Shorewood has entered a new era with our mascot change, and so has the student newspaper. With the 2021 Washington bill requiring all public schools with mascots derived from Native American cultures or depicting Native Americans to change their mascot by the end of the 2021-2022 school year, Shorewood has already decided on a new mascot. That means that the Kolus has had to make a change as well and decide, fast, on a new name for our publication.

The origin of the name “Kolus” isn’t well known among the student body. The Kolus, or Kulus, is a legendary figure in the mythology of the various Kwakwakaʼwakw tribes of British Columbia, similar to the Thunderbird in its depiction as a giant bird. It’s also commonly represented in stories as the younger, smaller brother or sister of the Thunderbird. Its Pacific Northwest origin, and helpful, protective nature, lent it originally as an interesting choice for the name of the Shorewood Thunderbirds’ newspaper. 

Now, though, it’s time for us to come up with a new name that’s not taken from a Native American culture and potentially works with our new mascot, the Stormray. The Stormray is a mythical stingray-like creature invented by the mascot committee, inspired by the climate of our Pacific Northwest location and riffing off of the “storm” theme introduced by the Thunderbird mascot. Because of this background, we wanted to come up with some name ideas inspired by the sea, storms, and stingrays. 

The Kolus staff voted, and we have a few top picks for a new paper name. Our ideas inspired by the sea and the stormray itself are the Siren and the Sting. The Siren has a double meaning; one is an alarm, and the other is a mythical sea creature, taking the form of a woman to sing to passing sailors. The Sting is derived from the stingray origins of the name Stormray. It’s the mark the paper leaves on the school, sometimes controversial but always engaging. 

Inspired by storms, one newspaper name idea leapt ahead of the rest for the Kolus staff: the Tempest, a powerful storm. This idea relates directly back to the new mascot name. A few names that weren’t mascot derivatives were popular among us, including the Sentinel, with which the paper takes on the role of a guard of the school; the Scoop, a news-related name; and the Daybreak, which goes hand in hand with the name of the yearbook, the Horizon. A couple more names, the Compass and the Atlas, were inspired by seafaring navigation tools. Both guide sailors through unfamiliar waters just as the school paper guides students through unknown territory. 

The newspaper staff is still undecided on what the forever name of our paper will be, but we’d love the student body’s input.