New Mascot Announced In North Haven

NORTH HAVEN, CT —The North Haven Board of Education unanimously approved the Nighthawks as the school district’s new mascot at a special meeting on Monday night.

The “Nighthawks” name was overwhelmingly the top vote-getter among a group of six finalists following a town-wide vote and months-long process. Other finalists included the Fisher Cats, Phoenix, Ravens, Storm and Wolfpack.

The North Haven Mascot Committee narrowed the field to six finalists in November after reviewing more than 300 submissions from students and residents for a new mascot.

The town has been searching for a new mascot to replace its "Indians" name and mascot since July, when the Board of Education unanimously voted to retire a name that had been a source of controversy for years. In addition to being deemed offensive and culturally insensitive, the town stood to lose nearly $87,000 in annual state funding provided by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, according to the New Haven Register.

A student unveiled the identity of North Haven’s next mascot after opening a sealed envelope, like at an awards ceremony during Monday’s meeting.

The selection was celebrated by the football team’s Twitter account after the announcement.

Officials will next work on the new logo for the North Haven Nighthawks.

Watch the special Board of Education meeting below: