Warrior Mascot Remains But Councilmen 'Dismayed,' 'Disappointed'

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — Two Havre de Grace councilmen gave different versions of what the future holds for the Havre de Grace High School Warriors. The school's mascot came under increased scrutiny this past week after the Washington Redskins moved to change the team's name amid mounting public and corporate pressure.

Havre de Grace High School will still be the home of the Warriors, according to City Council President David Glenn.

"The Warrior name is not going to change," Glenn said at Monday night's City Council meeting.

Glenn, who is a Havre de Grace alumnus (class of '75), was inducted into the Havre de Grace High School Hall of Fame in 2018 after six years of advocating for the construction of a new high school.

The combination middle-high school will open this fall, although students will be learning remotely for the first semester in Harford County Public Schools.

Regarding what he called the "Warrior proud situation," Glenn referred to a Baltimore Sun article that he alleged got some of the facts incorrect about the new school and the mascot. The article said the spear would be removed from the logo, the bronze chief statue would be retired and the headdresses would no longer be part of homecoming festivities.

"Not all that was stated in the article is true," Glenn said, adding that he checked with Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Sean Bulson, Havre de Grace High School principal Jim Reynolds and the Harford County Board of Education. The school system did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Patch.

"That bronze bust is going to the new school," Havre de Grace City Council President David Glenn said based on his conversations with authorities. "It's not going away."

Glenn was refuting a statement made by his fellow councilman that the mascot was changing and the bust would be left behind.

"I was dismayed by the decision of outside forces to change the Warrior mascot," Councilman Jim Ringsaker said at Monday night's council meeting. "I was very upset to learn of the decision to remove the Indian warrior head from the school and from the mascot from our high school team."

According to the Baltimore Sun, personnel from the school made the decision to remove any Native American imagery such as spears and the bronze chief statue, without pressure from any outside group.

"I don't agree with it," Ringsaker said. "I personally feel that it was honoring the heritage of the proud Native American people of this region, and I am Warrior Proud."

Although Glenn disagreed and said the bronze statue would remain and so would the Warrior mascot, he too stated he was not pleased with the outcome.

"I wasn't part of the decision-making process, but I was without a doubt disappointed," Glenn said. "Some of the longstanding traditions are going away."

Headdresses will no longer be presented to the homecoming king and queen, he said.

"The Susquehannock Warrior was considered noble and heroic, and we tried to exemplify those traits in all daily interactions," said Glenn of the Indian tribe that lived in the Susquehanna River Valley in the mid-1600s. "I am extremely proud of the way we have represented their heritage."

It was the Havre de Grace way to lead by example, according to Glenn.

"Everything we've done in the past associated with the Warrior name has always been positive," Glenn said. "It has never been negative."

Havre de Grace High School is an "inclusive community" that will "respect cultures and communities that may have historically been associated with the Warrior name," Reynolds said last week in a public statement after he said he was contacted by a local media outlet about the school's mascot.

"The 'Warriors' will still be seen throughout our community, in our schools, and on our fields," the principal said. "We are an inclusive community and while we are Warriors, defined as ‘a brave or experienced soldier or fighter,’ we will also respect cultures and communities that may have historically been associated with the Warrior name. We want our community to continue to be proud of our ‘Warriors’ and the images that may bring to mind."

See Also:

• Harford County Students To Learn Virtually For First Semester
• Washington Redskins Name And Logo Gone After 87 Years
• New Warrior Gear Celebrates 'The Final Tour' Of HdG High School
• Look At Havre de Grace School Construction Project From New Angle