Greetings!
How are you? I hope that you have been enjoying this amazing stretch of beautiful sunny skies.
So . . . as promised, I would like you to do some thinking about the controversy surrounding our school mascot. If you haven't heard too much about it, start with this article from The Holland Sentinel: "SPS Board Holds Discussion on Team Name Mascot." This article will give you some context of the current situation. In short, the SPS school board is considering whether or not to remove the name "Indians" as the mascot due to its perceived cultural insensitivity. In fact, they are poised to make some sort of decision at the school board meeting on Monday, August 17th. And . . . before they do make that decision, Dr. Travis has agreed to share this link with them, so they will have the opportunity to take a look at what you have to say.
Personally, I think we should change it . . . or make the effort to do something as an institution on the scale of what has been achieved by the Spokane Indians minor league baseball team as outlined in the last article below; however, you do not have to agree with me. I value a classroom where different ideas can be expressed, and we need to work on how to disagree and still honor each other -- a characteristic that is ostensibly in limited supply in too many ways in the adult world.
Then, when you are finished, please offer your opinion of what, if anything, should be done in 300 to 400 words by referring or citing directly at least three of the six sources below. Please note that one of your options would be to table the issue and form a committee to study it or similar.
To begin, please watch three sections of the July 20th Saugatuck Public Schools Board of Education meeting as detailed below:
Then, please read all of the following sources:
How are you? I hope that you have been enjoying this amazing stretch of beautiful sunny skies.
So . . . as promised, I would like you to do some thinking about the controversy surrounding our school mascot. If you haven't heard too much about it, start with this article from The Holland Sentinel: "SPS Board Holds Discussion on Team Name Mascot." This article will give you some context of the current situation. In short, the SPS school board is considering whether or not to remove the name "Indians" as the mascot due to its perceived cultural insensitivity. In fact, they are poised to make some sort of decision at the school board meeting on Monday, August 17th. And . . . before they do make that decision, Dr. Travis has agreed to share this link with them, so they will have the opportunity to take a look at what you have to say.
Personally, I think we should change it . . . or make the effort to do something as an institution on the scale of what has been achieved by the Spokane Indians minor league baseball team as outlined in the last article below; however, you do not have to agree with me. I value a classroom where different ideas can be expressed, and we need to work on how to disagree and still honor each other -- a characteristic that is ostensibly in limited supply in too many ways in the adult world.
Then, when you are finished, please offer your opinion of what, if anything, should be done in 300 to 400 words by referring or citing directly at least three of the six sources below. Please note that one of your options would be to table the issue and form a committee to study it or similar.
To begin, please watch three sections of the July 20th Saugatuck Public Schools Board of Education meeting as detailed below:
- SHS alumnus John Fox ~ a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi who painted the mural on the gym wall in the mid-1970s ~ Watch from 54:28 to 107:04
- Red Sky Woman (Julie Dye) ~ a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi ~ Watch from 107:37 to 1:30:14
- Local resident Joe Cadreau ~ a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians ~ Watch from 1:54:00 to 1:57:57
Then, please read all of the following sources:
- "Local Communities Don't Want Mascot Names to Change" from KTUL in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- "Where Pride Meets Prejudice" from the NCAA (This is a long essay, but it's very thorough, and as AP Language students, you need to build your capacity to hang with longer and longer arguments.)
- "Why One Team Named the Indians Won't Be Changing Its Name" from The New York Times