Camanche School Board approves ‘Storm’ as new mascot

CAMANCHE, Iowa (KWQC) - After 60 years the Camanche Community School District has selected a new mascot. The school board approved ‘Storm’ on Monday.

In March, the school board voted five to one to retire the Indians name and mascot. The decision came after decades of recommendations from Native American tribes and other groups to address the name.

For several months, Camanche community members worked to narrow down a list of what the new mascot and team name would be. Three committees were created and included district staff, students, and community members.

“I am proud to be a Camanche Indian and I will always have a part of that in me, I just don’t need the mascot anymore. It’s how I grew up and I’m proud to grow up the way I have. I just want to project and make sure we’re moving forward and doing the right thing,” Stacey Pearson-Reppert who works in the district and was part of the committee said, “I need the town, I need the people of Camanche, but I really don’t need the Indian mascot.”

The committee started with a large list, narrowed it to 60, then seven, and eventually to a top three.

“We’ve had several, several meetings. Several posts out there trying to get community input. We wanted to know what the community wanted,” Brenda Larkey, who was also on the committee, said.

Requests to retire the Indians name came as recent as this year, including a letter from the Meskwaki Nation and Oneida Nation in Wisconsin.

“From what I can tell the community seems to be pretty open about it. I think it’s a good thing and I think it was going to have to come sooner or later,” Vanessa Brown, a Senior at Camanche High School, said.

“It’s about the people. It’s about the students and moving forward positively,” Larkey said.

The district plans to formally retire the mascot and logo ahead of the fall sports season.

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