Cal-Mum Raiders - Home of Champions!

Please press play!

September 2022

Caledonia-Mumford CSD has announced the new Raider mascot and logo. The new logo depicts a wolf in the school's maroon-and-white color scheme. 

"Students, parents, guardians, faculty and staff, alumni, and community input was crucial for finding the mascot that represents our school community.
Cal-Mum Raiders are determined, resilient, strong, courageous, intelligent, proud, united, and always persevere. We started with 32 illustrations and concepts,
and the Mascot Logo Committee narrowed it down to six, then four, and then two," said Superintendent of Schools Robert Molisani. 

Students in grades PreK-12 voted on Friday, September 9, 2022, and the Board of Education members approved the new Raider logo and mascot at the September 13, 2022, board of education meeting.

The new mascot logo will join the interlocking CM logo as a symbol of our school pride. The mascot costume will be in production for the next four months and will be released in late December or early January.  

“This has been a challenge for our school community. We have such a deep respect for traditions. Like all other moments in our school’s history that have challenged us to unite, the Raiders have done just that. Thank you to our students, staff, this entire community, the committee members, and Rickabaugh Graphics for their support and efforts over the last six months. This new Raider logo will carry on the proud tradition of excellence that has come to be expected at Cal-Mum,” said Molisani. 

November 2022

Dear Members of the Caledonia-Mumford School Community:

First and foremost, I hope you all enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.

Secondly, late last week, the New York State Education Department gave all schools in New York State until the end of this 2022-23 academic year to retire Native American mascots, logos, team names, and imagery. Failure to do so may result in the withholding of state aid and removal of school officers. The Education Department has consistently opposed the use of such imagery and previously asked school boards “to end the use of Native American mascots as soon as practical.”

For districts such as Caledonia-Mumford, nothing about retiring Native American imagery, so proudly worn by the Raiders for decades, has been easy. As the Superintendent of Schools, and father of three alumni who thrived in our schools, the adoration I have for this community is immeasurable. Hanging in my office is a quote that reads “If you aren’t planning for your future, who is?”

The most challenging and rewarding part of this job is the long-range planning done to ensure we carry on the proud tradition of excellence this community expects. Getting out ahead of change can create real discomfort. With so many signals that the Education Department was going to make this decision and hold back state aid for non-compliance, the leadership of this school community decided to move us forward. It took courage and has not been an easy path. To each current and former Board of Education member, I want to publicly commend you.

I am proud to say that in September, we unveiled a new mascot and logo, as voted on by our student body. To all those who wore the Raider proudly, please know that our new Raider represents the same spirit, character, determination, and compassion. The same winning spirit you carried still resonates in the halls today.

It may take decades for the new mascot and logo to take root in our community, but we must acknowledge that today's Raiders deserve no less than the generations before them. They deserve to wear their Raider gear with pride. They need a community to cheer them on and celebrate their wins.

Of the 700 school districts in the state, 65 of them still employ Native American imagery.

To all the communities around us about to embark on the journey we have just completed, we wish you well. You will need strength. Lean on us when you must. We are Cal-Mum.

Sincerely,

Superintendent of Schools