Algonquin Regional officially unveils new nickname after retiring Tomahawks last spring

After approximately 10 months, since the Northborough-Southborough Regional School committee voted to retire the name Tomahawks, Algonquin Regional High School has now found its new nickname: the Titans.

The new nickname was chosen exclusively by students in a school-wide vote on Monday.

"My sense in the building was that there was a lot of interest in Eagles and Titans," Algonquin Principal Sean Bevan said. "It ended up being Titans, which kids around the building I've heard have already been responding positively to and I'm excited to have the kids get the choice that they wanted."

More: Northborough-Southborough School Committee votes to retire Tomahawk nickname, images

Titans came out on top in the list of five potential names, including the Nor'Easters, Eagles, Thunder and Falcons.

Students in two separate marketing classes at Algonquin created presentations laying out the pros and cons of each name.

More: Northborough-Southborough School Committee to vote on Tomahawk mascot, logo

"We had a marketing class create a series of brief screen casts that were informative videos of each of the five options, outlining their brand attributes that make them a good choice, and things that voters might want to consider before choosing that one," Bevan said.

Another marketing class put on a social media campaign that went up simultaneously for the last two weeks leading up to the school-wide vote.

Bevan believes that not only does Titan" exemplify strength and power, qualities often sought for a sports team mascot, but that it also exemplifies other qualities that make Algonquin.

"Things like the performing arts or the classroom, literature, other forms of art," Bevan said. "So the word Titan can really capture anybody who conveys greatness or excellence."

The new nickname has also garnered positive support from some of Algonquin's coaches.

"I was proud to be a 'Tomahawk' and now I'm proud to be a 'Titan,'" Algonquin football coach Mark Allen tweeted. "Can't wait to honor our past traditions while creating new ones.

"The future of ARHS is bright because of our great communities. Excited to continue to be a part of this."

The work is far from finished. According to Bevan, the logo that was shown as part of Friday's unveiling is just a placeholder logo.

More: Tomahawks name endures controversy

"We are going to work with a graphic designer to build several images including our anchor logo and image," Bevan said. "It might look like that one but it could look a lot different."

That process will begin next week with students having a say as well.

New uniforms will also have to be ordered as well as a new gym floor and scoreboards that bears the Titans name as opposed to T-Hawks or Tomahawks.

"When I think of Algonquin, I think of pride, school spirit, camaraderie, community all tied into one," said Algonquin Athletic Director Mike Mocerino in a video unveiling the new nickname. "We will always celebrate our old mascot in uniting Algonquin under a new mascot and bringing that sense of pride as we transition into the future."

Ethan Winter is a senior multimedia sports journalist at the Daily News. He can be reached at ewinter@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @EWints.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Algonquin Regional High School unveils new mascot, the Titans