Tyler LaPlaunt, vice chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, speaks at Monday’s meeting of the Marquette Area Public Schools Board of Education at Kaufman Auditorium. The board has begun a rebranding process following the retirement of the Redmen/Redettes nicknames. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Area Public Schools Board of Education on Monday has begun the process of determining a new nickname after retiring the Marquette Senior High School Redmen/Redette names in July.

At the July 17 board meeting, Vice President Glenn Sarka and trustees Cheryl Maddox-Smith, Jennifer Klipp and Jennifer Ray voted in favor of retiring the nicknames. Voting to keep the names were President Kristen Cambensy, Secretary-Treasurer James Hewitt and Trustee Jason Zdunek.

“I just really think that we need to be as transparent as we can in this process so that we don’t have miscommunications or rumors going around about what we’re doing,” Cambensy said.

The board is looking at a public survey as one way to gather input, although Cambensy stressed that the board will use a variety of ways in the process. The public attending board meetings is another way to obtain data, she said.

The board tabled discussion of the branding process until the Oct. 2 Committee of the Whole meeting.

“From now until the, obviously, we’re still going to have discussions amongst the community and amongst students, staff, everybody to try to come up with some ideas,” Cambensy said.

It is the hope, she said, that following the Committee of the Whole meeting, a survey would be created to allow the community to submit ideas, with those ideas whittled down to several names and a new one announced in November.

Cambensy said the MSHS colors would remain red and white, with a visual representation to be created after a new nickname was been determined.

An earlier board in 2020 retired the former Native American chief logo, replacing it with the letter M.

Hewitt suggested that once that list of possible new nicknames is shortened, each board member could submit a recommendation from various data points.

Cambensy said there have been rumors in the community that the board already had decided on a new name, which she stressed is not true.

Instead, Monday’s meeting focused on setting parameters for determining the nickname.

“Ultimately, the board makes the decision,” said Cambensy, who acknowledged that can’t be accomplished “in a vacuum.”

She said a proposal from the Milwaukee-based Donovan Group, which specializes in school communications, recommended a committee be formed that included students and business people.

“We certainly want to see external input from the community, but we certainly don’t want to have a side committee, a subcommittee, that would take the blame,” Hewitt said.

Cambensy agreed, pointing out that community backlash should fall on the board, not the students.

She suggested the new nickname should pay homage to the school district and be unique to MAPS and the community.

“I don’t think that the name should reference any protected classes, i.e., race, gender, religion, etc., should be inclusive, and that the names Redmen and Redettes cannot be considered,” Cambensy said.

Marquette resident Bob Anderson told the board that the Native American Heritage Fund in Michigan likely can fund most of the costs of rebranding.

Rodney Loonsfoot, a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Council, indicated that the NAHF was set aside specifically for instances such as the MAPS rebranding. However, he said the KBIC has allocated 2% of its biannual gaming net income to MAPS, which is another potential funding source for rebranding.

“Believe me, I understand those costs,” Loonsfoot said.

Tyler LaPlaunt, vice chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, said the Tribe is offering $30,000, “no strings attached,” toward rebranding efforts.

“We are here to help and work with you,” LaPlaunt said.

Mason Brady, an MSHS graduate, spoke before a previous board in 2020 when the Redmen/Redette issue first came up. His suggestion at the time for a new nickname was the Mariners, and he told the current board his “offer still stands.”

“Why is it so memorable? Why is it such a good nickname?” Brady asked. “It’s got alliteration, and it’s relevant to Marquette’s history as a harbor town. You really can’t overstate the importance of Lake Superior to Marquette citizenry.”

Recall effort addressed

The Marquette County Election Commission will meet at noon Sept. 1 in the Henry A. Skewis Courtroom Annex to conduct a hearing and rule on the clarity and factuality of recall language filed against Klipp and Ray.

According to Marquette County Clerk Linda Talsma, Jeremy Beerman of Marquette has filed the recall against Ray and Klipp, who voted to retire the Redmen/Redette nicknames.

Talsma said Sarka is not included in the recall because he will finish his term in December 2024. Maddox-Smith is not included because she has not yet been in office for a year.

In board comments, Ray talked about the “elephant in the room,” pointing out that she had spent much time talking with people both sides of the issue.

She referenced a 2020 survey that showed a majority favored keeping the nicknames, noting that was only one data point that she considered.

“It was not a vote, and honestly, the vote that mattered most to me were the ones who voted me in here, which was significantly more numbers– 6,000 versus 2,400 that didn’t want to change the name,” Ray said.

Klipp said, “I love democracy. Whatever will be will be.”

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.