Two school districts in the Blue Water Area that faced controversy for removing and changing their Native American mascots have received grant money from the Native American Heritage Fund to cover rebranding and replacement expenses.
Sandusky Community Schools and the Port Huron Area School District were two of nine districts in Michigan awarded the grant money, with six of the nine districts receiving the money for replacement and rebranding efforts.
Sandusky Community Schools, who had applied for a $165,000 grant last year but was rejected due to not having a new mascot to rebrand with, adopted a new wolf mascot with a 4-3 vote in late November and was given almost $74,604.08 this year for signage, uniform and equipment rebranding.
They had retired the past “Redskins” mascot at a meeting in April 2022, with community controversy.
While it’s not clear if the Port Huron Area District applied for the fund previously, the district was awarded almost $162,943.90 to replace and rebrand the mascots at Michigamme and Roosevelt Elementary Schools and High School. Earlier this year in March, the original mascots– the Big Reds, Little Reds and Little Chiefs– were replaced with the Redhawks and Cardinals.
The Port Huron Area School Board voted to retire the original mascots in November 2022.
