TURNERS FALLS — As the Gill-Montague Regional School District moves forward with changes to the Turners Falls mascot, early estimates indicate that it would cost up to $8,000 to remove remaining references to the “Indian” from the school and some team uniforms.
The money would go toward changing two things: The current team uniforms for the football program and the scorer’s table inside the school’s gymnasium.
District Superintendent Michael Sullivan said that $4,000 of that money was built into the fiscal year 2018 budget because of the possibility of the change. It was included in the line item for the Turners Falls High School athletic equipment and would cover the cost of the new football uniforms.
Sullivan said there is not a timeline yet to replace the football uniforms or the scorer’s table, the two items related to the school that still have references to the school’s former mascot. Privately owned gear supporting the school’s sports teams also has the image of the former mascot on it.
The Gill-Montague Regional School Committee voted to change the Turners Falls High School mascot from the “Indians” in a 6-3 vote last week. According to School Committee Chairman Mike Langknecht, the school does not currently have a mascot.
The five-month debate on the issue came to an unanticipated close when the School Committee voted to change after an hour of discussion on the issue last Tuesday. About 120 students from the high school and staged a walkout the next day in protest of the vote. They walked to the district’s administration building and spoke with Sullivan. Students that oppose the change have said they do not feel as though the student perspective was included in the decision-making process by the School Committee.
The School Committee was partially through a process to review the mascot that they discontinued the previous meeting. Those who advocated for the vote said it was because the process had become overwhelmingly divisive in the towns and schools.
After the vote, the School Committee agreed to table the issue for two meetings, so students and those upset in the community could heal before the committee moved forward with details on how it will select a new mascot.
Reach Miranda Davis at 413-772-0261 ext. 280 or mdavis@recorder.com.