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1.30 CK Mascot Renaming Committee Minutes (Eng & Span).docx

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Agenda Item

a. Renaming of the Mascot at Cross Keys High School ~ Update 6.5.2024

Summary: Presented by: Ms. Whitney McGinniss, Board Member, District 2
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education approve the renaming of the mascot at Cross Keys High School from the Indians to the Phoenix.
Why: The stakeholders of Cross Keys High School requested that the mascot be renamed to remove the current mascot the Indian. The current mascot is deemed offensive to the prominent demographic of the school and the community it serves.
Details: The committee, led by Board member Ms. Whitney McGinniss, was composed of the required Board members and District and School leaders. Additionally, teachers, parents, community members and a student were a part of the committee. There were a total of 15 members on the committee.

The committee met on the following dates:
January 30, 2024
March 6, 2024
April 10, 2024
May 13, 2024

*Public input meeting was March 6, 2024
Financial impact: Areas impacted by the mascot renaming included, but not limited to athletics, band uniforms, murals, and miscellaneous will be reflected in the modernization of Cross Keys High School. Items such as letterhead and stationery are estimated be a small cost that could be absorbed by the local school budget.
Contact: Ms. Whitney McGinniss, Board Member, District 2, 678-676-0722
Dr. Triscilla Weaver, Area Superintendent for Horizon Schools, Division of Schools & Leadership, 678-676-2845
Effective: Upon Board Approval, the Horizon Area will work with appropriate divisions for the renaming of the mascot.
                               Cross Keys High School
                      Mascot Renaming Committee Meeting Minutes
                              Tuesday, January 30, 2024
                                        6pm

                                            Attendance
Present: W. McGinniss, B. Cunningham, T. Weaver, F. Rowe, K. Gökçe, K. Wells, A. Castañeda
(Interpreter), C. Castano, L. Peña, C. López, J. Duncan
Absent: Allyson Gevertz - [NOTE: To be added by Chair]

              Agenda and Minutes (Meeting started at 6:10pm, Ended 7:25pm)

   1. Meeting Purpose (Brittany Cunningham)
          1. Discuss community interest in a new mascot
          2. Explain how this committee was formed by the Board
          3. Discuss the history of the school name and mascot
   2. Presentation on how to name Facilities (Refer to the provided presentation slides)
      (Brittany Cunningham)
   3. Overview of the committee’s work, from engaging the community to making
      recommendations to the Board of Education (Refer to the provided slides) (Brittany
      Cunningham with Whitney McGinnis)
          1. Plan to present recommendations to the Board in summer 2024
          2. The Board's decision will make the recommendations official, but full
              implementation may take time. The goal is to finish this when the school
              renovation is complete.
   4. Briefing on CK Mascot Renaming Community Survey & mascot ideas submitted by
      committee members (Brittany Cunningham)
          1. The respondents included students, parents, staff, and alumni (Refer to slides for
              details)

                                          Discussion

   ● The Chair asked for ideas for the mascot. Committee members Kathy Wells and Janice
     Duncan shared their experience at Cross Keys HS after leaving The Lynnwood School
     during DeKalb Schools' desegregation. The Lynnwood School, located in a historical
     neighborhood in Brookhaven, had the Rattlers mascot and served K-12 students until
     1968. The members discussed the importance of the mascot as it symbolizes the
     challenges faced during integration into Cross Keys and Chamblee High Schools.

                               Cross Keys High School
      1626 North Druid Hills Road N.E. • Atlanta, Georgia 30319 • 678-874-6102 •
                                crosskeyshs.k12.ga.us
● The Committee discussed how long and how to collect community input. The Chair
  asked members to bring their top three ideas to the next meeting, hoping to finalize a
  "top three" list during that meeting.
● The Committee discussed who should be involved in giving input and voting. They
  decided it should be the current Cross Keys/Sequoyah schools cluster for online
  surveying on mascot choices.

                                   Decisions Made

● A volunteer secretary was needed to take minutes. Kim Gokce volunteered and was
  appointed.
● Chair McGinniss suggested that the next meeting should allow public comment.

                                     Action Items

● Review the provided materials
● Each member should bring 1-3 mascot suggestions they support.
● The Chair should plan the format for public engagement for the next meeting and a
  method to finalize a "Top Three" list of recommendations.

