High School sports teams in Killingly will no longer be known as the “Redmen.”
Killingly High is the latest school to drop the name of a mascot that’s offensive to the Native American community.
Steven Rioux, Killingly’s superintendent of schools, hopes that the townspeople will help the school board come up with a new name by early fall. The current nickname has been in place for over 80 years.
“We’re really looking to just retire the old mascot and not erase all of the history that has been a part of Killingly for many years, and to take the next year or so to transition some of the imagery used in schools and uniforms and things of that nature,” Rioux said.
The decision came after the Nipmuc tribal nation in Massachusetts informed the Killingly board of education that any mascot name referring to Native Americans is demeaning to the community.
The Killingly board of education ruled earlier in the summer that it would go forward with a name change if that tribal nation recommended it.
The tribe also notified town officials in Killingly about their position on the mascot name in 2016, according to the Norwich Bulletin.
In June, Manchester High School dumped the “Indians” nickname in favor of the Redhawks.
