RUTLAND — The city Board of School Commissioners has voted 6-4 to change Rutland High School’s mascot, the Raiders, along with its arrowhead imagery.
Students will work with school administrators to think of a new mascot that is “inclusive and welcoming” to all students, and will present ideas to the board in February.
The decision Tuesday night came after months of organizing by a group of Rutland High School alumni, students, staff and teachers, who requested that the mascot’s name and imagery be changed because of associated harmful Native American stereotypes that date back to the mascot’s conception.
Originally the “Red Raiders,” the name and imagery of Rutland’s mascot were both changed years ago. An original image featured a Native American wearing a headdress, and the nickname was created by Rutland Herald sports writers in the 1930s who used language that compared the feats of high school athletes to Native American “raiders,” who were considered violent.
Several schools have been considering similar changes around the state, particularly after a statement from the Vermont Principals’ Association stated that “any mascot, nickname, symbol, or logo that has marginalizing, racist, or exclusionary elements should be replaced to demonstrate what it means to be an inclusive, welcoming, and strong community.”
School board members voted on Tuesday after holding meetings in recent months where residents of Rutland City and the greater school community talked about why the mascot should or shouldn’t be changed.
Some argued the mascot decision should be brought to a town vote. Though the board has the final say about whether a mascot should be changed, advocates said a vote would have provided insight about what local residents think.
Several board members who voted to change the mascot said the public has had ample time to comment on the mascot change. Board members Kevin Kiefaber and Cathy Solsaa introduced the motion to change the mascot on Tuesday, and said they felt informed by public opinion.
“The great majority of speakers at our recent open forum on this topic — including many current and former teachers, students, athletes and parents — endorsed replacing our current mascot, because it creates a divisive and unwelcoming environment in our schools,” Tuesday’s meeting minutes stated.
Kiefaber and Solsaa also cited the district’s vision statement, which states, “RCPS cultivates a passionate, diverse and resilient community of critical thinkers who learn with purpose, create innovative and responsible solutions, and lead lives of integrity.”
Rutland High School’s mission statement calls for “a school climate that values mutual respect and dignity,” they added.
They also referred to the statement from the Vermont Principals’ Association and the American Psychological Association’s call for retirement of Indigenous mascots, along with historical context that ties racist stereotypes directly to the Raider mascot.
Board members who voted “no” said they wanted more input from students and residents. Brittany Cavacas, who is also running for state Senate, was one of those board members.
The meeting minutes say Cavacas “noted the need to respect input, listen to the community.”
After about an hour of discussion, the board voted 6-4 to change the mascot. According to the minutes, Commissioners Brittany Cavacas, Hurley Cavacas, Charlene Seward and Erin Shimp voted against the change.
Voting for the change: Ann Dages, Dena Goldberg, Kevin Kiefaber, Cathy Solsaa, Matthew Olewnik and Joanne Pencak.
The mascot debate has spread across the state and the country. As VTDigger reported in September, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin have had state-level discussions about mascots that portray indigenous symbols, though not all have resulted in policy changes.
In Maine, the Legislature unanimously passed a bill to ban Native American mascots in public schools, and Gov. Janet Mills signed it into law in May 2019.
A petition in Vermont has been circulated, urging Gov. Phil Scott to ban all native American mascots.
Several Vermont schools have changed their mascots, and other communities are talking about it, including Danville, Chester, Brattleboro and Randolph.