                                  Next Meeting
               February 21, Wednesday, 6:00pm via MS Teams invitation




                           Cross Keys High School
  1626 North Druid Hills Road N.E. • Atlanta, Georgia 30319 • 678-874-6102 •
                            crosskeyshs.k12.ga.us
                             Escuela Secundaria Cross Keys
     Registro Oficial de la reunion del Comite de Renombramiento de la Mascota
                                  martes, 30 de enero
                                          6pm


Asistencia
   ● Presente: W. McGinniss, B. Cunningham, T. Weaver, F. Rowe, K. Gökçe, K.
      Wells, A. Castañeda (traductora), C. Castano, L. Peña, C. López, J. Duncan
   ● Ausente: Allyson Gevertz - [NOTA: debe ser agregado por el Presidente]

La Orden de la reunión y registró (La reunión empezó a las 6:10pm, término a las
Ended 7:25pm)
   1. El Propósito de la reunión (Brittany Cunningham)
   ● Conversar sobre el interés comunitario en cambiar a una mascota nueva.
   ● Explicar cómo el consejo formó el comité
   ● Hablar sobre la historia del nombre de la escuela y la mascota
   2. Presentación sobre cómo nombrar las instalaciones (Consulte las diapositivas de
      presentación ) (Brittany Cunningham)
   3. Un repaso del trabajo del comité, desde atraer e involucrar a la comunidad a
      hacer recomendaciones al Consejo de educación (Consulte las diapositivas)
      (Brittany Cunningham con Whitney McGinnis)
   ● El plan es presentar las recomendaciones al Consejo el verano del 2024
   ● La decisión del consejo hará que las recomendaciones sean finales, pero la
      implementación completa tomará tiempo. El objetivo es finalizar esto cuando se
      termine la renovación de la escuela.
   4. Habra una reunion informativa sobre la encuesta del renombramiento de la
      mascota CK & las ideas de mascotas que entregaron los miembros del comité
      (Brittany Cunningham)
   ● Los encuestados incluyeron alumnos, padres, personal y alumnos previos
      (consulte las diapositivas para obtener más detalles)

La Platica
   ● El Presidente pidió ideas para la mascota. Los miembros del comité, Kathy Wells
      y Janice Duncan compartieron su experiencia al llegar a Cross Keys de la
      escuela Lynnwood durante el tiempo de desegregación racial de las escuelas de
      DeKalb. La escuela Lynnwood, ubicada en el vecindario histórico de
      Brookhaven, tenía la mascota Rattlers (serpiente de cascabel) y sirvió a alumnos
      desde Kinder hasta el grado 12, hasta 1968. Los miembros explicaron la

                              Cross Keys High School
     1626 North Druid Hills Road N.E. • Atlanta, Georgia 30319 • 678-874-6102 •
                               crosskeyshs.k12.ga.us
     importancia de la mascota, ya que simboliza los desafíos que enfrentaron
     durante la integración en las escuelas secundarias de Cross Keys y Chamblee.
   ● El Comité habló sobre la cantidad de tiempo y cómo recopilar los comentarios de
     la comunidad. El Presidente pidió a los miembros que trajeran sus tres ideas
     principales a la próxima reunión, con la esperanza de finalizar una lista de las
     "tres principales" durante esa reunión.
   ● El Comité habló sobre quién debería participar en dar aportes y votar. Decidieron
     que debería ser el grupo de escuelas que actualmente corresponde a Cross
     Keys/Sequoyah para realizar encuestas en línea sobre las opciones de
     mascotas.

Las Decisiones que se tomaron
   ● Se necesitaba un(a) secretario(a) voluntario(a) para levantar actas. Kim Gokce
     se ofreció como voluntario y fue nombrado.
   ● El presidente McGinniss sugirió que la próxima reunión debería permitir
     comentarios públicos..

Elementos de acción
   ● Revise los materiales que se proporcionaron.
   ● Cada miembro debe traer entre 1 y 3 sugerencias de mascotas.
   ● El Presidente debe planificar el formato para la participación pública durante la
     próxima reunión y un método para finalizar una lista de recomendaciones de los
     "Tres Principales".

La Proxima reunion
   ● miércoles, 21 de febrero, 6:00pm por medio de una invitación MS Teams




                               Cross Keys High School
      1626 North Druid Hills Road N.E. • Atlanta, Georgia 30319 • 678-874-6102 •
                                crosskeyshs.k12.ga.us
                         Cross Keys High School
1626 North Druid Hills Road N.E. • Atlanta, Georgia 30319 • 678-874-6102 •
                          crosskeyshs.k12.ga.us