Voting process by student body begins
Will they be Rapids? How about the Purple Tide? Could they be Captains or just Columbia River? It’s up to the student body at Columbia River High School to decide the name of its new mascot.
Board members from Vancouver Public Schools took less than seven minutes Tuesday to discuss and vote unanimously for these four names to be on the official ballot.
“I think it’s time to let the students decide,” said Board President Kyle Sproul. “We want this to be a lasting mascot that will stand the test of time.”
Students can vote for their top two mascots in an online survey between March 26 and April 1. The top two choices will go head-to-head in another online student survey between April 16 to 18. The official mascot will be announced on April 19.
After retiring the Chieftain name from Columbia River High and Minnehaha Elementary in September, the school board appointed a transition committee to come up with new mascots for each school. Rapids and River have been favorable choices from the beginning. The transition team added Captains and Purple Tide to the mix after the board eliminated Sasquatches and Royals.
The committee also settled on Cedars, Mammoths, Martens, Mountains and Rapids as choices of mascots for Minnehaha Elementary. Those names also received a unanimous vote by the school board.
“I really appreciated having the context and meaning behind the names, why they were chosen and how they meet the criteria,” siad Board Vice President Tracey Burrows. “I feel like it’s very clear how these names represent our community and the Pacific Northwest, and have the rich traditions of the area.”
Minnehaha Elementary students attending in-person classes can vote for their top two mascots at school. Students in remote learning can vote using the Classlink app on their devices. Minnehaha plans to announce its new mascot soon after Spring Break.
