PAW PAW, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Monday, the Paw Paw Public School District announced that it has settled on a new mascot.
Going forward, the district will now be known as the Paw Paw Red Wolves. The decision comes after officials voted to retire their controversial Redskins mascot earlier this year.
On March 11 the Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education voted to retire its longtime Redskins mascot after years of controversy over its depiction of Native Americans.
The image proved to be a distraction for students, staff, and the local community. Some saw it as a symbol of pride and reverential depiction, while others saw it as outdated and offensive.
According to an official statement, the name will be officially presented by student members of the Nickname Task Force to the Board of Education for adoption at the July 13 meeting, along with recommendations of images to be adopted that have been developed by a local designer.
The task force, which included 27 student representatives, reviewed submissions based on several criteria.
The Task Force agreed the chosen nickname and imagery needed to be respectful, inclusive, and non-controversial and it had to bring people together in a unique way.
“We wanted a mascot that represents our community that students can be proud of,” said Paw Paw Middle School student Avery Miller, a member of the Task Force. “It gives us an opportunity to be united and show unity in our community.”
Paw Paw Superintendent Rick Reo said he is pleased to support the recommendation of the Red Wolves to the board, because it’s a unique nickname for public schools in Michigan with numerous positive qualities for the Paw Paw school district.
“Having a unique nickname was one of the most important considerations from the beginning for the Task Force working on this issue,” Reo said. “In choosing the Red Wolves, Paw Paw will be the only school district in the State of Michigan with the Red Wolves nickname. We also see this as a way to stress the close connections between our school district and community. Red wolves are social animals and they run in packs. They are intelligent and loyal, and when hunting or protecting their territories or each other, they go all out. These are all qualities we want to develop in our students and programs.”
A final decision on approval of the new mascot is expected in July.
Meanwhile, according to a report by MLive, the school district is still under an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The investigation was launched in December 2019 as a response to what the American Civil Liberties Union alleged was a “racially hostile environment.”
— Joshua Scott contributed to this article —
