Letter: Good riddance to the logo
DAILY NEWS TRANSCRIPT
Norwood, MA
May 10, 2007
I was elated to hear that the Dedham logo depicting an enraged Indian has been vanished from the halls and fields of the Dedham schools.
As a teacher and director in Dedham for many years, I have always felt that it did not represent the spirit we wanted to nurture in our students, nor the image of Native Americans we want to depict. Ironically, it was the students themselves who recognized this more than 30 years ago and conducted a campaign to change the image.
The Student Government group, which I was privileged to advise, surveyed the student body and met with administrators to no avail. As with many issues in government, religion and society, ideas considered radical then have become politically correct now.
As a retired teacher who will always hope for excellence for the Dedham schools, allow me to propose that the name Marauder also be replaced, a suggestion also addressed by those former students. Webster tells us that maraud means raid for plunder and comes from the French word meaning rogue. Is this what we want to model for our students? I applaud those students of years ago, many of whom are now Dedham parents, who answered a resounding No.
MARYANNE PLACENTINO
Dedham