Meetings were held at the high school in December 1985 regarding concerns over the school's mascot, the Red Devil. Some in the community, including a local minister, regarded the Red Devil mascot as unsuitable for a school for religious reasons.[2]
One member of the Pickering School Building Committee also wanted to see the mascot changed saying, "I know that when a school follows a mascot, such as devils, they have a reputation of a loser." The majority of the attendees of the December meeting were in support of keeping the Red Devil mascot, citing its long history of association with the school and the cost of replacing the mascot with an alternative.[3]
Ultimately, the Pickering building committee decided to drop the issue because, according to one member, debate over the mascot was not important enough to cause division within the community.[4]
