Petition calls for the end of Maryville High School's Rebels nickname

A group is asking Maryville High School to move away from its Rebels nickname and remove the school's last remaining throwback to Confederate culture. 

Rachel Evans is a 2012 Maryville High School graduate and said she got involved with the mission after reflecting on what it means to be a Black student in a school system that might perpetuate a “culture of discrimination.”

She said she knows the school has considered switching mascots in the past and thinks now is the right time to do it.

During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers were referred to as "rebels" as they attempted to rebel from the Union. The Confederate flag is also called the "Rebel flag."

“It’s causing harm to people and so it doesn’t really matter if your perspective of it is happy and if you have good memories with it," Evans said. "If it’s harming somebody, I think that’s more important than some sort of antiquated heritage that you feel loyal to.”

More than 1,600 people have signed the petition as of Wednesday. There is now a petition to keep the Rebels name that has generated 1,600 petitioners. The counter petition argues that the cost of changing the mascot would be "astronomical."

School Board Chairman Nick Black said he’s aware of the petition for change and encouraged the group to present its findings.

“My position at this point is to be open to dialogue and to genuinely be receptive to anybody," Black said.

He said the district is focused on ensuring students receive a good education this upcoming school year during the pandemic. When asked if that includes eliminating racial inequities, Black said addressing racial inequities should always be part of the conversation.

Evans said the petition is a starting point to changing the name and having other conversations about racial equity. 

"By holding onto 'the Rebels,' Maryville High School presents an unwelcoming environment, not only to their students, but also to the larger community as a whole," the petition states. "To be forward-facing and align with MHS’s goal of adapting in an 'ever-changing world,' we feel strongly that a change must be made."

Black pointed out that the school board has had a policy since 1999 severing ties with the Confederate iconography attached to the name. The school banned the use of the Confederate flag at football games in 2005. 

Black said the Confederate flag would not be tolerated in any school facility.  

Petitioners are encouraged to send an email to the school board.

“We wanted to start a conversation,” Evans said. “We wanted to be able to amplify the voices of the people who have been silenced and shamed for so long.”

Evans said she thinks there has been an extra burden on former and current Black students and people of color to “relive this racial trauma they endured" to show that the Rebels nickname is harmful.