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Mendon-Upton to seek new mascot while keeping Nipmuc name, citing tribal concerns
Summary
The superintendent proposed a district-led rebranding to adopt a unified mascot for Mendon-Upton schools that preserves the Nipmuc school name but removes Native American imagery; a committee of students, staff and community members will solicit and vet designs ahead of facility upgrades.
The Mendon-Upton Regional School District announced a community-driven process to select a unified mascot and update district branding while keeping the Nipmuc school name, the superintendent said during the committee meeting. The district plans to form a committee of students, coaches, staff, alumni and community representatives to solicit mascot ideas, create graphic mock-ups with a designer, and seek community feedback in the coming months.
District leaders said the change is intended to honor the Nipmuc name while removing cultural appropriation from logos and athletics imagery. The presenter noted communications from tribal leadership indicating they “do not wish for their culture to be used as a sports mascot,” and described the mascot transition as an opportunity to align branding with planned field and facility upgrades.
The timeline aims to move efficiently so branding can be incorporated into stadium and turf designs; administrators also cited advancing state legislation that may mandate similar changes statewide and said the district prefers to lead the change. The committee will solicit student involvement at every stage and work with architects and the design team to incorporate the chosen branding into facilities.
Next steps include forming the mascot committee and producing a shortlist of candidate designs for community review; the superintendent said the district will post an FAQ and related materials through its communications channels.
