A committee has chosen a new mascot for a Fort Smith high school after the school board voted to phase out the Rebels mascot.
KHBS-TV reports the committee voted for the Mavericks as the new Southside High School mascot. The moniker received 25 votes, while Patriots received three votes.
The committee met Monday to consider the top names picked by students. The Mavericks and Spartans were the top two vote-getters among students.
The Fort Smith School Board voted unanimously in July to do away with "Dixie" as the school's fight song and change its mascot by next year.
Southside principal Wayne Haver says the school would next choose a new mascot design. He says the committee has gotten several concepts and might hold a contest.