Font ResizeLAS CRUCES - Bulldawgs, Trojans, Knights - and now Hawks.
Also, add Centennial High School to the list of city high schools Las Cruces, Mayfield and Oñate.
The new high school's colors will be black, red and New Mexico gold, the same shade of gold as the state flag.
"Centennial" was the choice of the Las Cruces Public Schools board of education in a special meeting Tuesday at the Las Cruces Public Schools Administration Building. It was chosen from five names recommended to the board from informal votes cast by interested residents and middle school students.
Desert View, Dripping Springs, Mountain View and Organ Mountain were the other four names considered for the new $100 million high school, which will open in the fall of 2012.
The school's opening was clearly the decisive factor in determining its name.
"Next year is New Mexico's 100th birthday and I'm excited because there's only going to be the opening of only one high school in the state, and that's ours," said school board member Bonnie Votaw.
School board President Connie Phillips added "Centennial" was the name most often mentioned to her by interested residents.
Hawks turned out to be the close preference of a school mascot. Others considered included: Coyote, Mountain Lion, Mustang and Wolf. But "Wolf" was quickly dismissed when it was pointed out that a middle school in the school district has the wolf as its mascot. The school board picked a school name, mascot and school colors that weren't
"My preference could be for 'Hawks,' but I could go for 'Coyote,' too," Votaw said. "I don't have a strong affiliation to any of these."
With the name of the school in honor of the state's 100th birthday, school board members stressed the importance of incorporating the colors of the state flag, red and gold, into the school colors. But Phillips pointed out that red and black had already been picked as school colors, and there was some debate about whether to leave Centennial's colors as red and black, or use silver instead of gold.
"Red and black leave this school with its own identity," Phillips said.
The board discussed using gold as an accent color to go with black and red. But when the board could not reach clear consensus on doing that, Votaw suggested that the new school's student body determine how the colors should be used.
"Why don't we let the school decide," Votaw said.
As a footnote to the board's special meeting, Votaw also suggested that a time capsule be buried at the new school on Jan. 6, 2012, the day New Mexico turns 100. She said the event could also include a walk-through of the new school for interested residents.
Centennial will become the fourth Las Cruces high school to open. Las Cruces High School opened in 1925, and was followed by Mayfield High School in 1965, and O-ate High School in 1988.
Steve Ramirez can be reached at (575) 541-5452.
The new high school
•Centennial will be the name of Las Cruces' newest high school.
•Its mascot will be the hawks and its school colors will be red, black and New Mexico gold.
•Its student body will be able to choose how the school colors are incorporated.
•The name of the school, its mascot and school colors were approved Tuesday by the Las Cruces Public Schools board of education.
•The new high school will open in fall of 2012.
