FUHS NEW SPIRIT SYMBOL PROPOSAL
Click on "Comments" below to read a proposal to create a spirit symbol for FUHS.
Because the length of the proposal exceeded the limit I could have in a comment, I had to divide the text into two comments.
The third comment is a news article from the Orange County Register.
The fourth comment is a suggestion from Joyce Spaulding Halvorsen, class of '56.
(More comments may be added.)
posted by Connie @ 8:47 PM
7 Comments
7 Comments:
(Proposal sent to this blog from FUHS)
Part 1:
Fullerton Union High School
Spirit Symbol Proposal
December 15, 2009
The FUHS faculty and staff met in September, 2009 to brainstorm ways to raise the school spirit at Fullerton Union High School. This was a volunteer meeting held in the front office during lunch.
The talk was about teachers and staff working together to get our students, faculty and staff to support each others’ efforts in all school activities, not just athletics.
The discussions turned toward having a physical entity (symbol) as a representation of our school. We knew that reviving the Indian mascot was not advisable, so we started to consider symbols that would preserve the heritage and tradition of the Indian at Fullerton Union High School, while providing a physical representation.
The staff started to throw out ideas of a physical symbol that could be used at activities and events. Their ideas included a feather, a hawk, a wild mustang, a red dog, a buffalo, and a dream catcher. It was decided to share these ideas with the student body and have students help to decide.
A Tribe Pride Club (a student driven spirit club) was started this year at Fullerton Union High School. A total of 180 students have attended one or more of these meetings since getting started. There are many things that this club is all about, but mostly it’s about students supporting other students by attending the wide array of activities in which so many of our students participate. There are numerous staff and faculty helping with this club.
The students talked about having some sort of mascot to represent Fullerton at their activities and events. These students have had no physical entity to rally around since they’ve been in high school. They talked about the Highlander at La Habra, the Warrior at Troy, and the Lancer at Sunny Hills. We explained that politically, and in terms of respectfulness, it was ill advised to use the Indian as a mascot. We talked about different symbols that we could use that would honor the Indian tradition yet not offend people. We told them of the ideas that the staff had and asked them what they thought. They liked the idea of using something that would honor the Indian and be a rallying point for Fullerton Union High School. We also included ASB in this process. Ms Wilhelmi acted as the liaison between the Tribe Pride Club and ASB. After meeting with ASB, she looked through her spirit magazines and put together a power point presentation of the different suggested symbols to show the students. The students then narrowed the choices to five: the feather, the foam #1 finger, the hawk, the buffalo, and the dog.
The choices were then narrowed down to three: the hawk, the buffalo, and the dog. At the next meeting the students and staff involved voted almost unanimously in favor of the buffalo. They believed that this magnificent creature would best symbolize Indian culture at Fullerton Union High School and they would be proud to have the buffalo represent them at their events and activities.
Part 2 of spirit guide proposal:
After meeting with Mrs. Gach, it was decided that of the choices discussed, the buffalo seemed to best represent aspects of Indian culture. It was also determined that the buffalo should not be called a mascot because that would infer that Fullerton Union High School was discarding the Indian. We would instead refer to the buffalo as our spirit symbol. It is not our intention to change Fullerton Union High School as the “Home of the Indians”
Mrs. Gach spoke with Dr. Giokaris about the recommendations of the Tribe Pride Club and what the next steps in the process would be. It was reiterated that the buffalo would be a spirit symbol not a mascot.
The buffalo is an animal spirit that the Indian respected and cherished. It is our hope that the buffalo will be a symbol our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community can rally around at our events and activities. We are not trying to replace the Indian. We are trying to have a physical entity that does us proud.
On behalf of the Fullerton Union High School Tribe Pride Club, we are therefore submitting our idea to have the buffalo as our spirit symbol to represent Fullerton Union High School at future events and activities. If we get your approval to proceed, we will notify all stakeholders of the process and the intent.
Thank you for your consideration of this proposal.
Proposal submitted by representatives of the Tribe Pride Club.
January 08, 2010 11:05 AM
School to retain Indian image, principal says
By BARBARA GIASONE
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
FULLERTON
Contrary to rumors, Fullerton Union High School will not drop its motto, Home of the Indians, says Principal Cathy Gach.
