| TOWN
MEETING ON MASCOT NAME
Published on Friday, February 23,
2001
© 2001 The Press Democrat
Chris Smith
The school board in Tomales will
convene a community meeting on the high school's team name and mascot
March 6 at 7 p.m. in the school gym.
Trustees of the Shoreline Unified
School District voted last Friday to eliminate ``Braves'' as the team
name at Tomales High. The vote also would end the school's use of
Indian-related rally themes and of the school logo, which bears the
profile of an Indian man.
Trustees announced they would
invite public input and reconsider the vote after they received a flood
of phone calls, most of them in favor of continuing the ``Braves''
tradition at Tomales High, and after more than 100 students protested
last Friday's decision. A small group of students subsequently protested
in favor of the decision to find a new name.
Advocates of keeping ``Braves'' as
the high school's team name say it is a cherished tradition that honors
qualities such as pride, courage and community. Advocates of change say
the current team name, mascot and pep-rally practices
objectify and trivialize Native-American culture.
The trustees could choose not to
vote again, vote again at the March 6 meeting, or plan another vote at a
later date.
-- Chris Smith
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