With a vote of 9 to 6, the RSU 12 School Board decided to “immediately” and “permanently” remove the term and image “Redskin” from Wiscasset High School and all schools in the district.
The yes vote, taken during the Board’s Jan. 13 meeting, ended four months of renewed debate amongst faculty, students, administrators, and members of the Wiscasset community who had been wrestling with the complex and emotionally charged nature of the issue.
“It’s time to put this to rest and name a new mascot,” said school board member Ralph Hilton of Alna, who introduced the motion.
The vote stunned many in the packed WHS cafeteria, including members of a recently formed committee who were charged with exploring the mascot issue and reporting back to the board in the near future.
Committee member Chet Grover asked the Board why they were taking back their charge to the committee and said despite a few initial hurdles, the committee was moving toward its intended goal of providing objective, fact-based evidence to the debate. According to the language of the approved motion, the committee’s new charge will be deciding on a new mascot by the end of the 2011 school year.
After the vote, some members of the crowd vowed to fight the school board’s decision but most were in disbelief at the swift and unexpected action of the Board.
“It’s been an extremely emotional issue for all sides. The committee will continue our work in the capacity that we’ve been charged,” said WHS Principal and mascot committee chairman Matt Carlson.
Jamie Bissonette Lewey of the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission applauded the Board’s decision by saying it was “a move to ensure our children can walk together in peace.”
“This was a very difficult and emotional issue for all involved,” said Lewey. “The strong leadership of the RSU 12 Board will let children get back to the business of being children and begin the process of healing.”
In Sept. 2010, MITSC representatives approached the RSU 12 board with a request to have the term and image “Redskin” removed from WHS immediately. At that time, Lewey presented a document to the Board that depicted the sale of scalps, or “redskins” as the reproduced colonial era paper read, in 18th century Boston; proving, she argued, the racist etymology of the term.
“The word Redskin is as offensive to us, as Native Americans, as the N word,” said Lewey at the time.
Since the September meeting, the issue gained momentum with faculty and RSU Board members who sought to finally reach a consensus on the mascot issue. During the public comment portion of the meeting, both WHS alums and students spoke of the tradition and honor the mascot represented. WHS student council co-president Paige Teal, who had initiated a student petition to measure the feelings of her classmates regarding the use of the mascot, urged the Board to “remember the students” when making their decision.
“No matter what the decision, I’m not going to beat a dead horse,” said Teal.
Wiscasset resident Judy Flanagan, who had chaired a similar committee in 1999, said it was “time to change” and that Wiscasset as a community could “do better”.
“I recently encountered a young mother who told me that the Redskin mascot was one strike against the town,” said Flanagan.
Her comments echoed others in attendance that spoke of declining attendance at WHS and how a move to strike the mascot could potentially have a financial upside. The debate also exposed growing tensions surrounding school consolidation, most notably in the discussion over an individual school’s right to decide an issue independently.
The formation of the mascot committee came from an RSU directive after the Board deemed the issue a “strictly” local decision. The committee, comprised of WHS students, community members, faculty, and RSU Board members, had met three times over the past two months and were in the process of completing research to present to the Board.
While the school board meeting’s Jan. 13 agenda allowed for possible action on the mascot decision, committee members were none-the-less surprised. According to WHS teacher Deb Pooler, the students were more upset over the Board’s process than with the exact results of the vote.
“I think some students felt a little shortchanged over the way (the vote) it was done,” said Pooler. “Kids are smarter than you think and I have full faith and confidence that they will handle this.”
In response to the vote, WHS students organized a walk out on Jan.14 at 8:30 am, with between 60 and 70 people participating said Pooler. According to Pooler, the half hour protest ended peacefully but was another demonstration she said of kids participating in democracy.
For those opposed to the Board’s actions, it is unclear what, if any, action will be taken.
As of Jan.18, RSU 12 Supt. Greg Potter said he had received numerous requests asking for the Board to reconsider their decision.
“In terms of recourse there are options. Ultimately it is up to the Board’s discretion and they have voted,” said Potter.
An informal survey conducted by committee member Chris Teal on Nov. 2 found that an overwhelming majority of Wiscasset voters were in favor of keeping the mascot.
Though a relatively small sample size, audience members mentioned the results as proof that residents were comfortable with the status quo and reluctant to abandon what RSU Board member Eugene Stover called “a proud tradition” of the high school representing Native American symbols in an honorable manner.
Fellow board member Gerry Nault bemoaned a basic lack of “civility” that he had witnessed throughout the debate.
“When I was younger, civility was the in thing and I’m not sure what has happened,” Nault said. “If your (WHS) point is to honor the Native Americans, then can we please find something appropriate to honor them with?”
Hilton, after introducing the motion, said the mascot needed to be something “besides hate and hurt.” Board member Richard Devries of Westport Island said, “there were many hurtful things in history” but Wiscasset had “honored the Redskin name.”
Potter said the vote will provide a measure of closure but he doesn’t anticipate the debate to subside. In his opinion, the mascot issue had become a distraction; a consequence that he said was getting in the way of the fundamental purpose of learning.
“This was probably the most difficult thing I’ve witnessed in my 21 years as an educator,” said Potter. “Sometimes pulling through a tough road can make people stronger. Hopefully this is the case for the Wiscasset community.”
