Warrior’s Cry
Students and Alumni Rally to Contest School Board Decision on School Mascot
Amidst a cacophony of cheers and honking horns Friday afternoon, dozens of Carpinteria High school students and alumni crowded onto the corners of Linden and Carpinteria Avenues to protest the school board’s recent decision to remove all Native American images and icons from school property.
The controversy began when one Carpinteria High student and his family, who are Native American, brought the issue before the school board claiming the imagery was offensive. Since the vote, alumni like Mike Damron have been campaigning for a recall of the school board’s decision. Insisting the protests have “no animosity towards the family” Damron, who served on the school board from 1996 to 2004, helped organize alumni and students from both Caripinteria Middle and High School to show support for the schools’ traditions. Now serving as the booster club president, he is calling for the resignation of three of the school board members who voted to remove the emblems. There are two kinds of people in Caripinteria, according to Damron, “those who live in Carpinteria and Carpinterians.” Damron expressed concerns that two of the school board members had less than 10 years in Carpinteria and thus were not yet “part of the fabric of the community.”
Others such as Carpinteria High junior Emily Moorehouse expressed the same frustration with the school board, accusing the board of having made up its mind before the students could present their case. Moorehouse helped coordinate the students in their protest and says they plan to continue protesting every week until the board considers another vote. Mark Jenkins, a senior, said the mood at school has been intense this last week. “Everyone was together on this cause we’re all Warriors,” he explained. He said the group plans to go the Chumash chief to ask for his assistance and support in the matter. Eric Stein, senior and captain of the football team, said the teachers and city council are fully behind the students who want to keep the emblem. “What makes one person’s opinion worth more than the rest of the town?” he asked.
