'Thunderbird' backers weigh in on Connetquot proposed mascot settlement

Opponents of a proposed settlement between the Connetquot school district and the state to use the nickname "T-Birds" instead of the current "Thunderbirds" made a strong showing Thursday evening at a public hearing to discuss the potential deal.

School district officials last week announced that a deal with the state was in the closing stages. It would "allow the district the flexibility to revert to 'Thunderbirds' if there is a change in the current state law," Connetquot Schools Superintendent Joseph T. Centamore wrote in a letter to the school community last week.

A decision on the proposed settlement could be made as early as next week, a school official said.

More than 50 people attended Thursday's hearing, and a majority of the nearly two dozen speakers who went to the podium told board members that keeping "Thunderbirds" honors decades of students educated in Connetquot district classrooms and pays tribute to the area's Native American history.

"As an engaged member of this community, I feel a responsibility to speak on behalf of my neighbors who share the same concerns that I do," said Brian Burger, 41, of Oakdale, who previously ran for the school board, after the meeting.

"We want to honor Long Island’s native heritage and embrace the strength the Thunderbird represents," Burger said. "Today, that strength is about standing firm on our history and legacy."

Some supporters of the Thunderbirds name wore shirts and jerseys with the school’s name and logo, while an alumnus walked around with his 1960s-era yearbook.

Mario Bastiancic, 62, another supporter, held up a laminated sign of the Thunderbirds logo at the meeting.

"I feel strongly that the name should be Thunderbirds," Bastiancic said. "That’s what it’s always been and that’s what it should be" 

The state Board of Regents in 2023 banned the use of Native American mascots, team names and logos in public schools. The regulation affected 13 districts on Long Island, including Connetquot.

The name "Thunderbirds" was first chosen by school district students in the 1960s and eventually shortened unofficially to the "T-Birds," Newsday previously reported.

Most districts have taken steps to get rid of the names and mascot but four districts, including Connetquot, filed legal challenges to either keep their name or nullify the regulation. A judge ruled against the districts in March; Connetquot has appealed that ruling.

A handful of the attendees Thursday said it made sense to end the litigation and expressed support for the state’s mascot ban.

Tiana Morano, a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and district resident, said she backed a settlement.

"I’m happy with any deal that acknowledges the native voice," Morano told the board. "Changing a name is not erasing history, it is correcting it. It’s about teaching our children that real honor means listening to the people that are affected, not clinging to outside groups or symbols that do not represent us."

Officials said the district has already spent nearly $50,000 in litigation fees to fight the mascot ban and they estimate that continuing the legal battle could cost another $125,000.

Under the proposed settlement, school officials said the district would have to spend about $86,000 to rebrand to the "T-birds." But to be in full compliance with the state’s mascot ban, which means a new name, logo and imagery, the district estimates a price tag of about $323,000.

The U.S. Education Department's Office of Civil Rights determined in May that the state's mascot ban violated Title VI, arguing that it prohibited the use of Native American mascots while allowing those "derived from other racial or ethnic groups, such as the 'Dutchmen' and the 'Huguenots."

The department's investigation into the ban has been referred to the Department of Justice.

The federal agency launched a second investigation last month into the Connetquot school district, for "actively taking steps to erase its Native American mascot and imagery," after the district announced that officials were "exploring options for an alternative mascot name that remains relatable to our community, such as 'Thunder.' "