Priority is placed on removing former Grafton Indian mascot inside school buildings

With Grafton Middle School having some upgrades this summer, the former Grafton Indian mascot will quietly disappear from the gym and auditorium.

A bit more tricky — and expensive — are the bas-relief Native Americans in full headdress cast in concrete on cornerstones outside of the school library. 

The School Committee on Tuesday mulled over which remnants of the former mascot should be prioritized, generally agreeing that the middle school and high school gyms should be a priority.

“I’m more concerned about things that are literally in the school,” School Committee Chair Amy Marr said.

The School Committee voted in July 2020 to remove the Indian mascot following complaints by students, a change.org petition, national teams eliminating similar names, and an overall objection from Nipmuc Nation to schools “honoring” their ancestors by mascotting them.

After a student vote, Grafton High School teams now have a Gator mascot, with students affectionally referring to their home turf as “The Swamp.” The team logo is now a G.

Superintendent of Schools James Cummings offered up a few of the estimated costs to remove the remaining Indian logos:

• Grafton Middle School gym — The Indian head will be removed as part of the $1,500 work on the gym floor. Cummings is still waiting on a quote from MassCor, a vocational program for state inmates, for the cost of replacing the wall mats and the scoreboard cost should be “minimal.”
• The middle school auditorium, home to some very uncomfortable wooden seats marked with the Indian mascot, is undergoing refurbishment, including new chairs.
• The state championship signs at the town’s borders can be replaced at “minimal” cost at a future d ate.
• The 23 championship banners in the Grafton High School gym carry a $10,300 cost from one vendor, although Cummings expects a much lower quote from MassCor.

The concrete seals outside the middle school library carry an estimated cost of $8,000-$10,000, which School Committee member Elizabeth Spinney questioned.

“The stone on the side of the buildings — it’s up to you, but I don’t see it really as being used as a mascot,” Spinney said.

Other members agreed that the Indian symbols inside should be prioritized.

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