No decision made yet regarding Wildcats
Staff writer
Seven parents and a handful of school officials showed up Tuesday night to discuss how Florence’s legacy might be perceived if the middle school’s Wildcats nickname were dropped in favor of Marion’s Warrior nickname.
Merissa Bowman, a parent and graduate of Florence Middle School, said she and other Florence residents had reservations about the name change.
“If we agreed to take on that mascot, then that should be honored,” she said. “If you get rid of Wildcats, then you get rid of the legacy.”
She proposed keeping the name and adding more Wildcat iconography around the school to help middle schoolers feel represented by the mascot.
Nick Kraus, president of the school board, agreed that Florence’s history should be a larger part of the school district.
He said he would like to see a sign with old Florence sports records put up in the school gym alongside Marion sports records.
Also discussed was a plaque that might cover Wildcat history if the mascot were discarded.
Middle school principal Kelsey Metro presented results of a straw poll in which she said 73% favored changing the middle school nickname to “Warriors.”
Of 354 responses to the survey, 37% came from parents, 37% from students, 14% from staff, and 14% from community members.
Wednesday morning, the Record received an email by Metro elaborating on specifics of the poll, which asked, “Do you feel like the mascot for USD 408 should be the same (Warriors) for all schools?”
In response to this question, 58.6% of those polled answered “yes,” not the 73% claimed in the meeting.
13.3% answered “neutral.”
Metro wrote that “we have been considering ‘neutral’ responses as ‘yes’ because the people casting that vote would not be offended by a change in mascot.”
The 58.6% ‘yes’ plus 13.3% ‘neutral’ adds to 71.9%, not 73%. Metro did not elaborate on this discrepancy in the email.
At the meeting, Metro discussed the proposed change, admitting that she “struggled with it, as someone with memories of Florence Middle School.”
She was part of the final graduating class before the school moved to Marion in 1998.
Metro said switching out Wildcats for Warriors would increase unity and save parents money in buying school apparel.
“I want to make sure our kids feel part of the whole district,” she said.
But community members have voiced displeasure with the proposed change, which they see as erasing a part of Florence’s history.
Another parent questioned why the school would embrace the Warrior name when it may be changed in the future anyway, as some see it as offensive toward Native Americans.
Superintendent Justin Wasmuth said the school could switch to another type of Warrior, such as a Spartan, if the old imagery were blocked.
The school board has not voted yet and is looking to solicit more community opinions before doing so. A second meeting is scheduled for noon Jan. 3 in Marion’s Performing Arts Center.
“I’d like a decision early second semester,” Wasmuth said.
This story contains additional information not in print edition.