January 20, 2025

Dueling petitions over the Clarke Community School’s mascot flood the internet

By TYRA AUDLEHELM

Pictured is the sign on the Middle/High School building reading Home of the Indians. (OST photo)

There are two petitions on change.org involving the Clarke Community School’s mascot, the Clarke Indian.

One petition is in favor of changing the mascot and one is in favor of keeping the mascot. The petitions come after Clarke student Kennedy Bland addressed the School Board at the Sep. 14 board meeting raising the issue of the Indian mascot being racially insensitive and unnecessary. The Bland called the Indian “a charicature of Native Americans” and told the board that it was not honoring any Native Americans.

The change.org petition to change the Clarke Indian mascot has the goal of 500 signitures. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday this petition had 274 signitures.

Riley Elsbury, who started the petition wrote in the description of the petition, “We have Indian heads on a majority of our school merchandise, including shirs, hoodies and many more. Many Students and memebrs of our community have go to the school board to try and get this change made, yet they’ve been ignored every time. The main thing people have against it seems to be tradition. But isn’t it time to change tradition to be more accepting of different cultures?”

In response to the petition to change the school mascot a petition to keep the mascot was started by Madison Stuart. The goal of the petitino to keep the mascot is 1,500 signitures on change.org. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday this petition had 1,105 signitures.

Stuart wrote in the description of the petition, “This petition is to keep the current mascot and preserve the rich history and culture of the people the school represents and has been for many years.”

“I think it is good for the community to have conversations about topics such as this and the opportunity to listen to various viewpoints. I know the board and I are always open to hearing from our families and community members,” said Superintendent Steve Seid.

These petitions are to gather support for either side in order to sway the Clarke School Board in either direction. Results will be brought to the board at their next meeting Oct. 12 but at this point, Seid is unaware whether or not the board has a position of further discussion on the subject.