by Andrew Henderson

Moving away from Native American images, the Fulton City School District has begun the slow process of potential selection of a new school mascot and logo.

“We are at the infant stage right now of who we would like to bring into a group to orchestrate what we want to do,” Superintendent of Schools Bill Lynch said during Tuesday’s meeting of the Fulton Board of Education. “I would like to come back probably by a November meeting to talk to the board about where we think we’re at.”

Last year, business and marketing classes at G. Ray Bodley High School began discussing possible new mascots and logos. That discussion continued this year, as well.

“They want to survey or start identifying a logo,” said Superintendent Lynch. “How can we build a process to start looking at something—not just at the high school but really in the community? It represents more than just the high school, but our community as well.”

Veteran school-board member Robbin Griffin noted that some school districts ran a contest or a poll to select a new mascot or logo. “We need to make sure to lay out the parameters of what it can’t be,” she said.

According to Superintendent Lynch, the district and the high school moved away from the Indian iconography back in the early 2000s under strong influence and pressure from the State Education Department.

In 2001, the New York State Education commissioner urged school districts to re-evaluate Native American school nicknames and mascots but stopped short of implementing an immediate ban.

Shortly thereafter, district administrators and members of the community traveled to the Indian reservation in Onondaga County and met with tribal councils to discuss the issue, according to Superintendent Lynch.
“There truly was a view of them being offended by the use of Indian iconography and symbols outside of their culture,” he said. “We stopped using the Indian head at that point, but we did not replace it with anything.”

Mrs. Griffin pointed out that the Indian head was never the official mascot for the school district.

“There is nothing in the district records where they made that official,” she said. “What we think happened was the it started showing up as vendors began to offer it as a choice. It just became very prominent and it just started showing up.”

Mrs. Griffin said that a community member researched the mascot and found that the “block F” logo was instituted many years ago.

“It was not the Indian head,” she said. “That was as close as we could find being official. I could have sworn that we had (the Indian head) on the wall in the gymnasium and it was not there. I was one of those people who thought that and made a trip over to the high school to prove to myself. I would have sworn that it was there.”

Native American symbols and culture, however, have been a part of the district for many years.

The school’s alma mater contains a reference to Native Americans. The song was written around 1903. Its opening line is, “On the Banks of Old Oswego where Indian camp fires gleam.” In the late 1980s, the district had a costume or a caricature of an Native American.

In the early 2000s, Mrs. Griffin said that board members did receive letters from Native Americans who were offended by the mascot and logo.

“They were very offended,” she said. “It’s about religion. We don’t want to be offending people who have religious beliefs. I really didn’t understand it. I do now.”