New Robert Smalls International Academy logos discussed, no timetable for final decision
Robert Smalls International Academy made the first steps Monday toward replacing a logo some found offensive and historically inaccurate, but there is no timetable for a final decision on a new one, leaders of the Robert Smalls Association said Tuesday.
The school improvement council met Monday night to discuss new options to represent the school's mascot, the Generals.
Several were presented by the Robert Smalls Association and by school principal Nicole Holloman, of which three will be chosen and discussed further before a final decision is made by the Beaufort County Board of Education, said incoming association president Yvonne Smith.
Members of the school association, which includes Robert Smalls School alumni, first voiced their concerns with the school's logo -- a stock image that came from a Google search -- in May. Some felt the logo, with a half-black, half-white face and Revolutionary War-era hat was an affront to Smalls, an escaped slave who became a Civil War hero and five-term congressman.
Smith said the association won't reveal their options to replace the logo until they've had a chance to see the three options the school improvement council picks, but there is no timetable for the proposed logos to be whittled down or a final decision made.
Beaufort County School District spokesman said the designs presented Monday were basic, hand-drawn designs or images taken off the internet. The district will likely release the three designs selected by the school improvement council once they are selected and more polished, but the council has no deadline to pick them, Foster said.
The council will send the three options to the district's Student Services Committee, who will send on a recommended option to the board of education. The committee meeting will be open to public comments about the three options, Foster said.
Once the three options for consideration are picked, the association is likely to take a position on the new logo, Smith said.
Current association president Linda Robinson said the association and the school council weren't in "complete agreement" on what the mascot should look like based on what was presented. Robinson, Smith, and two other association members -- officer and alumnus Charlotte Brown and school volunteer Walter Clarke -- all attended Monday's meeting.
Although the logo has been taken off the school's website and a mat with its likeness at the school entrance has been removed, some of school apparel with the logo is still being used, Smith said.
Smith said she hopes the decision on a new mascot will be made quickly, especially as more fall sports start, but the association will continue voicing their concerns if the new logo isn't considered appropriate to represent Smalls.
"Robert Smalls was not an object; he was a person," Smith said. "We're willing to sit at the table and discuss things ... . The reason for this is because of our love for Robert Smalls. It is an important issue and not one we're going to let die."
Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.
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This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 4:09 PM with the headline "New Robert Smalls International Academy logos discussed, no timetable for final decision."