Panel votes to retire Amesbury High mascot

Jim Sullivan, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·2 min read

Nov. 10—AMESBURY — The Amesbury High School Indian mascot will be headed for retirement if the superintendent has her way.

The School Committee created a mascot review committee last spring after two high school seniors proposed phasing out the Indian over a five-year period. The 18-member panel spent the summer studying the issue and an 11-member core group recently made its recommendation to Superintendent Elizabeth McAndrews.

McAndrews told the School Committee on Monday night that the mascot review committee voted 9-2 to retire the mascot.

The superintendent then discussed the results of an online survey given in September that showed 1,087 of the 2,062 people who responded said they wanted to keep the mascot while 869 wanted a change. Sixty-seven people said they had no opinion and 39 answered that they did not care.

McAndrews then made her own recommendation to the School Committee, which is expected to make a final decision Nov. 15.

"As a washed-up athlete and coach, I have always loved playing and coaching under a mascot," McAndrews said. "I have played and coached as a Viking twice, a Tiger, Pioneer, Redman and now as an Indian."

The superintendent added that she has always proudly represented her schools and mascots but almost everything about education has changed in her nearly 30-year career.

"In this case, it doesn't matter that I view our identifier with pride. That I believe that there is Native American history in Amesbury and it is out of respect that we refer to ourselves as the Indians," McAndrews said. "What matters is that there is a lot of evidence that the use of Native American identifiers or mascots hurts students with Native American heritage."

McAndrews echoed a comment made earlier in the evening by School Committee member Peter Hoyt that whatever the committee's final decision may be, roughly half of the city's population will not be satisfied.

"Being inclusive means finding something in which we can identify that values and includes all students," McAndrews said. "To that end, my recommendation is that we change our identifier."

McAndrews suggested that the district create a committee of students and staff who would explore options for a new high school identifier and submit them for a vote.

"I understand that people will be and are angry and disappointed with my recommendation," McAndrews said. "But for me, it is the only recommendation that I can make that supports and values all of our students."

McAndrews' presentation: https://schools.amesburyma.gov/Page/8365

McAndrews' recommendation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hnXYpA5JOGEnFecvrfmFY04z5XMVcN4W/view.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.