REMUS — Chippewa Hills School District is continuing its plans to replace the district's logo depicting Native American imagery.
During a school board meeting this week, the board approved a logo resolution to begin making decisions on the logo change with one abstaining vote from vice president Marc Forrest.
No official changes have yet been made to the current logo, but the process to decide a new logo can now move forward.
Per the resolution’s wording, it recommends the immediate phased retirement of the Chippewa Hills School District logo as it associates with the Native American Indigenous people.
The resolution states the continued use of the Native American Indigenous people’s mascot, symbols, images, logos, icons, nicknames and behaviors are damaging to both Native American and Indigenous peoples and non-Native and indigenous populations, and the phased retirement of the logos and symbols would begin immediately following approval of the resolution.
Board president Guy Stickler explained that no official decision has been made on a new logo.
“We don’t yet have a definitive answer on what we’re moving to yet,” Stickler said. “Just trying to begin the process. All logos and images to be changed would occur through the 2021-22 school year, and school materials bearing existing logos and related imagery may not be acquired after.”
“The Warrior nickname will be rebranded and only used in association with a newly-selected logo and related imagery,” he added. “The board will apply Native American Heritage Fund grants to support the transition as it relates to athletics, facilities and other aspects of the school setting, utilizing the new logo.”
A new logo will be chosen by the board before the end of the 2021 calendar year to allow for the transitioning to occur over the remainder of the school year.
During one public comment portion of the meeting, Chippewa Hills sophomore Matthew Brownell said he didn’t entirely understand the board’s decision to make the logo changes.
“I, for one, really like the logo and I sort of understand the reasoning for it going, but not completely,” Brownell said. “I also understand that there’s money in it, but I also know that lately, or at least today, it seems like there’s been a theme of identity going on, and I don’t really see a better way to strip someone of their identity than to get rid of school logo especially while they’re attending school.
“I would love to go to school and for everyone to have pride in the school,” he added. “I do, I love going to Chip Hills. My friends don’t feel the same and they’re always bashing it. It feels counterintuitive that we would get rid of the logo. I don’t see how it’s done any wrong. I realize it may be seen as offensive, but as far as I’m concerned, when you have a logo for any reason it's to praise that thing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a logo that is demeaning, if we wanted to put something like that up we should just put Christopher Columbus up there, that would be bad.”
Stickler, along with board members Sherry Anderson and William Fate, said they attended a meeting that included the tribe and said they felt the meeting went positively.
“We have no intention of changing the Warrior name,” Stickler said. “We explained [to the tribe] that our desire was to move to a situation that we could feel proud of what we were representing as a district, we believe that we can do that moving ahead as the warriors, but that what we just needed was a rebranding of our logos as they are, specifically where it comes to the Native American Indian head or our logo of the arrowhead.”
Fate said he thought the meeting was beneficial and that the right decision was made to move forward with the rebranding.
“My whole feeling on the whole thing is that this is going to happen, and we might as well get it behind us,” Fate said. “We’re going to still be the Warriors, we’re going to pick a new logo and it's going to be the same colors. They just won’t have the arrowhead, you’re not going to have the Indian head.
"We want to get this behind us so that we can concentrate on what we have to for the next few years, and not spend any more time on this because now is a good time to do it. We’re going to start with the things we can change now, it’s the right thing to do.”
Stickler said the board’s hope is that through the application of grants the district will not have to pay anything for the rebranding of logos.
The board’s next meeting is set to take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at Mosaic Elementary in Remus.
"start" - Google News
October 13, 2021 at 04:03PM
https://ift.tt/30ixKkZ
Chippewa Hills to start process of retiring district's logo - The Pioneer
"start" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2yVRai7
https://ift.tt/2WhNuz0
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Chippewa Hills to start process of retiring district's logo - The Pioneer"
Post a Comment