Kansas City, Kansas, middle school to retire its Native American-themed nickname

Arrowhead Middle School plans to drop its Apache mascot after a district-wide review determined the nickname was culturally insensitive.
As part of a district-wide review, the school board in Kansas City, Kansas, determined that at least one school needs to change mascots. Edwin Birch, a spokesperson for the district, said Arrowhead Middle School’s mascot, the Apaches, could contribute to the stereotyping of Native Americans as “aggressive or savages.” Birch noted that the Apache tribe is not local and that Arrowhead no longer uses imagery of the mascot.

Ellen Beckley, a Wyandotte County resident, said her sons went to Arrowhead Middle School decades ago, and even then she was surprised the school mascot was still in use. She said she is glad the district is changing.

“I would say it’s probably long overdue, considering we’ve been looking at changing names that could be offensive to Native Americans for, what, 20 or 30 years,” said Beckley.