KILLINGLY – A pair of students is soliciting feedback from peers, teachers and staff on the high school’s mascot – the Redmen – and whether it’s offensive.

Superintendent of Schools Steve Rioux said last week that while the school board has not had the opportunity to create an agenda item focused on a name change, a student-led initiative is bringing the subject to the forefront.

"(Last) week, two student board members decided to gauge feedback," Rioux said. "The last few years, community members have questioned the mascot and have brought it to the board and mentioned during the strategic planning process.

"Right now, it’s too early to say what will be next. It’s come up from time to time, and it’s a worthy conversation to have."

The students’ survey has resurfaced the debate: Is having Redmen as a mascot racist or does it honor Native Americans?

"I am a native American woman who is very proud of who I am," Nyla Menor, of Plainfield, said. "The Killingly mascot is very offensive and ignorant to my people. There is nothing honorable about my people being mocked as a team mascot. The Native American community has been fighting big sports teams and schools to try and be rid of Native American mascots for years."

She continued: "It is not changing history, it is fixing it."

The Native American imagery is prominent on some of Killingly’s athletic uniforms. A Native American in full headdress is on the shirts of the Killingly boys golf team and the shorts of the school’s girls basketball team. The football team maroon helmets have a white headdress painted on them.

Pam Rodgers, who taught at Killingly High for 39 years, said the topic came up fairly often.

"Although I never had a strong opinion about it, I always felt that the Redman mascot was more of acompliment to the Native American indicating toughness and resolve, than an insult," Rodgers said. "It would be odd, awkward, strange, to have something/someone different. The change to whatever it becomes would be disrupting and cause a stir among those who attended the school during the time a Redman was the mascot."



The Bulletin asked the community to weigh in on its Facebook page, resulting in dozens of comments and emails on the topic. Read readers' opinions here:

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Last month, Maine became the first state to ban the use of Native American mascots in all of its public schools and universities, setting a precedent in the nationwide debate over sports teams’ use of imagery that some consider culturally offensive – and sparking additional conversations in Killingly.

"I find the nickname ‘the Redmen’ to be deeply offensive," Richard Murray, who lives in Killingly, said. "If the town won’t change it, I would hope the CIAC would mandate against derogatory nicknames. (Also,) the KHS logo with the full-feathered headdress is not representative of any local native tribes."

In Maine, when Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed the legislation, she said at the bill’s signing: "While Indian mascots were often originally chosen to recognize and honor a school’s unique connection to Native American communities in Maine, we have heard clearly and unequivocally from Maine tribes that they are a source of pain and anguish."

California, Oregon and Wisconsin have similar bans, while New York, South Dakota and Michigan have called for an end to the use of mascots.

The New Haven Register editorial page in 2014 called on Connecticut high schools to drop offensive names. At the time, the Register reported that "at least 23 high school teams in the state have names associated with Native Americans that could be considered offensive, from the Derby and Torrington Red Raiders to the Nonnewaug Chiefs or the Killingly Redmen and Glastonbury Tomahawks." Some of the state’s high schools and colleges have changed their names: Quinnipiac University changed the names of its sports teams and mascot in 2002 from Braves to Bobcats and Newtown changed its name from Indians to Nighthawks. While Eastern Connecticut State University retains the Warriors name, the mascot has gone from a Native American to a large cat.

Last month, The Hartford Courant reported that a group of students at Manchester High School were circulating petitions to replace the Indians name and mascot. Also, the Mohawk Trail Regional Schools in Western Massachusetts decided to keep their Warriors nickname but will no longer use Native Americans as a mascot.

On a national level, the Cleveland Indians retired Chief Wahoo in 2018 and removed the emblem fromjerseys and caps.

Native American mascots aren’t the only ones that have come under fire in recent years. In 2015, Susquehanna University changed its name to the River Hawks from the Crusaders, which the school said, "Many critics of the term Crusader feel that connotations of the word – related to the medieval crusaders who used violence in the name of religion – are at odds with the university's commitment to embracing and respecting difference." Earlier this year, Cal State Long Beach was looking for help to replace its former mascot, Prospector Pete, which students felt glorified violence against Native Americans during the California Gold Rush. The new mascot is a shark.



"I have lived in Killingly for 13 years and have considered the mascot offensive for a number of years as soon as I became aware of its existence," Rory Apperson said. "It should be changed."

The student board members are expected to share the information they gather with the Board of Education at a future meeting.