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Point/Counterpoint: Bellevue Mascots PATIENCE JURGENS REPORTER Commentary Oct. 30, 20153 The Thunderbeat Bellevue Public School’s mascots are dis- respectful, oppressive, and racist towards the nation’s ﬁrst people. The so-called tra- ditions in the Bellevue school system are in fact not our traditions. It’s an “American” twist on what it means to be Native American. These traditions belong to the people of that race or ethnicity, not to a school district. Bellevue has had these school mascots for 100 years or less, and that is nothing compared to the thousands of years Native Americans have actually practiced these traditions. If it’s not your culture, it’s not your tradition ei- ther. I’ve heard people say “It’s not meant to be of- fensive, it’s meant to be an honor.” I’m positive that the people in Bellevue are not using these mascots to be offensive, but even with the right intention, if that particular group of people does not feel honored, then it’s not an honor. The people that are a part of that culture get to decide whether or not it’s honoring them. You can’t decide what is and isn’t honorable for another culture just because you feel like parading around in attire that is typically associated to theirs. Taking something sa- cred from a culture, like a headdress, to wear to a football game isn’t hon- oring them in any way. If it’s not part of your culture, do not use it or claim it as your own. Not only do the mascots and war paint portray them in an inaccurate way, they are oppressive and racist. These mascots create a false image of what the Native American people look like to the public by using stereotypical cari- catures and antics associ- ated with being “Indian.” I’ve also heard peo- ple make the argument, “some Native Ameri- cans are okay with peo- ple using them as our mascots.”The exception- al few who aren’t both- ered by it don’t always have the same feelings as the rest of the people in that culture. Be respectful towards everyone of that ethnic- ity. Native American Cul- ture is the most common culture used as a mascot. Stop and remem- ber whose culture these traditions come from if you’re ever confused on whether or not you can claim it. If the answer is “not mine” then you have no rights to them. Society has engraved into its members heads that not wanting to be around people 24/7 is weird. I’m writing to put an end to this damaging notion and to say: intro- verts are normal. Introverts are people who gain energy through solitude and may feel drained after being in a social situation for large intervals of time. The tol- erance of time depends upon the person, but all introverts share the need for alone time in order to recharge. They are often stereotyped as passive and shy. More people are fa- miliar with their oppo- site: extroverts, who gain their energy from being around others or in social situations. They are often considered outgoing and natural born leaders. In today’s modern world, the focus is all about extroverts. In of- ﬁce jobs, meetings and team collaborations are the main methods used to solve corporate problems. According to a 2015 study by The National Association of Colleges and Employ- ers (NACE), a non-proﬁt group that links college career placement ofﬁces with employers, the num- ber one skill employers want hires to have is a strong team work ability. It’s no different in school, where those who feel comfortable speak- ing out in class are the ones praised as leaders, but those who prefer to work alone are branded anti-social. Schools want higher test scores and business- es need innovative ideas to beat their competi- tion, but as long as the same methods are being utilized, the results will not change. It’s as if society is try- ing to mass produce ex- troverts and those who fall into the introverted category are discarded into the “futile” pile. It’s as if society for- got: that Isaac Newton didn’t create his genius KYLIE FENGER ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Teachers and coun- selors must minimize the push for post-secondary education on Bellevue West students. The con- stant emphasis on ACT scores and college ad- missions is creating an increase in self-loathing and stress. College becomes a stress factor when we are freshmen. We are EDITORIAL BOARD constantly reminded that college is the end goal. We make yearly visits to the career center, where many students stress about how they have no clue what they want for the rest of their lives. There is an expecta- tion from parents, teach- ers, and counselors that we must have it all ﬁg- ured out. When some of us do have it “all ﬁgured out,” we receive com- ments that it’s not good THUNDERBEAT THE thethunderbeat@gmail.com NEWS Em Brandon, Editor-In-Chief