I wanted to write a recap on the aftermath of my post about removing Loudoun County High School's Raider mascot. It has been covered elsewhere, but I wanted to write something here to give closure on this platform.
So, Deirdre & I started the petition to change the mascot on June 19, 2020. This led to a lot of social media conversations and the creation of a counter petition. In all, our petition received 2,369 signatures.
The next thing we did was both speak at the June 23 virtual School Board Meeting in favor of changing the mascot. The meeting went into the night, mainly because the agenda also included discussing the COVID reopening options for the school system. The Board decided to have a vote on the mascot at their next meeting on June 29. This was so the public would be able to have input on the matter. The Board also reviewed their “Proposed Action Plans to Combat Systemic Racism." One of the sections had already included considering renaming the Loudoun County Raider mascot.
On June 29, Deirdre & I spoke again to the School Board. At 1:07am (Another long meeting), the School Board unanimously voted to remove the Raiders as Loudoun County's mascot. The Board would let LCHS pick the new mascot. They also said they would request additional funds from the Loudoun Board of Supervisors to cover the costs of changing the mascot (i.e. sports uniforms, murals, signage, the decal on the gym floor, etc). The cost was estimated to be $1 million.
Two weeks later, Principal Luttrell announced the school's plan to change the mascot:
72 mascot ideas were submitted. Out of those, the Student Council Association (SCA) and LCHS staff whittled that down to three choices: the Bears, the Captains, or the Colts. Students were asked to vote on their favorite over two weeks in August.
On September 2, in a live broadcast from the front steps of the school, the new mascot was unveiled:
The Captains!
Screenshot from the mascot announce livestream 9/2/2020 (Loved the uplighting that was added!)
"A captain is the leader of a vessel, navigating their team through both peaceful and tumultuous times. A captain possesses qualities like those embodied by LCHS students: leadership, resourcefulness, pride, charisma, strong character, honor, service, dedication and thoughtfulness. A nod to the LCHS NJROTC program and maritime tradition, Captains take full responsibility for their team and their vessel and commit to being the last one off their ship in dangerous or even fatal circumstances. Captains earn respect by making difficult decisions with the best interest of all in mind."
- Official LCHS Captain mascot description
Six new logos designs premiered. One featured what a Captain looked like, which received some criticism on its design (Link and link).
The Raider iconography has been phased out in Athletics, but other instances of it in the school building remain for the time being. Deciding what is done with them will be discussed in future conversations with students.
I would like to commend the current LCHS students, staff, SCA, and Principal Michelle Luttrell. You all were thrust into action, with pressure from many differing sides, over a summer break, in the midst of a pandemic, and still made it all happen. You all have shown great leadership and professionalism throughout this process. The road ahead still has tough patches to go through. There is still more work to be done. But seeing how you have handled it so far, I know you can do it. You make me very proud to be a Captain.
Thank you to the Loudoun County School Board. You made the right decision. Please continue combatting systemic racism in all forms, big and small.
Thank you to everyone who spoke or wrote in favor of changing the mascot to the School Board. Thank you for being civically engaged and righting a wrong that has lasted too long! Keep doing the good work.
Shout out to LCHS's newly-renamed school paper The County Chronicle for excellent coverage on all the many aspects on changing the mascot!!
Plaque at the former site of the Unison-Bloomfield School
Since my internship at LCPS, I have been curious about the Unison-Bloomfield School. It was a two-story school built in western Loudoun County in 1916, shared by the towns of Unison and Bloomfield. Not much was readily available about it to me, other than a passing sentence or a photo. During my internship, I never had the time to deep dive into its history. Lucky for me, local author Flora Hillman did, and wrote a lovely detailed history on Unison-Bloomfield, titled "School Days." I recommend you check it out!
Also, to spread the love around, I also want to shout out the Unison Preservation Society website. Unison is a beautiful, tiny rural village. The Battle of Unison in the American Civil War took place there. Their village has a historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Check them out!
Also stop by the village of Bloomfield! They don't seem to have as active an online presence, so here's their Wikipedia page.
