(Combined Sources) The Athol-Royalston School District will be retiring the Red Raider mascot at Athol High School. The district’s School Committee held a remote meeting on Thursday and eight members of the community asked the committee to remove the cartoon caricature of a Native American that has been the symbol of Athol High School’s athletic teams. The committee voted 8-0 to discontinue and retire the mascot. Two committee members were not present for the vote.
Athol will now join other local school districts who no longer use Native Americans as mascots, including Frontier Regional, Turners Falls and Mohawk Trail Regional.