Can School Mascot Lead to Devil Worship?
May 8 -- They may not agree on what it means, but a Utah parents group and the Navajo Nation have found common ground in their opposition to the "Red Devil" mascot of Springville High School.
Controversy over the school's mascot has been brewing for months, stirred mostly by a citizens group, Parents for Mascot Review, which objected to the figure on the grounds that it presents the devil and evil as a symbol of the school.
"As a prominent symbol of a public high school, the 'Red Devil' does not represent the views and needs of our students or our community," said Dale Munk, a committee member of the group. "It's a universal symbol of evil. This community tends to be religious in nature, and we feel a 'Red Devil' has no place in our school."
Those in the community who oppose the change say the mascot is just an innocent symbol and that students see through the more sinister connotations of the word. The Springville High School Web site has both a seal that displays a traditional gaunt devil's face and a smaller, playful winking figure that looks like a toddler in a devil's costume.
The Nebo School District board decided to resolve the issue by putting it to a vote. The results of a nonbinding referendum held Tuesday were to be announced at a board meeting this evening, and the board will then decide what action to take, Nebo School District Superintendent Carl Nielson said.
"There's good people on both sides of this issue," Nielson said. "We just thought we should let the people decide."
Munk said parents, many of them Mormons, have objected to their children wearing shirts bearing school mottos related to the mascot, such as "100% Devil," and do not like seeing signs around the school saying "Wrestle With the Devil" and "Welcome to Hell."
"Unfortunately, if you give young people a devil motif to decorate around, you run into trouble like that," Munk said.
A Mysterious Letter
The Navajo Nation only got involved when one of the members of Parents for Mascot Review contacted it about an unsigned, handwritten letter on the tribe's stationery that the group had received, according to Merle Pete, a spokesman for Navajo Nation President Kelsey Begaye.
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