RE-2 Mascot Committee Selected

Profile on High School Building

The Lamar RE-2 School District, Board of Education, recently announced the members of the Lamar High School Logo committee, tasked with deciding on an alternate logo for the school.  This past summer, the state passed Senate Bill 21-116, mandating potentially offensive Native American mascots be eliminated and the Lamar School District is one of several schools that have until June of this year to find a substitute that will comply with the guidelines set up by the Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs.  The school would like to keep the name of the Savages but change the concept of the mascot which is a representation of an Indian wearing a headdress and need approval from the Commission.

The logo committee is comprised of twenty-two persons.  The make-up consists of alumni, community members, parents, school staff, students and administration members as well as a member of the school board of directors.  The group is receiving advice from a company, Jostens, which manufactures school rings and assists schools throughout the country with branding concepts.

Lanie Meyers-Mireles, School Board President, Chris Wilkinson Board member and Superintendent, Chad Krug, held a Zoom work session with members of the Indian Affairs Commission on Wednesday, January 12^th, to provide an update on their creation of a logo committee and to see if they were heading on a course that would be acceptable to the Commission as a whole.  Lamar was one of several Colorado schools making similar presentations, all faced with the possibility of monthly $25,000 fines by the state beginning this June if they have not made an acceptable logo/mascot switch by that deadline.

Mireles explained that the term Savages, if allowed to be kept by the school, is more of an adjective than a noun and would be used to express enthusiasm, energy or a style of competitive play rather than a pejorative or any negative connotation that could be construed from the word savage.

Members of the Commission, while not directly telling her and board members, “no”, advised them to develop a “Plan B”.  Commission member, Rachel Bryan-Auker, Tribal Liaison, said she would find it difficult to separate ‘savage’ from any other imagery the logo committee could recommend.  She, along with Colorado Lt. Governor, Dianne Primavera, advised a secondary selection would be advisable at this point.

The Commission on Indian Affairs will meet again in March, giving an opportunity for Lamar’s Logo Committee to come up with their first recommendation for a mascot change, and now, perhaps an alternative to the long-used Savage name.  The Committee, said Superintendent Krug, is not soliciting suggestions from local residents or the general public, but will use their own suggestions for a future presentation.

Krug said an architectural firm from Garden City, KS took a walk-through of school district property, focusing on a portion of the bleachers at Savage Stadium that will require replacement and the Middle School science lab is in need of renovations.  “This firm has a background with securing BEST grants which we hope to qualify for to replace the bleachers, but it’s a long shot as it’s not listed as being indoors or a primary education need,” he explained.

By Russ Baldwin