Boyle High School will remove symbol of man on horse, but keep mascot name ‘rebel.’

The image of a Civil War era cavalry soldier astride a rearing horse with a saber will be removed as the logo for Boyle County High School, after a petition said it was a symbol of white supremacy.

However, for now, the term “rebel,” which the petition also criticized, will stay as the school mascot, said Mark Wade, principal of Boyle County High School.

Ultimately, the coalition that created the petition wants a change of the mascot in both name and image, said Leah Missik, a spokesperson for the group.

Members of the school decision-making council voted last week to accept Wade’s recommendation to retire the image of “the man on the horse” and continue the conversation about a new logo, he said.

“We haven’t talked at length about looking for a new logo--just the desire to remove the man on the horse. Students may choose to keep the “B” as the logo or to adopt something else. We will continue the conversation,” Wade said in a statement.

“As of now, the term ‘rebels’ will stay, but I cannot predict what the Council may do in the future,” he said. “The word didn’t elicit the same response (as the image) from current students, so my recommendation focused on removing the image first and continuing the conversation.”

The petition to change the high school’s ‘Rebel’ mascot has been signed by over 240 current students, alumni, former faculty and other community members, Missik said.

“I wore the Rebels jersey as a varsity soccer player and captain,” said Missik, “and the name was the issue; the image was not on our uniforms. Of course the dictionary definition of ‘rebel’ doesn’t include ties to the Confederacy and racism, but that doesn’t negate the fact that the name embodies a very real cultural connotation that has caused a lot of pain and should not be ignored.”

The petition said that the mascot “is widely recognized as a symbol of white supremacy used since the Civil War to promote racist ideology” and that the change would communicate to every student that walks through the doors of the high school an openness and acceptance of them.

Liz Congleton, another member of the petition group, said with so many other options available for a mascot, “trying to rebrand something that’s perceived as racist seems like a half-measure that will only need to be further remedied down the line.”

The petition group identified 50 other schools across the country that are being asked to change their rebel mascot or have already done so.

Some schools have recently rebranded, retiring explicit Confederate or military imagery, a statement from the group said. However, these same schools are still being asked to change the name due to its history and associations. Boyle County High School has rebranded its logo multiple times, including removing more overt Confederate associations such as the flag, but the connection remains for the hundreds of petitioners, advocates for the mascot change said.

Organizers will continue to advocate for changing the Rebels mascot in name and logo, as well as support other measures to make the school a more welcoming and supportive environment for all students and members of the community, members of the petition group said.