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Rochester debates Spaulding High mascot
FOSTER'S DAILY DEMOCRAT
Tuesday, August 21, 2001
Jennifer Higgins — Democrat Staff Writer
ROCHESTER — Residents, faculty and School Board members gathered Monday night to discuss the future of the Spaulding High School Red Raider after school officials received a letter asking that the mascot be changed.
The Red Raider is a profile of a red-faced American Indian with two feathers jutting from his hair.
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School officials received the letter asking them to change the mascot last fall, according to Superintendent Raymond Yeagley. Yeagley said the School District had other issues it needed to address before this one could be discussed.
Monday evening's public forum was a preliminary step toward gauging the city’s feelings about the mascot and whether it should be changed, Yeagley said. About 15 to 20 people attended.
Athletic director David Colson said he was in support of keeping the mascot. After speaking with Spaulding's athletes, Colson said the Red Raider had a lot of "sentimental value."
"It's portrayed in a positive and respectful manner," Colson said.
"They (American Indians) are a very proud people, and they don't think that we are insulting them. ... They’re very proud of their history," said Dot Callaghan, a teacher at School Street School.
Callaghan said that for years she has spent her summers volunteering as a teacher on a Navajo reservation. She recently made a point of asking some of the American Indians she met questions about both Spaulding’s mascot and the use of American Indians as mascots in general. She said most of the American Indians she talked to were not offended.
"There were some blacks in the South who believed that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a troublemaker," said Kingston resident Jeff Robie. Robie added that while some may not be offended by the practice of using American Indians as mascots, the amount who were insulted was "overwhelming."
"That's not the way to honor someone. ... A mascot is to inspire school spirit and to instill fear in your opponents," Robie said.
"It's a very subtle form of perpetuating stereotypes," Robie said.
"There is a difference between Indians using Indian imagery and non-Indians using it," Robie said.
Callaghan disagreed, saying that the teachers and students in Rochester did not view their mascot or American Indians in a negative light.
"I think in Rochester we use the mascot for pride," said softball coach Sheila Colson. "We need to look at how Rochester looks at it."
"I'd hate to see it go. It's a part of our heritage," said resident Robert Perkins.
Later in the meeting, Perkins broached the issue of new uniforms for school organizations. Should the mascot be changed, the school would need to buy all new uniforms.
Robie also brought up how other schools facing Spaulding might behave at pep rallies. Some students may use racial slurs when referring to Spaulding teams as a way to encourage their own team to win, he said.
"You may be affecting people you haven’t even thought of," Robie said.
The forum also addressed how sports teams nationwide have been considering changing their mascots that depict American Indians, such as Chief Wahoo of the Cleveland Indians.
"We face the potential threat that it be mandated that we change it," said School Board member James McGranaghan.
The next step in the process will be to form a committee to gather information to determine how residents feel about the mascot, according to Yeagley.
The decision to change the mascot will be up to the School Board, Yeagley said.
