SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The school colors of Clairemont High School are staying the same as blue and orange.
"There are a lot of people who feel pride with Clairemont and with the current mascot,” Clairemont High Principal Karly Johnstone said.
If your high school's been around since the late 1950s, it's bound to have history. But, as with time, things change and so does your school's mascot.
"We are going to be moving forward with, with the new one,” Johnstone said. "And so now the important piece is how we roll it out and to make students, regardless of the mascot, enjoy their time at Clairemont High and be proud to be a student here."
Her school's going through a re-brand, specifically for its Chieftain mascot. The change comes after the passage of a 2024 California law that bans most public schools from using any derogatory Native American terms for their mascot.
"My understanding of that process is that there were tribal representatives from around the state of California who made the argument to the state Legislature that they did not any longer want their culture to be used as a mascot in the state of California,” Johnstone said.
The term Chieftains was named in the 2024 law. So, with that, Clairemont High is changing its mascot.
The San Diego Unified School District and Clairemont High put together a 10-person naming committee made of district personnel and the Clairemont community.
"Whether they're a student-athlete or an academic-athlete, or a leader in the theater, or, you know, in whatever it is, a leader in our robotics club, something that would represent all students, and, it was something that they could aspire to,” Johnstone said.
After half a dozen meetings, open calls for mascot names, a survey and more than 100 suggestions over the course of nearly a year, the new mascot is going to be the Captains.
If approved by the district's board Tuesday night, Clairemont High has three years to complete the Captains changeover at the school.
"We're just hoping that the ways that we can weave it into our school culture are positive ones that students will, you know, appreciate the representation and do so with pride,” Johnstone said.
