POYNETTE, Wis. -- Students at Poynette High School are now a part of "Puma" pride.

At the school's homecoming pep rally on Thursday, the new Puma mascot was unveiled. The school was already selling new Puma apparel to students and parents.

For months, students and community members have been narrowing down choices for a new mascot. The old Indians mascot and logo had been used since the 1940s.

"It's pretty exciting," said Shelby McIlrath, Poynette student council president. "There was a lot of fighting about the Indians, so this one will resolve everything."

"I would have preferred Indians until I graduated," said Shawn Lenius, a junior at Poynette High School. "But sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to."

The change comes after a hearing held by state lawmakers in March on the use of race-based mascots.

Many in Native American communities across the state have expressed concern about the use of mascots and encouraged a change in state law allowing the state Department of Public Instruction to investigate any complaints about the use of such names or images.