Manchester High School Nickname Transition To Be 'Thoughtful'

MANCHESTER, CT — Don't expect the Manchester High School "Indian" logo to come crumbling down in a celebratory heap like the Berlin Wall in Germany or the statue of Saddan Hussein in Iraq. A school system official said Tuesday it will be phased out "thoughtfully" via a committee, taking into account "all factors" throughout the Middle Turnpike East campus.

The Manchester Indians became the Manchester Red Hawks on Monday night in an unanimous vote by the local board of education. Student activists aggressively adopted a potential name change as a cause when it emerged as the highest profile recommentdation of an "equity" study. The sppoprters of the name change easily out-numbered those who wanted to stick with decades-long tradition at public hearings and at Monday's school board meeting.

Manchester school system communications director Jim Farrell said a committee will be formed to oversee the transition.

Sports uniforms don't seem to be an immediate concern, he said, because the Indian head, references to "Indians" and an M in a circle decorated with feathers had generally fizzled into a block red M logo in recent seasons. The same has gone for field, mat and court decorations, he added.

The "Indian" that raced around the sidelines during football games had been phased out years ago, he said. One former coach mentioned he hadn't "seen a feather" on a uniform logo for years as well, Farrell said.

Once the current uniforms "wear out" they will be replaced with some bearing the Red Hawks logo, he said.

The Indian head had appeared on school newspaper banners and mast heads and on some website headers "until recently," but the references are essentially gone, Farrell said.

The most prominent Indian head is displayed on the school building itself. Farrell said the committee will discuss when it would be removed but could not commit to a timetable. It may even be covered for the time being, he said.

He said committee members would remain sensitive to "honoring our ancestors" and "respecting" gifts from alumni that might bear the logo. He said one possible way to preserve "history" is to set up a "museum-like" area somewhere on campus.

See more about the name change decision here and the equity study here.

Farrell said when "Indians" was adopted as the school nickname in 1949, no one was "being insensitive." He said Monday's school board decision and the actions of students leading up to it are signs that "times have changed."