Shady Side Academy Drops Indian As School Mascot, Team Name

Pittsburgh PA

01 July, 2020

12:26 PM

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FOX CHAPEL, PA — Shady Side Academy's Board of Trustees has unanimously decided to drop the Indian as its mascot and sports team nickname. The move is effective immediately, trustees chairman Jonathan Kamin said in a letter posted on the private school's website. The Indians have been the academy's nickname since 1936. The name was coined by athletic director William "Cap" Palmer as a tribute to the school's Fox Chapel campus. In the 1700s, the location served as an encampment for a Seneca Indian tribe led by Chief Guyasuta. "While we recognize that this change will cause some to be disappointed, there is no doubt that this is the right decision to move Shady Side Academy forward," Kamin stated in the letter. "Consistent with the wishes of Cap Palmer, we are excited to develop a new mascot and team name that will once again unite Shady Side Academy, and that will provide our community with something to cheer about for generations to come." You can read the entire letter here. Two weeks ago, The Washington Post called on the NFL's Washington Redskins to change its nickname. Shady Side Academy is the first southwestern Pennsylvania school to drop the Indian as it mascot. Several area school districts use the Indian mascot, including North Hills, Penn Hills and Peters Township. Last week, the North Hills School District acknowledged ongoing discussions in the community about dropping the Indians nickname. The district indicated there was no immediate plan to do so. However, the district said in a statement that, "We are fully open to working together to identify and combat inequalities that exist in our district to ensure North Hills provides a safe, caring and equitable educational environment for all, and we hope our new diverse and anti-racism task force will help us accomplish this."