Kirkland high school will keep controversial mascot
Jun 12, 2018, 9:57 AM
(KIRO 7)
(KIRO 7)
Students at Juanita High School will keep the Rebels as their mascot, even though there are some concerns that the logo recalls the Confederacy.
“Being a rebel means to have pride in yourself and the choices that you make,” one student told KIRO 7.
More than 10 percent of the school’s students signed a petition asking the Lake Washington School Board to change the mascot.
“They should change it because a lot of kids don’t feel safe or don’t feel comfortable with what happened back in the day,” a student explained.
However, nearly twice as many students voted to keep the current mascot than voted to get rid of it.
The high school opened in 1971.
The Rebels, according to the school’s website, symbolizes the “break in tradition in the same manner as the thirteen colonies broke from England.” The eagle at the top of the school’s crest was a compromise for people who wanted the school’s mascot to be an eagle. The mountain in the crest is Mount Rainier. The water represents the Puget Sound and Lake Washington.
There is no explanation for the red and blue swords on the school’s website.
