The Chiefs are in cost.
College students at Massapequa Excessive College despatched a message loud and clear to Gov. Kathy Hochul — whose administration is attempting to pressure them to ditch their long-standing staff identify: “As soon as a Chief, At all times a Chief.”
The defiant motto was freshly painted onto an enormous mural exterior the Lengthy Island campus and geared toward state training officers threatening to revoke the Chiefs nickname because of a 2023 ban on Native American logos by the Board of Regents.
“Everybody loves the Chiefs,” twelfth grader Brodie Smith advised The Publish with a paintbrush in hand Friday.
“This Chief pleasure — we’re very pleased with our college. We’re pleased with our employees and every part. We’ve bought folks honking on a regular basis in assist after they drive by.”
Massapequa artwork lessons have been etching enjoyable, lighthearted designs on the wall straight adjoining to the college as an end-of-the-semester venture for many years — however this yr was completely different.
The scholars as an alternative spoke loudly, creating an announcement piece and response to Albany’s ultimatum for the district to fork over practically $1 million to rebrand their mascot or danger dropping out on state funding.
“That is theirs. They design, they choose, they vote, and so they paint it,” stated college board president Kerry Wachter.
“It’s not being imposed on them. That is who they really feel they’re, and it simply makes us wish to struggle that a lot more durable for them.”
Massapequa has been mired in a prolonged authorized battle with Albany that is still ongoing in each federal and state courts.
However the college district additionally has its notable backers. The anti-woke Native American Guardians Affiliation helps them and the conservative city’s don’t-tread-on-me angle even gained the assist of President Trump.
“LONG LIVE THE MASSAPEQUA CHIEFS!” Trump, who held up a navy Chiefs sweatshirt within the Oval Workplace, posted to Reality Social final yr.
Schooling Sec. Linda McMahon additionally visited the Lengthy Island campus final Might and was left with a long-lasting impression of how significantly Massapequa is battling to maintain the regionally adored moniker.
“They’re extremely behind their college, behind their Chiefs,” McMahon advised The Publish at the highschool.
She additionally emphasised that chief is synonymous with management — a message that resonates with eleventh grade artist Rowan Silva.
“When you go to the college, you grow to be a Chief,” he stated.
“You permit the college, you’re at all times going to be a Chief. It’s actually that straightforward.”
Even when New York leveraged Massapequa into dropping the identify, the scholars’ masterpiece couldn’t be touched by the state for the reason that wall sits on personal property of an adjoining procuring middle.
Wachter stated that’s a logo of how moot Albany’s efforts are.
“They might take it from the sports activities groups, however it’s in every single place locally. It’s our hearth division, it’s our village of Massapequa Park [emblem], everyone’s nonetheless going to be sporting their Chief sweatshirts,” she added.
“It’ll by no means go away … they’ll by no means extinguish it. Their goal won’t ever be reached.”
But when it’s the Chiefs’ curtain name, Smith, the twelfth grader, can’t consider a greater legacy than what he and dozens of different college students have sweated over and can possible full by the week’s finish.
“I might really feel so honored if this have been a long-lasting reminiscence for the Chiefs,” he stated.
