Board approves Ravens as new mascot

Last October — following a public campaign led by Rutland High School students and alumni — the board voted along the same lines to retire the Raider name and arrowhead symbol, deeming it offensive and hurtful to Indigenous Americans.

It then charged RHS Principal Greg Schillinger to convene a student advisory committee to work toward selecting a new mascot. Last week, after several months of work and multiple surveys and votes, the school community — including students in grades 3-12, faculty and staff — selected the Ravens.

Schillinger and several RHS students presented their work to the board Tuesday night.

The board’s vote was preceded by an extended discussion among members about the semiotics of the mascots the committee had selected.

Commissioner Hurley Cavacas argued that, in Native American cultures, the raven is “highly negative.”

“I’m not quite sure if we’re being hypocrites by looking at another symbol used a Native American culture,” he said.

In an email Wednesday, Rich Holschuh, a representative of the Elnu Abenaki Tribe, called that argument a “complete strawman.”

“There are many different entities that are symbolic to any number of cultures,” he wrote. “Cultural appropriation happens when the cultural connection is lifted out of context and used for another purpose. If some conjectural native cultural association (which is, itself, a good example of stereotyping and generalization on the part of the commenter: There is no single native cultural practice) with the raven is being depicted, then it is appropriation. If it’s just a raven, then it’s not.”

Holschuh stated that similar arguments about the Raider name and arrowhead symbol carrying meanings that extend beyond Indigenous cultures don’t hold up.

“In its immediate context in Rutland it is a continuation of the legacy of the Rutland Red Raiders. There is no ambiguity there,” he wrote. “On the other hand, it is a somewhat separate situation to rebrand the Raiders name, to a different evocation. It needn’t be a Native variant. That is a fine line that it might be possible to walk, but should probably be avoided because of its recent past associations (which have led to this juncture).”

Local Indigenous communities have been consistent in their opposition to the use of mascots, logos and symbols. At its November meeting, the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, a body composed of representatives from the state’s Native American tribes, moved to begin drafting a statement in response to Rutland’s Raider debate, stating that the commission “is not in favor of mascots, logos or symbols that evoke Native American names, history or material culture.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Schillinger acknowledged that all mascot candidates considered by the committee had positive and negative connotations, asserting that the committee did its due diligence in vetting them.

“I think, depending on the culture that you choose, there’s a myth that’s associated with almost every animal or natural phenomenon,” he said.

Commissioner Brittany Cavacas asked how the administration could allow students to proceed with the selection process while acknowledging that any and all the choices could have negative connotations.

“I’m a Catholic. So, for me, a raven is negative,” she said, arguing that the new mascot should not be offensive to anyone.

While the raven is associated with death in certain cultures, it is also depicted favorably in Catholicism and serves as an emblem for several saints. St. Benedict of Nursia, patron saint of students and Europe, is said to have been saved by a raven who stole bread from him that had been poisoned. Also, the prophet Elijah is represented by a raven. In 1 Kings, God sent him ravens bearing food.

Cavacas further stated that she is offended by the inclusion of the Railers as an option, noting that it has sexual connotations. She alleged that a “large group” of high school students voted for Railers because of that connotation.

RHS senior Caleb Dundas explained that the Railers was included by the committee because of Rutland’s history with railroads, and was done so “in good faith.”

Schillinger argued that it was moot to debate options that had not been chosen.

“Whatever problems there were with options that have been eliminated, granted. Our recommendation is the Ravens,” he said.

Commissioner Matthew Olewnik said the debate about any Native American symbology connected to the raven “misses the point about what the initial concern from the advocates for the change was, which is not having a mascot that turns human beings into a mascot in our community.”

Hurley Cavacas characterized Olewnik’s comments as subjective, noting that “raiders just means a warrior, and it is not directly tied to the Native American culture.”

He went on to say he was “appalled” at the final four choices, one of which was the Rams, which he called sexist since it is a name for male sheep.

Further demonstrating his argument on subjectivity, Cavacas said the choice of a raven in the middle of a pandemic was in “poor taste” since it “has always meant the Black Plague and the death and all of that, too.”

Commissioner Dena Goldberg underscored the importance of context.

“In our town, the word ‘raider’ in its evolution, if we look back in history, has created a context … We kind of evolved it, but the context is what has been presented to us as the problem,” she said.

Commissioner Charlene Seward suggested that such an evolution has moved the name far away from any initial connections to Native Americans.

“When most people … say ‘raider,’ they’re not they’re not thinking about an Indian or thinking of anything along those lines,” she said.

After the 30-plus-minute discussion, Commissioner Joanne Pencak made a motion to accept the Ravens as the new district mascot.

Commissioner Erin Shimp then moved to table the vote, stating that she believed the board needed more information. Her motion was seconded, but failed.

Pencak’s original motion then passed 6-4, with Commissioners Ann Dages, Goldberg, Kevin Kiefaber, Olewnik, Pencak and Cathy Solsaa voting “yay,” and Commissioners Brittany Cavacas, Hurley Cavacas, Seward and Shimp voting “nay.”

On Wednesday, RCPS officials addressed concerns that some people were unable to access the meeting, which was held on Zoom. A statement posted to the district’s Facebook page explained that a commissioner had shared their personal meeting link with other individuals, which led to confusion for the meeting host who saw multiple sign-in attempts under the same name.

“We had nine people arrive as one of our Board members. Knowing that could not be the case, seeing the Board member on the meeting, the extras were removed,” Assistant Superintendent Rob Bliss stated. “We work on organizing the meetings to maximize viewership and participation. We also seek to increase security and avoid the ‘Zoom Bombing’ that occurred at public meetings across Vermont, and the Country, during the spring of 2020.”

“Zoom bombing” is when unknown parties enter a Zoom meeting to disrupt it, often by shouting profanities or displaying inappropriate images.

Bliss said a link to register for meeting can be found online at the RCPS website (www.rutlandcitypublicschools.org).

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include details on how individual commissioners voted and information about why some members of the public were unable to access Tuesday's meeting.

jim.sabataso

@rutlandherald.com