High school invites community input on longstanding team name
Online survey Jan. 12–31: English | Spanish
Community forum Wed. Jan. 31, 7–8:30 p.m.
South Eugene High School’s athletic team name, The Axemen, is under consideration and the school is seeking input from students, parents, alumni and other community members.
To provide convenient ways to share input, the school has scheduled a community meeting and created an online form that asks specific questions and provides space for additional comments. This is not a vote on the name but an opportunity to provide input.
The online survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/r/southeugeneteamname and is open to responses through January 31.
Interested community members also are invited to engage in the community forum at South Eugene High School on Wednesday, January 31, 7–8:30 p.m.
The axe is a longstanding part of South Eugene High School’s history and tradition. The axe was the first symbol that students and athletes rallied around at the school, and the team name The Axemen has been in use for some teams since the 1930s, a time when interscholastic sports teams were all male. Over the years, and again recently, students, parents and community members have raised concerns that the team name The Axemen may not be inclusive of all athletes and students.
No decisions have been made yet, and the school and district are committed to considering input from all stakeholders. South Eugene High School’s principal, Dr. Andy Dey, will consider all input and make a recommendation to Eugene School District 4J’s superintendent, Dr. Gustavo Balderas, in February.
