For several years, many students, staff and parents have expressed concern over the name of the school mascot. The name “Crusaders,” we feel, is outdated, and is a negative portrayal of the Christian faith. The Crusades were a period of brutal massacres in the name of God that lasted over 200 years, thus they are not a positive image to represent the school. As SFS is an international community, the name may be considered insensitive to other faiths and cultures, as it represents a destruction of those traditions.
Though this mascot may have been acceptable for the school in 1912, in today’s world, where global awareness and acceptance are key values of our society, the mascot has become outdated. SFS is a leading international school in Asia, participating in conferences such as APAC and KAIAC, and is looked upon as one of the best international schools in Korea. In order for the mascot to properly represent the best possible image of Seoul Foreign School, we request that, for the centennial year, a new, updated mascot—one that represents the school’s core spiritual values while maintaining respect for a range of different cultures and beliefs—be taken on. Recommendations of new mascot names include but are not limited to:
    •     Titans
    •     Saints
    •     Lions
    •     Knights
We believe that a change in the mascot name during the centennial year would represent a modernized SFS that is ready to take on the challenges that come with running an international school in the 21st century, and we see the centennial year as the ideal opportunity to instill this change.

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