Despite the recent demands of hundreds of Native tribes across the nation to remove dehumanizing Native mascots from sports and schools, Hononegah continues to use the image a Native man to represent our school under the banner of the "Hononegah Indians".  Princess Hononegah, a non Native student dressing in Native attire, appears at every sporting event along with cheers of "U RAH RAH", both of which perpetuate racist stereotypes surrounding Native people. Regardless of our school's original intention of honoring Native history--something supposedly accomplished with Native iconography not even historically accurate to our region--the students and community in Rockton need to come together to address this antiquated representation of school spirit.  Removal of such mascots has already been called for by our national government almost two decades ago: according to a 2001 statement by the US Commission on Civil Rights "Schools have a responsibility to educate their students; they should not use their influence to perpetuate misrepresentations of any culture or people...[and these mascots] block genuine understanding of contemporary Native people as fellow Americans...The elimination of stereotypes will make room for education about real Indian people, current Native American issues, and the rich variety of American Indian cultures in our country." By advocating for the removal of this mascot Hononegah can take steps towards achieving its own mission statement: "to create a safe and inspiring atmosphere where students become thoughtful scholars, responsible citizens, and effective leaders."