SANFORD, Maine — Less than 48 hours after Sanford High School’s boys track and field team claimed a Class A state championship, the school has a new mascot.
Superintendent David Theoharides announced in a release Thursday that the school’s new mascot will be the Spartans.
Other mascot candidates to replace the longstanding Redskins mascot were “Pride,” “Stampede” and “Cardinals.”
Students in grades seven through 12 voted for their choice. The Spartans mascot will be used starting with the 2012-13 school year.
The Spartans mascot garnered 587 votes from the student body, according to the release, while Pride had 423, Stampede 202 and Cardinals 113, respectively. The prospective names were proposed by members of the school’s sports teams and members of the community.
Sanford’s school committee voted 4-1 last month to retire the Redskins mascot. It was the last high school in the state with such a nickname.
“The new mascot becomes part of this new era for Sanford as we move towards a new vision for our school and community,” Theoharides said in the release.
