Warrior logo debate on hold, 'not dead'
NASHUA TELEGRAPH
Published: Saturday, October 13, 2007
By JESSIE SALISBURY, Telegraph Correspondent
WILTON – Despite an overwhelming majority of students and parents wanting to keep the high school's warrior logo, the school board chairman says it isn't a "dead issue."
"It will be discussed further," Jean Scagel said, "The logo has bothered me since I first saw it."
The vast majority of students at Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative High School have no problems with the use of an American Indian warrior as their school mascot. Nor do most of their parents who answered a recent survey.
The survey conducted by the social studies department asked the question, "Do you think using the WLC Warrior as our logo is offensive?" Of the 303 responses, 294 students said no, and that they wanted to keep it.
Parents were offered the survey form at a recent parent-teacher conference. Of the 185 who responded, 182 said no, it was not offensive, and they did not want to change it. Several cited the costs involved with a change, including athletic uniforms, and said there were better uses for the money.
Linda Kalloger, head of the social studies department, presented the findings to the school board Wednesday.
"We began with a survey of the staff," she said, "and used advisory period to discuss it with students."
Asked if there had been anyone to present the other side, the reasons for changing the logo, teacher Dolores Neilan said most of the teachers "had played devil's advocate. Otherwise, it wasn't much of a discussion."
"The students are pretty much up in arms about it," Kalloger said.
Among the notes offered by students, as reported by Kalloger, were comments including, "The Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Chiefs . . . when they change, so will we." Another was, "If we change to an animal, will PETA say we are not respecting animals?" referring to animal rights activists People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Several respondents commented that the name Washington Redskins was offensive.
The use of the warrior denotes courage, strength, nobility, and bravery, other respondents said.
"If we are going to change the logo, we have to look deeper," school board member Tony Lynch said. "I don't feel an imperative to change. More research is our next step."
Scagel said, "We should look at the groups that are saying we should change it. Does it matter who started the discussion?"
The state Department of Education has suggested all American Indian mascots be changed.
The question arose in June, when the school received a letter from Peter Sanfacon of the New England Anti-Mascot Coalition. The letter said the use of the logo – a stylized profile of a warrior in a headdress – was offensive. Sanfacon asked that the school live up to the 2002 resolution issued by the New Hampshire Board of Education to stop using team names based on American Indian stereotypes.
There are 24 schools in the state that still use such mascots, according to American Indian Cultural Support, including Merrimack High School (Tomahawks) and Litchfield Middle School (Raiders).
There are 95 high schools in New England that still use an American Indian mascot, according to the coalition.
The issue is not scheduled to be discussed by the board again in the near future. However, Scagel said a student assembly might be held in the future to take up the issue with students.
Jessie Salisbury can be reached at 654-9704 or jessies@tellink.net.