Post by The Admin on Nov 9, 2021 14:42:40 GMT -6
It's official: 'Redhawks' is Union's new mascot
tulsaworld.com/sports/high-school/football/its-official-redhawks-is-unions-new-mascot/article_dc0e75f6-40ca-11ec-afb5-db309022c7e7.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
tulsaworld.com/sports/high-school/football/its-official-redhawks-is-unions-new-mascot/article_dc0e75f6-40ca-11ec-afb5-db309022c7e7.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
Having gotten the Monday night approval of the Union Public Schools’ Board of Education, Union High School teams and athletes have a new mascot for the first time in more than 80 years.
Effective immediately — and effective for a Friday home playoff football game against Yukon — Union’s teams will be known as the Redhawks.
In voting that involved 935 Union students in grades four through 12, there were two mascot finalists: Redhawks and Bison. Redhawks was the choice of 72.7% of the students.
“We are thrilled that the votes came in so resoundingly in favor of the Redhawks,” Union Superintendent Kirt Hartzler said. “Part of the fun has been figuring out where we were going to land on a mascot, as we had more than 320 people make suggestions.
“Early on, there was a group of students who had put Redhawks forth as a possibility, and we began to see consensus building early for this name when we started looking at attributes. I believe Redhawks strongly positions Union for the future and is a mascot we can live with for many years to come.”
“Thanks to the thousands of students and patrons,” Hartzler added, “who provided input as we went through what I believe was a thoughtful process.”
The process began a year ago, when Union Public Schools decided to do away with the longtime mascot/nickname — Redskins — that had been considered offensive by Native American groups and others.
During the summer of 2020, the NFL’s Washington team did away with its longtime Redskins name. That team has since been known as the Washington Football Team.
Coinciding with the Washington process was a Tulsa conversation regarding the Union name and whether it should have been eliminated.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Hartzler said in July 2020.
From Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., there was this statement: “It’s simply wrong to use Native American depictions across sports, especially ‘Redskins,’ which is derogatory and offensive to Native people.”
On Nov. 9, 2020, the Union board voted unanimously to discontinue the use of the Redskins name. Since that time, Union teams have competed without a mascot and nickname.
Before the 2020 movement that resulted in the change, the Union football team would run through a large teepee before the start of games. The teepee was eliminated last year along with the mascot.
“Next comes the really fun part,” Union chief communications offer Chris Payne said of the design of new Union Redhawks logos and imagery.
“We have an artist who is taking all of the feedback that has been collected about the desirable mascot attributes, and he will create several different iterations,” Payne said. “Once we are satisfied with the choices, we will go back out to the students, and they will cast the deciding vote on their favorite design, which will become Union’s new symbol.
“We want to make sure this new mascot is one that everyone will embrace as we take things in a new direction.”
Effective immediately — and effective for a Friday home playoff football game against Yukon — Union’s teams will be known as the Redhawks.
In voting that involved 935 Union students in grades four through 12, there were two mascot finalists: Redhawks and Bison. Redhawks was the choice of 72.7% of the students.
“We are thrilled that the votes came in so resoundingly in favor of the Redhawks,” Union Superintendent Kirt Hartzler said. “Part of the fun has been figuring out where we were going to land on a mascot, as we had more than 320 people make suggestions.
“Early on, there was a group of students who had put Redhawks forth as a possibility, and we began to see consensus building early for this name when we started looking at attributes. I believe Redhawks strongly positions Union for the future and is a mascot we can live with for many years to come.”
“Thanks to the thousands of students and patrons,” Hartzler added, “who provided input as we went through what I believe was a thoughtful process.”
The process began a year ago, when Union Public Schools decided to do away with the longtime mascot/nickname — Redskins — that had been considered offensive by Native American groups and others.
During the summer of 2020, the NFL’s Washington team did away with its longtime Redskins name. That team has since been known as the Washington Football Team.
Coinciding with the Washington process was a Tulsa conversation regarding the Union name and whether it should have been eliminated.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Hartzler said in July 2020.
From Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., there was this statement: “It’s simply wrong to use Native American depictions across sports, especially ‘Redskins,’ which is derogatory and offensive to Native people.”
On Nov. 9, 2020, the Union board voted unanimously to discontinue the use of the Redskins name. Since that time, Union teams have competed without a mascot and nickname.
Before the 2020 movement that resulted in the change, the Union football team would run through a large teepee before the start of games. The teepee was eliminated last year along with the mascot.
“Next comes the really fun part,” Union chief communications offer Chris Payne said of the design of new Union Redhawks logos and imagery.
“We have an artist who is taking all of the feedback that has been collected about the desirable mascot attributes, and he will create several different iterations,” Payne said. “Once we are satisfied with the choices, we will go back out to the students, and they will cast the deciding vote on their favorite design, which will become Union’s new symbol.
“We want to make sure this new mascot is one that everyone will embrace as we take things in a new direction.”
