National Night Out with local law enforcement support.

The Nassau County Police Department participated in the event to meet Manhasset families. The Town of North Hempstead Community Services and Parks Departments, the Manhasset Chamber of Commerce and other participating vendors also came to show support.

The Nassau County Police Department brought police vehicles, police horses and dogs to National Night Out for families and children to learn more about.

“National Night Out provides children with a fun interaction with our local police officers, allowing them to connect on a personal level. It’s so important for them to see that police are our friends,” said New York State Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti (Assembly District 16). “It was such a special evening and I want to thank everyone who helped put these events together. We are so lucky here to have such community-oriented police departments. “

“Happy to have celebrated National Night out with our neighbors and to thank our law enforcement for putting their own lives on the line every day to ensure our safety. Not only are they heroes, but they’re also our neighbors,” wrote Senator Jack Martins on Facebook. “National Night Out is celebrated every first Tuesday in August to build police and community relations. We had a great turnout at Whitney Pond Park.”

“National Night Out helps build better police-community partnerships and makes our neighborhoods safer and better places to live,” Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said. “This annual event helps foster a true sense of community, and I want to thank all of our Town departments that worked so hard to pull off this fantastic event, not just in Manhasset, but Port Washington and Westbury as well. The brave men and women of our law enforcement play a critical role in preserving our quality of life and we thank them all for their hard work and dedication, especially in making this event a huge success.”