Twin Valley student urges board to retire 'Raider' mascot

A Twin Valley high school student, speaking during public comment at the May 19 Twin Valley School District Board meeting, urged the board to retire the district's "Raider" mascot and work with a student group called Retire the Raider to select a new symbol.

"The Raider mascot is still present in our school district, and Retire the Raider is continuously moving to change that," the student said, identifying herself as Sloan. The speaker said she had expected to see progress after earlier discussions but that the mascot remained visible in the current yearbook and in a senior superlative listing titled "most Raider pride." Sloan said the group wants to "cultivate a mascot that fosters goodwill" and "have a mascot that brings us together, that doesn't separate us."

Sloan told the board she and other students are ready to work cooperatively with district leaders: "We want to work with you. We are a powerful group of students who are ultimately looking to better our school district." She closed by asking the board to "please help me retire Twin Valley's Raider. Thank you." The board's public comment period concluded with the chair thanking Sloan.

Ending

The remarks were delivered during the public comment portion of the meeting and no formal board action on the mascot was recorded in the meeting minutes provided in the transcript.