69´«Ã½

"Falcons" was selected in a vote held Wednesday for district residents, Southern Cayuga Superintendent Patrick Jensen said  It received 555 votes, while the other choice, "Knights," got 305. Jensen thanked the 860 people who voted, and acknowledged Peter Bakija and senior class volunteers for manning the polls.

A committee of students, staff and community members is now expected to collaborate with a professional graphic artist to design a visual representation of the mascot.

The district stopped using its longtime previous nickname and mascot, "Chiefs," after the New York State Education Department announced a ban on Native American nicknames and imagery in schools in November 2022. Schools that continue to use them after June 2025 may have state aid withheld.

"Cougars" was originally selected to be Southern Cayuga's new nickname and mascot by winning a vote late last year, but Jensen told 69´«Ã½ in April that the district's board of education decided against the name because "unfortunately the term has a negative connotation associated with it."

Fellow Cayuga 69´«Ã½ school district Weedsport picked "Wolverines" as its new nickname and mascot in November 2023 after retiring "Warriors" earlier that year.