Brooke Riley, Co Editor-In-Chief COMMENTARY Rae Rangel, Managing Editor SPORTS AJ Forbes, Sports Editor FEATURES Emma Larson, Features Editor ENTERTAINMENT Kylie Fenger, Entertainment Editor ADVISER Julie Rowse The Thunderbeat is published six times a year by Bellevue West, 1501 Thurston Ave. Bellevue, Nebraska 68123. The Thunderbeat is a student-run publication in con- junction with the Video Yearbook. The Thunderbeat is published by White Wolf Web in Sheldon, Iowa. three laws of motion at a dinner party, but rather under an apple tree in solitude, that Einstein found E = mc² in a dream and not at a science convention, that Emma Watson went on a silent retreat in order to recom- pose after her breakup with Matt Janney. After being in the ed- ucation system for almost 12 years, I can honestly vouch that the methods employed are catered towards extroverts. It wasn’t until the summer before junior year that I learned that there is a name for people like me and the need for alone time is normal. While group work is important, it is no more necessary than indepen- dent work. When any- where from one-third to one-half of the popula- tion is introverted, both methods must be equally utilized in order to ben- eﬁt both demographics of students. If we are expected to be individuals once we leave these four years only to be as Dr. Seuss said, “All Alone! Wheth- er you like it or not,” we must learn to problem solve by ourselves. Cultural appropriation does not make tradition right CODI PIERCE BUSINESS MANAGER mas·cot noun A person or thing that is supposed to bring good luck or that is used to symbolize a particular event or organization. It’s not that deep. Bellevue High School opened in 1962. In 1977, Bellevue High became Bellevue East as Bellevue West was opened in the same year. For the past 52 years, our mascots have uniﬁed thousands of students. Students and alumni love to boast about the fact that they are/were a Thunderbird or Chieftain. When I think of Bellevue and colors, the purple/ gold and purple/white combinations come to mind. Community mem- bers who are upset with the use of Native Ameri- can mascots, don’t real- ize what the bigger pic- ture is to students. The bigger picture being the deeper sense of pride. Additionally, when businesses rebrand, it costs them millions of dollars. The Bellevue high schools and middle schools are bathed in purple. The walls, the decor, even the stu- dents, sport many kinds of apparel repping their school. We’re a school district already suffering from budget cuts and I know I don’t have a couple million Trumping around my house. I guarantee not every single person with Native American blood in them is offended by the fact that a high school has a mascot with a native- theme. Some are proud to be Thunderbirds or Chieftains. So perhaps one step to preserve our middle and high school mascots is to educate students on what those mascots represent. For example, Florida State University has an agreement with the Sem- inoles, the inspiration for their mascot. FSU helps schools on the tribe’s reservation, which has a population of more than 3,000, and also offers full scholarships to tribal members who attend the university. When a tribe supports the notion of being a mascot, we can continue the tradition. If BPS were to have a program working with the Omaha tribe, would that make things better? According to the Five Thirty Eight blog, 2,129 high school, college, and pro teams reference Na- tive American tribes or ideas as their mascots. We aren’t the only school district with these types of mascots and we shouldn’t change. So perhaps one Introverts: isolation yields productivity Approach to college prep must change enough. Students who want to go into “dying ﬁelds” or want to be artists are not failures. Students who want to go straight to work after high school are not failures. The ACT is such a stressful thing to worry about. It seems like the ACT doesn’t test our knowledge but rather how well we can test. Peter Coy, the eco- nomics editor for Bloom- actually practiced these Not only do the bergBusiness, wrote that “because the SAT and ACT are now thought of as yardsticks of ability, students who do poorly on them are marked--or mark themselves--as fail- ures.” Students are scared that they will fail before they reach the next step after high school. It’s that fear of failure and a ter- rible sense of stress that will make or break stu- dents. ADVERTISING Codi Pierce, Business Manager Photo by Rae Rangel “We make yearly visits to the career center, where many students stress about how they have no clue what they want for the rest of their lives.” Graphic by Jacob Kunes Educate students on signiﬁ- cance of Native mascots

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