TURNERS FALLS — Among criteria for a new Turners Falls High School mascot is that it be both non-discriminatory and inclusive — a standard school officials are working out how best to express.
Gill-Montague Regional School Committee member Christina Postera said Tuesday that the district’s lawyers should make sure the language is in compliance with the schools’ non-discrimination policy. Board members agreed that they need to remove subjectivity from non-discrimination language.
“The more precise we can end up with, the better,” member Jane Oaks said.
The School Committee refined its criteria for replacing the previous mascot, the Indian, during Tuesday night’s meeting. The board voted Feb. 14 to remove the Indian.
There are now five criteria: Gender neutral, marketability, community relevance, inclusive/non-discriminatory and core qualities and values.
The board plans to further discuss and edit the criteria two weeks from now, at its next regular meeting.
Members have decided that the new mascot be relevant to the community and the area, an idea suggested by the community.
Board member Timmy Smith the criteria should be more focused on the area, versus the history of the town.
“I just think it needs to focus on the present — the present and contemporary aspects of the community,” she said.
Superintendent Michael Sullivan said the board could have some criteria that it considers necessary and other standards that can be preferred, but not required.
The committee also made the decision to combine “inclusive” and “non-discriminatory” into one criterion and refine the “core values” category to include more qualities.
Several members advocated for keeping or representing the four values that were on the logo of the Indian mascot: dignity, strength, honor and pride. Committee member Leslie Cogswell said these words are meaningful for the students, and that should be considered in the decision.
“They seem to have rallied around those four words,” she said.
Cogswell encouraged members of the public who have been interested in the process to continue sending emails on the subject.
“Continue to send them on this, this is important,” she said.
Reach Miranda Davis at
413-772-0261, ext. 280
or mdavis@recorder.com.