Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
REARDAN-In light of the Spokane Tribe's decision to disallow public schools from using a Native American reference in a mascot or logo and the Reardan-Edwall School District's subsequent choice to do away with the "Indians" mascot by this fall, the school district has revealed six finalists for its new mascot. The mascot will be decided through a community vote open exclusively to school staff, students, parents and alumni, as well as community members.
Voting will take place in a bracket format, similar to the NCAA Tournament or NFL playoffs.
The first round voting, which runs from June 1-6, features two matchups. One is the Raptors against the Redbands. "Raptors" refers to the predatory bird species that hunt and feed on vertebrates, while "Redbands" is a reference to wild, native trout living in the streams and rivers surrounding the district.
The winner of the Raptors vs. Redbands matchup will advance to take on the "Screaming Eagles," a reference to Medal of Honor recipient Joe E. Mann's 101st Airborne Division in World War II, where Mann was killed in combat after sacrificing himself by jumping on a grenade.
The other first round matchup is the Aggies against the Ravens. The "Ravens" is a reference to the bird popular in many mythologies, while the "Aggies" refers to the area's agriculture and farming traditions.
The winner of the Aggies and the Ravens will take on "Reardan (no mascot)," which the district described as an "opportunity to create a logo that represents our community and tradition."
The second round of voting will be a two-week period between June 7-20 between the two first-round winners and the two mascots who received byes, the Screaming Eagles and Reardan (no mascot). Second round winners advance to the final voting round from June 21-July 9. The two finalists will be brought to the school board for a final decision later in July.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
Reader Comments(0)