YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown Board of Education has selected the name of a new mascot that a single district high and middle school will adopt.

Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the district-wide mascot will be the Defenders and will be represented by an owl. The choice, which was one of about seven possibilities, was based on the results of a community survey that relied heavily on students’ voices regarding how they felt their school identity should be represented, according to a board of education news release Monday.

The survey was based on the district’s reconfiguration project, announced at a news conference May 9, in which Chaney and East high schools and middle schools will be consolidated into a single middle and high school, both on the East Side.

The new names will be Youngstown High School and Youngstown Middle School.

The current Chaney High, on the West Side, will be the new home of Youngstown Rayen Early College High School and Middle School.

“The Defenders mascot goes beyond a name; it is a powerful symbol of strength, of who we are and what we are becoming,” Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor said in a statement. “We are grateful for our scholars, staff, alumni and community support, and look forward to what lies ahead for the future of the Youngstown City School District.”

In addition, the new mascot is symbolic of the district’s future because it represents the owl, which, by extension, aligns with wisdom, unity and resilience, board President Juanita Walker said.