NEWS

Conrad Schools of Science closer to losing Redskins name

Saranac Hale Spencer
The News Journal
Tim Laushey, a 1967 Conrad High School graduate and alumni band director, holds a sign reading "Save Our Mascot," at a meeting over the use of the Redskins logo in Elsmere on Monday. A committee is suggesting to change the logo.

The nickname for the Conrad Schools of Science may not be the Redskins for much longer.

Following a contentious vote Monday night in Elsmere, a committee is recommending the Red Clay Consolidated School District stop using the Native American imagery. It came down to the three alumni members of the committee and one parent member against the other nine members, which included teachers, community members and chiefs of two Native American tribes.

A crowd of about 20 dressed in red, some with shirts emblazoned with the Conrad Redskins name and a picture of a Native American in a headdress, sighed with disappointment.

Although the vote was 9-4, one of the alumni members who voted against the change, Patti Reinbold, suggested that the committee should unanimously "send the message that we're looking for ... an acceptable way to keep that part of our heritage."

Supporters of the nickname say the Redskins name honors Native American heritage and the tradition of the school. But the name also has been seen as culturally insensitive by critics.

Chief William H. Daisey of the Nanticoke Indian tribe in Delaware speaks at a committee meeting on the Conrad Schools of Science "Redskins" mascot held at the Red Clay Consolidated School District offices in Elsmere on Monday evening.

The committee agreed to also pass along to the school board a resolution that it will put together for an educational plan, created with input from the Nanticoke and Lenape tribes, that will maintain the school's ties with those tribes. "I'm having trouble imagining that history ... that you're striving to maintain. I'm having trouble with that concept," said Lenape Chief Dennis Coker, explaining that many impressions of Native American life aren't necessarily true.

"I think we're all speaking the same language," said Susan Strawbridge, another alumni member of the committee.

The district began considering a change to its mascot last year, as other schools and sports teams with similar names have faced increasing pressure to abandon imagery related to Native Americans.

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Most well known is the battle over the Washington Redskins, and President Barack Obama has weighed in on the debate, more than once calling for the team to change its name.

High schools across the country have been dropping the usage. In California, Tulare Union High School will change its name this June after the state passed a law last year barring schools from using the name Redskins for teams.

The Native American logo has been used as the Conrad mascot since the 1930s and appears on various uniforms, events and clubs. The school's logo is a "C" with a Native American headdress. A group called the "Retire the Mascot Committee" started gathering petition signatures to change the mascot last year.

The Red Clay school board will have final say on the recommendation of the committee. No timeline has been set for the vote or when the name would be retired if the change is approved.

Contact Saranac Hale Spencer at (302) 324-2909 or sspencer@delawareonline.com. 

Conrad considers dropping Redskins nickname