MAYVILLE — Chautauqua Lake Central School is using a well-connected name for its mascot. In a news release Wednesday, CLCS announced that its new mascot is the Eagles. “Following the work of the CL Design Committee, students were presented with the final two options and cast their vote on Tuesday. With more than 80% of students selecting the Eagles, the District is confident that the Eagle mascot captures the essence of their values and will serve as a symbol of pride for the community,” the news release stated. The CLCS Board of Education still needs to give final approval. Chautauqua Lake Central School was formed in 1996, when the Chautauqua and Mayville school districts merged. Before the merger, Mayville Central School’s mascot was the Golden Eagles. Chautauqua Central School’s mascot was the Indians. When the two schools merged, Thunderbirds was chosen for the new district, in part because it was meant to be a merger of the two mascots. The Eagles is also the mascot of Ripley Central School, but it does not have an active high school. Ripley students in grades 7-12 attend Chautauqua Lake, through a tuitioning agreement the two schools have. In June, Chautauqua Lake School officials said they were informed by the state that they could no longer use the Thunderbirds nickname “due to its Indigenous origins.” The thunderbird is part of Native American mythology, known as being a powerful spirit in the form of a bird. The state Board of Regents in April voted to ban the use of Native American team names, mascots and logos at schools — further requiring that all references be retired by 2025 unless schools receive approval from a recognized Native American tribe. Chautauqua Lake School officials noted the journey toward choosing a new mascot began this past summer when the CL Design and Campus committees were formed, comprised of more than 50 individuals from diverse backgrounds, including community members, parents, students, staff, administration, and board of education members. “These dedicated committees worked tirelessly to ensure that the mascot selection process was thorough, inclusive, and reflective of the district’s core values. The Campus Committee’s responsibilities included identifying all instances where the current nickname and corresponding imagery appeared within the school district and making necessary modifications,” officials said. The CL Design Committee then focused on the mascot/nickname selection from names submitted by the community. “The group worked collaboratively to establish anchor points to guide the decision making and ensure the choices put forth were truly representative of the district,” officials said. Once the committee narrowed the options down to two choices, they felt it was important to give students the final vote, which they selected the Eagles. The selection will be presented to the Chautauqua Lake Board of Education for adoption. “We are proud and thankful for the professionalism, care, consideration, and open-mindedness that our community demonstrated during this process,” Superintendent Dr. Joshua Liddell said. “The district would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all students, staff, parents, and community members who have been part of the mascot selection. We are confident that the Chautauqua Lake Eagles will inspire our school community and serve as a source of pride for generations to come.” The school has not finalized its image of the mascot. According to Liddell, the plan for the school was to first select the nickname/mascot and then finalize imagery and logos. They also need to ensure what is designed does not have copyright concerns. Liddell added that there is a committee working to help create the new imagery. Once the image is finalized, he said they will share it with the public. Chautauqua Lake isn’t the only school district changing its mascot name. The Jamestown High School Nickname Committee recently announced it narrowed its options for the school’s next nickname to “Catamounts” and “Red & Green.” The current nickname is the Red Raiders and its mascot is a red, big cat. A final decision for Jamestown’s next nickname and mascot has not been determined.