Lake George down to two school nickname options

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Lake George Central School District is another step closer to deciding its new school nickname, in a renaming process spurred on by a state mandate to remove Native American names and imagery from school districts. The school district has heard from its community on three options - and now, it's down to just two.

On Monday, Lake George Jr./Sr. High School's student advisory committee gathered and announced the results of a survey dispersed to students, faculty, and community members across Lake George. The survey presented three options for what name would replace its current "Warriors" name. Two were names from the school's history, and one was a chance at something new.

The results: The "Georgians" are out, at 5.1% of 986 votes. Meanwhile, the "Lakers" came in at 47.4%; and the prospect of an entirely new option alongside it at 47.5%. For Lake George, it's too close to call.

The district's next phase will call for community input on a new nickname. A survey out now will run through to 3 p.m. on June 28, asking for suggestions for a new name. The district has created a list of core principles for a fitting name to reflect, including representation of the entire student body; honoring local history; promoting school pride; aligning to existing school colors and branding; and uniqueness without obscurity.

Once this next survey closes, a final survey will pit the "Lakers" against the winning community nickname, in a poll to run from early July to mid-August. The winning name will be announced by the end of summer vacation, with rebranding to come in the fall.