(Spirit Lake)– An indian head placed on a new pressbox the Booster Club constructed recently at the Spirit Lake High School softball field has been turning a lot of heads and causing a lot of discussion.
Many wondered why the head was suddenly covered up shortly after it appeared on the pressbox. Superintendent Tim Grieves tells KUOO news he ordered it covered up as the result of a report by the school district’s multi-cultural non-sexist committee over concerns about more and more indian caricatures showing up on sports teams attire. Grieves says the Spirit Lake School District has been warned in the past by the Iowa Department of Education to reduce those and to get things like arrows, spears and tomahawks eliminated.
Grieves says the signs the Booster Club made were approved prior to being installed. He says the indian head on the pressbox did not receive prior approval. Therefore, Grieves says he took it upon himself to have it covered until it was approved. Grieves says it since has been determined the indian head is not a caricature, and has now been uncovered.
Grieves doesn’t believe the policy will eventually lead to an entirely new mascot for Spirit Lake unless the district should get a lot of complaints. He says most residents are very proud of the indian mascot, and that it’s meant to honor native americans. None-the-less, Grieves says the district must be very sensitive in realizing that the mascot could be taken out of context and actually wind up being insensitive to native americans.
Grieves reminds everyone any t-shirts or other attire containing indian heads or symbols that are made for school-related functions must receive prior approval through administration, the principals or the Athletic Director.
