Officials at Santa Maria High School have denied rumors that the school’s getting rid of its mascot, Sammy Saint, and changing its football uniforms. Social media was abuzz with alumni concerned about the potential change, and a Change.org petition had collected nearly 1,700 signatures objecting to the rumored modifications.
District public information officer Kenny Klein said that the rumor came about after the team requested and got approval to wear blackout uniforms for its game against Righetti recently. “We are not changing the SM on the football helmets, and Sammy the Saint is staying and was never going anywhere,’’ Klein said in a press release. “We have not had any discussions about these alleged changes, and there are no plans to do so in the future.’’
Principal Joe Domingues, a third-generation graduate and three-sport letterman at Santa Maria High, said the school’s athletic program is about supporting student athletes and the decisions the school makes are all about the kids.
Superintendent Mark Richardson said the players sometimes wear a stylized version of their uniform for games much the way the NFL teams do, and that the school’s policy allows for the variation.
“I think the policy does a good job of maintaining tradition, but allows for a modern twist,’’ said Superintendent Richardson.
This article appears in Oct 8-15, 2015.
