Warrior mascot again the subject of debate

Sydney Dawson, Staff Writer

Students are fuming. Rumors of changing the Walsh Jesuit Warrior mascot are spreading like wildfire. Although some members of the community disagree, the warrior is not intended to be offensive to Native Americans but rather to embody school spirit.

Some students and faculty fear the Warrior mascot degrades Native American culture, while others argue that they are being too sensitive. “Although some people may find it offensive, it has a lot of history with the school and people overthink it too much,” stated senior Camden Pace. The mascot has existed since Walsh Jesuit was founded in 1964, and changing it now would erase a valuable piece of tradition. Student Government president Alaina O’Donnell emphasized the point: “The warrior is a part of who we are as Walsh Jesuit students.” Changing this mascot will in a way alter the school’s identity.

The warrior is a part of who we are as Walsh Jesuit students

— Zach Marshall

“Walsh Jesuit as a whole does a good job of positively representing what it means to be a warrior,” explained sophomore Julia Atienza. In fact, using the warrior celebrates Native Americans because the school community identifies with the strength and leadership that a warrior embodies.

Zach Marshall, another sophomore, described a warrior as “a fearless person who is willing to do anything to complete the task.” He emphasized that this controversy does not have to involve race, and it is a shame that people are viewing it that way.

In addition, changing the mascot could create a financial dilemma. Getting rid of the warrior head image and the name “Warriors” would force students to buy new school apparel because the warrior is the “branding” of Walsh Jesuit. Additionally, the turf would have to be redone because the warrior head is in the center. The logo appears throughout the entire school, including in the stairwells and the Dome, all of which would be costly to replace.

Logical compromises could be made rather than totally removing the logo. For instance, the school could educate the student body on Native American culture so they could better understand the meaning and significance behind the warrior. In this way, students could continue to express their school spirit while having a newfound respect for Native American culture. Jack Dawson, ’20, suggested that a good compromise would be gradually filtering out the warrior head logo and replacing it with a spear so that it is not as directly associated with Native Americans yet still symbolizes the Walsh Jesuit mascot.

Replacing the warrior mascot would alter a part of Walsh Jesuit’s identity and would upset students and alumni in the process. The warrior mascot unites the entire WJ community.