In a lucid and well-researched, well-articulated professional presentation Monday before the Seneca Valley School Board, students won their argument — at least in the eyes of the board — that it’s time for change.

The center of change is ridding the school of the “Raider” name and mascot used in the district.

A story in Wednesday’s Eagle described the work of several students about the history of the Raider mascot, tracing it back to the merger of Evans City and Zelienople high schools in 1961.

At the time, according to student Claire McCafferty, a junior, students settled on the name Seneca Valley and the Raider mascot to represent the history of the school’s geographic location. She added the students received support from Seneca Nation Chief Hanging Feather, who was present at the school’s groundbreaking ceremony in 1963.

But culture has changed since the 1960s, the students said. Many Native Americans no longer support the use of likeness or tribe names — and especially pejorative terms historically used to describe them — to represent sport teams.

Avani Salunkhe, a senior, referenced statements from the National Congress of American Indians to that effect.

Senior Benaifer Sepai noted Ricky L. Armstrong, president of the Seneca Nation of Indians, said the term “raider” was “not an honor at all; it is an insult, and you are using discriminatory terminology.”

And when the Eagle posted the story on its website and Facebook page, the board lit up with comments.

One reader asked on Facebook, “Just who does this offend?”

In the comments section, a reader replied:

“‘Raider’ is equitable to thief or attacker. Native Americans have been portrayed as ‘savages’ for centuries, and this name is an echo of that. We wouldn’t have a team called the ‘Irish Drunks’ or ‘thugs’ or ‘gypsies’ or ‘misers’ or any other negative racial profile.

“I am impressed by these students taking their concerns to the people who can make change on their behalf.”

While there were no outright “flaming” of the students on social media, some thought the students were “grandstanding.”

One of the actual students from the presentation responded:

“As a student presenting on this board project, I would encourage all upset to actually spend time watching the presentation and contributing to constructive discourse instead of spending hours misrepresenting my friends. We consulted with Seneca Nation representatives who support this change and did our homework, poring through psychological studies and historical material. This was not ‘grandstanding,’ but a thorough, fact-based, data driven argument.”

Some were distraught about the reactions of adults.

“Seeing so many grown people upset (that) their old high school mascot might change is really something else,” another reader wrote.

One summed it up entirely:

“If given a choice between being offensive and not being offensive, why choose the former?”

Why indeed? It’s just a mascot, right?

— AA