Residents from Red Lodge meet to discuss changing the name of the Red Lodge High School mascot, the Redskins. (Billings Gazette staff)

The school board in the small southeastern Montana town of Red Lodge decided this week to hold a special meeting to vote on whether the the school’s mascot will change. As of next Tuesday, the “Redskins” could be no longer.

The testimony for and against the change was split, the Billing Gazette reports.

But in the end, “dignity and respect” beat tradition in the minds of several board members. The board will hold a special meeting held next Tuesday to vote on the name change.

“For me it doesn’t even seem optional,” said Trustee John Elsberry.

Weighing heavily on the trustees was a letter from the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council imploring the high school to change its mascot. To trustees, the letter seemed to suggest the tribe would not allow Lame Deer High School to compete with Red Lodge while the mascot remained.

Many students spoke out at the meeting.

“I strongly support the effort to change the mascot,” said freshman Ivan Brighton. “Dignity and respect are far more important than tradition.”

Jenna Cederberg