The Saugus High School sports teams have long been known as the Sachems, but there’s a chance that newly proposed legislation could eventually force the school to find a new nickname.
Behind legislation being pushed by Brian Weeden, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the discussion surrounding offensive high school nicknames is heating up around the state.
Weeden is lobbying for legislation to ban Native American mascots in the state’s public schools. The bill would require 23 public high schools to abandon their current nicknames, bar the sale and distribution of materials with Native American symbols and halt construction or renovation of team logo displays.
For Saugus, which moved into a brand-new school building and athletic complex this year that is decorated with the Sachems mascot, the issue is not one that has been broached yet, according to Superintendent of Schools Erin McMahon.
“At this time, there are no current discussions on the district level about changing the Sachem mascot,” McMahon said in a statement. “Saugus Public Schools is focused on improving student achievement, creating a sense of belonging in our three school buildings and keeping our students and staff healthy and in school.”
According to the New England Anti-Mascot Coalition, there are currently 23 schools in Massachusetts that use “racist and derogatory” symbols depicting Native American people and culture, with two of those schools residing in the Northeastern Conference.
Those schools are Saugus (Sachems), Masconomet (Chieftains), Agawam (Brownies), Amesbury (Indians), Assabet Valley Tech (Aztecs), Bartlett (Indians), Billerica (Indians), Blue Hills Tech (Warriors), Bristol Agricultural (Chieftains), Commerce (Red Raiders), Dartmouth (Indians), Foxborough (Warriors), King Phillip (Warriors), Lowell (Red Raiders), Matignon (Warriors), Middleborough (Sachems), Millis (Mohawks), Nipmuc (Warriors), North Brookfield (Indians), Seekonk (Warriors), Tewksbury (Redmen), Wahconah (Warriors) and Ware (Indians).
The 23 schools are the most of any state in New England, with Connecticut having 10, New Hampshire having eight, Vermont having three and Rhode Island having two. Maine is the only New England state with no offensive nicknames, after Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed into law a bill passed unanimously by the Legislature to prohibit Native American mascots in all Maine public schools back in May of 2019.
