New Hampshire Students Vote to Remove Mascot Deemed Problematic

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England radio personality and may contain the individual's views, opinions or personal experiences.

Back in 2019 the state of Maine banned the use of Native American mascots in schools. Students in neighboring New Hampshire have been fighting for the same cause such as in 2020 at Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston. Students created an online petition to ban their mascot of the Sanborn Indians according to the Union Leader.

Beyond the use of Native Americans, students are finding other mascots to be problematic. The latest is from Hanover High School.

Student council members voted 38-2 to remove their mascot of the Marauder according to Valley News.

Merriam-Webster defines maraud as

to roam about and raid in search of plunder.

The mascot is depicted as a pirate.

Hanover High School student council treasurer Riley Uiterwyk said that the Marauder name was "established in a time of colonization" noting pillaging, violence, and connections to the slave trade reports Valley News.

Sage McGinley-Smith, student council moderator also noted that the mascot doesn't represent the student body as a whole since it is of a white man.

School officials haven't made any official decisions about the mascot at this time but they are taking the voice of the students into consideration.

Do you support the Hanover High School students in changing the name? Do you disagree with their efforts?