Tonawanda and Cheektowaga school districts pick new mascots

School Boards from both districts approved the new mascots Tuesday night, after the state Board of Regents prohibited public schools from using Indigenous mascots, names and logos.

A community vote in Tonawanda narrowed 12 semifinalists to three: Riverhawks, Timberwolves and Titans.

Tonawanda students voted on the top three choices in November. The district worked with a graphic design company to devise the new logo before it was formally presented to the School Board.

“Our committee worked extremely hard to engage our entire community in this process,” Superintendent Timothy Oldenburg said. “This began with ideas and submissions from the community.”

Officials said the Timberwolves was one of the top contenders throughout the process.

Tonawanda became known as the Red Warriors in 1947. 

In Cheektowaga, the Chargers beat the Cobras, Cheetahs and Wolfpack, in that order. The district will transition away from the Warriors.

More than 1,500 students and staff voted, and there was about a 60-vote margin between the Chargers and the Cobras, Superintendent Scott Zipp said Wednesday. 

There were more than 250 entries that were pared down in several votes to the final four. 

“It was an involved process,” Zipp said. “It was actually kind of fun.”

The logo has not been finalized, he said, but it will include a charging horse and an electric bolt.