Franklin High School to change mascot following committee recommendation – Community Impact Newspaper
Franklin High School to change mascot following committee recommendation Community Impact Newspaper
Franklin High School’s mascot will no longer be the Rebels effective immediately, according to Superintendent Jason Golden. (Alex Hosey/Community Impact Newspaper)
The committee was formed in early July after a petition with more than 2,500 signatures was presented to FHS Principal Shane Pantall, asking for the name Rebels, a name relating to the Confederate Army, to be removed.
Franklin High School’s mascot was originally the Pioneers but was changed to the Rebels in 1936. According to WCS, there have been several appeals to change the mascot since then.
The committee recommended the change to Superintendent Jason Golden, who said the mascot name will be removed effective immediately.
“The FHS committee reviewing the Franklin Rebels mascot has recommended that I remove the mascot and nickname from Franklin High School effective immediately,” Golden said in a release. “I have reviewed the details of their recommendation and concluded that it’s time for this change. Franklin High School has a long history of excellence that started during the school’s early decades when they were known as the Pioneers and has continued through more recent times. I look forward to the FHS community finding that next mascot and to their continued excellence as one of the top high schools in the State of Tennessee.”
The district will accept suggestions from the community for a new mascot through an online submission form. Only one suggestion per household will be accepted.
Suggestions will be accepted through Aug. 5 by 3 p.m., according to the district. Community members must include a rationale for their decision.
“We want input from students, teachers and community members as we work to create new traditions and a welcoming community,” Pantall said in a release.
Once submissions are received, a committee will choose the top three names, which students will have an opportunity to vote on. The principal will make the final mascot decision after reviewing the votes, according to WCS.
By Wendy Sturges
A Houston native and graduate of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Wendy Sturges has worked as a community journalist covering local government, health care, business and development since 2011. She has worked with Community Impact since 2015 as a reporter and editor and moved to Tennessee in 2019.
