The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
South High to replace mascot
Civil War Rebel icon to be slowly phased out of school
Willoughby-Eastlake Schools Superintendent Steve Thompson has decided to do away with South High School’s Rebel mascot because of controversy over the way many perceive the Civil War Rebel icon.
Thompson made an independent, administrative decision to eliminate the Confederate soldier from the school and everything affiliated with it.
“Ultimately it was my decision,” he said during an Aug. 17 news conference at South High in Willoughby. “And, why that decision? I have had multiple input from community members expressing concerns, and at the end of the day, I ask myself, at some point I’m going to be standing here and I want to be standing on the right side of history and not an easy decision which lacks courage.”
The superintendent said he personally believed it was the
right move to make.
Thompson said his conscience told him to make the change.
“It said I should have the courage to make the change, even though it’s unpopular,” he said.
According to Thompson, the district will seek input from students, the community and staff for suggestions for a new mascot and they also will be given the option to decide to keep or do away with the Rebel name.
According to Thompson, there is no intent at this time to change the name.
The superintendent believes right now, the problem lies in what the Rebel name is currently associated with and the Civil War mascot linking it obviously to the Civil War.
Thompson also said that rebel can mean a lot of things, citing George Washington was a rebel, as an example.
At one point, the mascot bore a Confederate flag which, according to Thompson, was slowly phased out prior to being completely banned four years ago.
The mascot, starting immediately, will slowly start to be removed or covered over by decals. It will no longer appear anywhere in the school or on any clothing or team uniforms for the school.
When asked if his decision was based on the violent clash on Aug. 12 between white nationalists and counter protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, he responded by saying he thought Charlottesville brought it back to the surface.
“It’s always right under surface and has been since 2011, that’s when I became the superintendent,” he said. “I just think at this point, we can no longer ignore it,”
It’s been building up and there are more and more community people expressing concerns, Thompson said.
He also noted that there are the diehard Rebel fans who support the Rebel and confederate icons, which is making this a very divisive issue within the community.
His goal is to find a resolution that everyone can be happy with.
Eventually the elimination of the Confederate mascot will seep into the dress code as they work to phase it out. Students are still currently permitted to wear the Rebel logo to school for now but can look for that to changed in the future.
The Rebel mascot was assumed by the school as a symbol of the history of the country when South High as constructed in the 1950s, according to a news release sent out by the school. With the mascot having developed a negative connotation, the district no longer believes it to be in the best interests of the community or students to perpetuate this sentiment, Thompson said in the release.
Thompson believes that those outside the community have a difficult time understanding what they see when they come to Willoughby and he wants to send the message of being an inclusive community.
The superintendent is aware of the potential backlash that could come from the decision and said he is as prepared for it as he could possibly be.
Thompson feels that the way the decision was made was the right way to go, by making it administratively instead of seeking student and community input. But he feels it’s important to include them in the selection of a new mascot.
“I just think it’s important that we do what’s best for all of our students,” the superintendent said. “We have a very diverse student population and a diverse community and I think that we need to support that.”