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Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Board passes mascot resolution after some discussion following a nine-month stint
The Reardan-Edwall School Board has approved the "Screaming Eagles" as the district's new mascot, which could have a logo like this sample shared by district staff.
REARDAN-The school district's nine-month period of being mascot-less, or "just Reardan," as many locals refer to it, is over. The school board approved a motion to make the "Screaming Eagles" the new mascot by a 3-1 vote at the board's meeting Wednesday, April 27.
The district was forced to change its mascot from the "Indians" following the passage of House Bill 1356 in 2021, which banned the use of Native American mascots or logos by public schools in Washington.
The moniker was dropped in July 2021, but a new mascot wasn't chosen due to funding concerns and unclear guidance on how the name change would be paid for. Thus, the district has operated most of this year as "just Reardan."
Meanwhile, the district conducted a bracket vote of several name monikers, of which "Screaming Eagles" came out on top.
Approving that mascot officially was the board's chief task Wednesday.
The approval didn't come without discussion. Three community members voiced their opinions to the board prior to a vote.
Krissi Bell said she approved of the mascot but was concerned with the logo designs that district staff had dummied and hoped to see a resolution. Jeff Schulz added that acting as "just Reardan" had become a comfortable feeling, and the board shouldn't hurry to decide on "Screaming Eagles."
Later in the meeting, board chair Jeff Anderson presented a motion to the board and each member chimed in their thoughts.
Roger Peterson said the district should consider staying with the Reardan moniker for now, while Jennifer Cox said she wondered if "Screaming Eagles" versus "Reardan" should be presented to the community for more feedback.
Simon Butterfield countered those points by saying not approving "Screaming Eagles" would be a disservice to those who voted in the majority for the mascot while adding that eventually, the board would have to make a clear decision one way or another.
Ryan Clouse was also in favor of approving "Screaming Eagles," but said he felt the district should go through a due process of picking a logo that would be appreciated by the community.
Anderson's opinion was to make the athletics' mascot the "Screaming Eagles," but leave the school's infrastructure with the Reardan symbol.
He then posed the vote to the board. Peterson had the first say and voted against passage, but Cox, Butterfield and Clouse voted "aye" consecutively to pass the motion and create the district's new mascot.
"Screaming Eagles" is a reference to Joe E. Mann's 101st Airborne Division. Mann, a Reardan native, died in World War II when he sacrificially jumped on a grenade in battle.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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