Radnor High School gets new Raptors mascot amid nickname debate

RADNOR TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Radnor School District has a new mascot.

The mascot will now be the Raptors after the school board decided to eliminate the Raider nickname last year from the high school and middle school because of its Native American imagery.

Many agreed the imagery needed to go, but some were fighting to keep the Raider name.

Nearly 1,000 students voted for the new mascot this month. They had a choice between the Raptors or "R" for Radnor.

In April, a group of students walked out of the high school to protest the mascot change.

RELATED: Students at Radnor High School walk out in protest over school mascot

The large collective, most with signs in hand, made their way into an open field as part of a peaceful, school-sanctioned demonstration against the school's rebranding.

The school board finalized the decision for both the high school and middle school Tuesday night. There was debate on both sides during the meeting.

"And I find it very dangerous and very disturbing that if teachers are indeed indoctrinating students in their own political views rather than encouraging students to develop their own strong opinions, rather than parroting the teachers, that is very dangerous," one speaker said.

"It gave me a really good feeling about where we're going in the future because of the way you made the decision tonight and the conversations I heard from so many of you," another speaker told the school board.

The Raider name, with more than 70 years of history, was officially retired along with all related Native American imagery from the Radnor School District in September 2020, the district said, to "foster a fully inclusive community."