BELDING, Mich. (WOOD) — Belding Area Schools has narrowed down the search for a new mascot.
The school board voted unanimously in December to get rid of the district’s controversial Redskins mascot.
Since then, a student committee was able to narrow down the mascot list to ten choices:
- Black Knights
- Bison
- Bruins
- Pride
- Bandits
- Bengals
- Blackhawks
- Lumberjacks
- Buccaneers
- Black Bears
Belding High School Principal Michael Ostrander said the school was very careful to make sure the new mascots aren’t controversial.
“You know some of those are pretty benign. Black Bears, I don’t think that there’s any malice behind that. Black Knights has nothing to do with race, really the history of it goes back to the Army cadets,” said Ostrander. He added the Blackhawks name is referring to the bird.
Many students are in favor of the Black Knights, but it hasn’t been decided yet. Community members are able to take a survey up until midnight on Monday. The school will then organize between three and five top picks from the survey before it makes a final decision in the spring.
The Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education will make a final decision on whether or not to keep its Redskins mascot on Feb. 8.
