seminar lenses and perspectives

The school board would think that economically it is too expensive to change the mascot because it is on all of the school merchandise and to change the production line would be far to difficult. Also there are the big ones on the gym floors, to rip them out and replace them with the new mascot would cost a lot becasue we would have to create all the new tiles and destroy the old ones. Plus having to spray over the one on the football field would take a lot of paint and mechinary which totaling all would be way to much money to spend. However the people who would want it to be changed would say that the school has an annual revenue of $78,000,000, they would have more than enough money to change the school's mascot and still provide for the sports teams, music groups, and clubs.

Enviornmentalists would think that to change it all by taking out the gym tiles with mechinary would most likely use fossil fuels emmitting CO2 into the air. Spraying over the old mascot on the fields would take a lot of water-based paint. Spraying over the fields would make it not as safe for the students to play on. Breathing in paint isn't healthy for people. Waste removal companies would think that changing the mascot would leave a lot of waste behind. For example the old tiles. Once they are ripped up, where are they going to go, in the garbage. What about all of the clothing made for the school, all the ones with the mascot on it, they will be thrown out too. Changing the mascot will leave behind a lot of unwanted waste.

Parents of the students would think that taking out all of the gym tiles to replace the mascot would take a lot of time, more than over summer break, so it will take away from the students PE class. PE is one of the only classes you have to take every year because it helps kids stay healthy and in physical shape. If they cant get the physical pracitce and exercise they need they won't stay healthy. Plus not everyone has the chance to go the gym or do sports so PE class could be their only way of working out and exercise. However the school board would think of this as a learning oppurtunity. The students get to learn the history of their school and town, plus get to learn about what and why they are changing the mascot to. Teaching students about their history will give them a better understanding of the past.

To someone who lives in Wantagh and is not a native Amercian the mascot could be seen as a symbol of honor for the Native Americans in the past. We would be honoring the people of past Wantagh. That being said the students could get a chance to learn why they are the Wantgah Warriors and about the past of their home town. Understanding their home could give them a greater connection to it emotionally. Hisorically howevery there have been times when mascots or team names have been offensive. The Redskins for example, their name was offensive to many people. The Native American community wanted it to change. For almost a century were they named the Redskins. Soon they changed it the Washington Commanders due to the pressure of the Native American community.

To the people who have gone to or will send their kids to the school, what will they change the mascot to? If they change the mascot will they no longer be the "Wantagh Warriors" anymore? If they decide to keep the "Warriors" as how they call themselves, how will they potray it, with a knight, a sillouet of a person riding a horse with a weapon into battle, two swords in the form of an "X", how will they mass produce it on merchandise and on the floor of the gym and on the football field? However others could argue that this could be a learning chance for the students in the future, if they know the history of their town it will help tham better understand the past. Plus the school could create a club or use an already exsisting one to help with the change. Have like a design team for the new mascot, and having it be students it gives them a feeling of control and that their voices are being heard. Also creating, designing, polling, all these differsnt skills that will be learned will help students for the future for things like marketing or desining.

From a scientific view point if the school were to do the club it allows kids to be more creative and independance. They get to do their own thing. Creativity is a very helpful characteristic to have. It helps with problem solving because you have a mindset that lets you come up with creative ways to find a solution for something. Have a creative mindset allows an increase in positive emotion, decrease in depression, anxiety, and stress. It also helps to improve the immune system. If the students aren't given the freedom to be heard it makes them fell unwanted and unappreciated, this can lead to depression, anxiety, and stress, all the things being creative helps to decrease. Changing the mascot shouldn't be a school board only dicision. The students should get a say on what their school should be symbolized as.

From a student who is interested in the art this could be a very helpful experience. If the students were allowed to come up with a new mascot (one that would have to be approved by the school board) it would give the art students a way of expressing themselves and seeing what talents they have. Plus coming up with and drawing your schools mascot could be a big help for college and the future of an art career. However if the students were allowed to come up with and draw the mascot it would be unfair and lower a lot of kids' confidence. There isn't just one kid who is into art, there are a lot of them, and if they all decide to try a draw a new mascot only one would be able picked, how would the other students feel, you're gonna make them think they aren't good enough as an artist and then end up doind something that they don't actually enjoy in life.

In the eyes of someone who has been a Wantah Warrior their whole lifes this mascot could be very important to them. It's what seperates them from the other towns on Long Island, besides Jones Beach. Changing the mascot should also have the opions of the people who live in wantagh, not just the school board. Some could think it's a way of changing our identidies. However others could argue using the Warrior head as a mascot could be a negative thing. It could create bad stereotypes of the Americna Indian. These steryoptypes could be wrong or missleading and have a negative impact on the Native American community.