The school's spirit club was asked to help quash speculation the 117-year-old campus would replace its Native American identity – a connection that caused controversy and sparked protests nearly 10 years ago.
Instead, a buffalo "spirit symbol" may be added to the school's mascots.
"It's been a long time since we had Willie Ugh ( a student dressed in Indian garb) run around the football field doing his tomahawk chop," said Social Studies teacher David Shanebeck, who graduated in 2002. "This is a big deal to get another (costumed) mascot to lead cheers."
Protests began in 2001 when an Anaheim man, who said he was part Cherokee, went on a hunger strike to denounce the use of Native Americans in school and professional sports teams. One year later, activists told Fullerton high school district trustees that using images to inaccurately portray American Indians and Mexicans as aggressive and violent was hurtful.
Eventually, the district disallowed Willie Ugh as Fullerton's mascot, leaving events without any costumed character.
In September 2009, the school's faculty and staff held a volunteer meeting to find ways to boost sagging school spirit.
"We knew reviving the Indian mascot was not advisable, so we started to consider symbols that would preserve the heritage and tradition of the school, "Gach said. "We are trying to have a physical entity that does us proud."
The 180 Tribe Pride spirit club members were asked to find a new image. Choices were narrowed to three: the buffalo, hawk and red dog (inspired by Clifford, the Big Red Dog).
A final decision is being left to students,faculty, alums and boosters, who can express their opinions at www.fullertonhigh.org.
Gach said the buffalo is an animal spirit the Indian respected and cherished – and is currently the student favorite. Meanwhile, Social Studies teacher Mike Muhovich learned it wouldn't be advisable to have a live buffalo on the field "because they are too aggressive."
Sophomore Lucy Hernandez said she's excited about having a buffalo mascot.
"This is an original idea," Hernandez said. "No one around here has it."
Meanwhile, school librarian Diane Oestreich researched a rumor that early school officials were connected to Stanford University, and that's where the Indian connection and the school's red-and-white colors developed. But she found the 1926 Fullerton yearbook with the Indian motto – five years before Stanford adopted its image and school colors.
Here is an email sent to '56 class co-rep Florence Satchell from Joyce Spaulding Halvorsen '56:
From: Joyce Halvorsen
Date: Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 8:33 AM
Subject: Willie Ugh
To: Florence Owens Satchell
I saw on channel 9 news this weekend, a news piece on changing the mascot at FUHS--not the name Indians, but the headdress Indian and the mascot, Willie Ugh. They said there would be an on-line vote. I think we should have a big push to keep it as it is! Do you know anything more about this? There was also a picture of the Pow Wow royalty from the 1954 yearbook--including J.L. and Sally Marshburn!
Connie,
In response to the choosing of a new mascot, I thought I would forward to you what I sent in.
Craig
From: Craig Mathews (Class of 1967)
It is unfortunate that many people do not understand the respect held for the American Indian and the honor given to them by the use of an Indian Chief to represent any organization.
The American Indian culture was one of being one with your environment, being respectful of nature and all living things, respecting your tribe and all your neighbors. The American Indians only defended themselves against the invading "white man", which began with the Spanish and their religious furor that taught the Indian the ways of killing other human beings. Many of the native tongues do not have a word for lie or murder.
However, since it is obvious that being PC is more important than respecting a culture, the majesty of the American Buffalo or the American Eagle would be good choices for the replacement of the iconic Willie-Ugh.
In response to Craig, you have an idealized and not very accurate version of native culture. Some tribes were peaceful but others were not and waged war on other tribes. Why do you think the Spanish were so easily able to defeat the Aztecs who significantly outnumbered them? In part it was due to other tribes that hated the Aztecs and aided the Spanish in battle and in strategy. The same can be said for the Apache also who were very warlike and despised by other neighboring tribes.
I'm proud to be a Fullerton Indian. It's not racist to proudly associate yourself with to a culture we see as brave and strong. So why is nobody up in arms about the Vikings or Fighting Irish? Irish people don't run around all decked in green and people of Nordic decent don't don their horned hats every morning. These items are symbolism. There isn't a patent on culture and I think we have a right to consider the Indian part of Fullerton's culture after this long. Hey I'm Irish and I love that everybody wants to be Irish at least once a year. The Irish are stereotyped as drunks but it doesn't bother me. My glass must be half full.
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