Aloha High School to form committee to reconsider 'appropriateness' of mascot
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Portland metro area high school has initiated talks to potentially change its mascot after community members called out its “appropriateness” — or lack thereof.
Aloha High School informed the public it was considering changing its mascot, a warrior, in a social media post shared on Tuesday.
“The question around the appropriateness of the Aloha High School Warrior mascot, its branding and related traditions have been raised by some of our students and staff,” an AHS representative wrote on Facebook.
State administrative rules prohibit public schools from depicting Native American names, symbols or imagery as their mascot.
Although AHS’ logo features a graphic of Kamehameha — the first king to rule the Kingdom of Hawaii — Beaverton School District Public Communications Officer Shellie Bailey-Shah told KOIN 6 the district and the school still believe it is important to discuss a potential mascot change with the community.
The school is gathering a committee of students, alumni, parents, employees and other community members to discuss the mascot change.
According to Bailey-Shah, students were given additional context on the discussion earlier this week. Within the next several months, the committee will also give community members an opportunity to weigh in.
Applications for AHS’ mascot change committee are due on Friday, April 5.
Nationally and locally, organizations have grappled with changing certain names or mascots, often when they want to separate from a problematic past.
For years, the Kansas City Chiefs have been asked to change their name and logo. Some protesters argue the imagery depicts negative stereotypes of the Native American community.
Portland’s Lewis & Clark College also launched an online survey earlier this year, allowing others to give feedback on their “Pioneers” mascot. The college said people have questioned whether the mascot “represents the values” of the community.
Similarly, the former Portland Audubon dropped “Audubon” from its name to separate from its namesake who owned slaves and “dismissed the abolitionist movement.”