Watchung Hills Suspends Use Of School's Warrior Head Mascot

WARREN, NJ — The Watchung Hills Regional High School Board of Education has suspended the use of the school's Warrior name and logo following discussions and petitions launched claiming it is racist and insensitive.

The suspension is temporary while the board puts together a committee to address possibly changing the Warrior name and logo.

"Obviously there has been a number of events across the country that have brought attention to racism and discrimination. And this is an issue we have tackled in various circumstances within my tenure on the Board… I think there has been some attention to it but not a resolution to it," said WHRHS BOE Vice President Gregory Przybylski at the Tuesday board meeting. "There have been students' petitions addressing one of the more evident areas that is considered racist — the school's mascot and school symbol. And given the climate we are in, I thought that it was important to figure out how to address this."

There was a petition in 2017 that was signed by about one-quarter of the WHRHS students asking the Watchung Hills Regional High School Board of Education to replace the school mascot. Another petition was started last week asking for the same actions.

"It perpetuates and embodies the systemic racism against Native American peoples, representing them as a caricature instead of honoring their personhood and vibrant culture. Watchung Hills cannot attempt to foster a community of true diversity, equity, and inclusion under this archaic and unnecessary mascot," according to the petition.

While not all board members felt the name Warrior needed to be changed, most were in agreeance of changing the Indian head logo. Until a decision is made the board members passed a resolution at its Tuesday night meeting enforcing the suspension on the use of the logo and also creating a committee to address it.

The suspension means the school district shall not purchase or approve of booster groups purchasing uniforms, clothing, signs, etc. with the Warrior head icon and/or related symbols until a final decision is made by the school's newly created committee on the topic.

Along with the suspension the Board voted to create a committee of diverse stakeholders to examine and eliminate "any symbols, emblems, traditions and/or visual representations of Watchung Hills that run counter to our core values and mission as a district to unite, not divide."

The stakeholders would include one or more willing volunteers from WHRHS administration, WHRHS faculty, WHRHS students, WHRHS alumni, WHRHS parents, members of the communities of Greenbrook, Long Hill, Watchung, and Warren, and leadership of the Lenape Nation.

"We want to reiterate our focus on celebrating diversity, and we continue to review practices and policies to ensure equity not only in our language and intent, but also in our practices and policies," WHRHS Superintendent Elizabeth Jewett wrote in a letter to the school community. "All of our students deserve to feel included regardless of their income, race, religion, town, political affiliation, or sexual orientation."

Many schools in New Jersey have recently been working to change school mascots, logos, and names including:

• Scotch Plains had changed its name and symbol to respond to the state recommendation;
• The districts of Pascack Hills and Pascack Valley have announced that they were removing culturally offensive nicknames;
• The district of Wayne Valley High School is examining their logos, nicknames and slogans;
• Toms River is also looking at removing its Indian mascot.

NFL Washington Redskins majority owner Daniel Snyder also announced the Redskins nickname and logo will be retired, after 87 years. The nickname has been assailed for much of the last 15 years, but FedEx, Nike and PepsiCo all threatened to pull their sponsorships if Snyder didn't agree.

Washington's announcement of the change has been met with both support and criticism, with nearly 12,000 comments on the team's Facebook post.

The Watchung Hills Regional High School serves the communities of Greenbrook, Long Hill, Watchung, and Warren.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Don't miss local and statewide announcements. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.