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MARQUETTE -- Will it be the Sentinels, Reds or Red Jackets? The Marquette Area Public Schools Board of Education has narrowed down its search for a new nickname to those three options.
"We worked through a pretty robust process, I would say, to get to this point," board President Kristen Cambensy said.
Last summer, the board voted 4-3 to abolish the Marquette Senior High School Redmen/Redettes nicknames and began the rebranding process. Since then, public input, board discussion and student advisory boards have all weighed in during the selection process.
The board began with eight nicknames -- Cardinals, Hawks, Marauders, Reds, Redtail Hawks, Red Hawks, Red Jackets and Sentinels -- and ended with three.
The remaining three names -- Reds, Red Jackets and Sentinels -- were found to have pros and cons to each.
In a meeting Cambensy had with approximately 20 to 30 students, she learned many were in favor of the Sentinels due to its positive connotation as a guardian or a protective force.
MSHS students also expressed that if they're committing to a name and mascot change, many feel "Reds" is too similar to their previous nickname and wouldn't be compatible with a mascot.
Sentinels also pays tribute to the current Junior Wildcats hockey team, which was formerly the Sentinels.
Some emails and comments on social media pointed out that choosing Red Jackets could be a misstep due to the famous Native American chief Red Jacket from the Seneca tribe.
Klipp clarified that the Red Jackets mascot was pictured by MAPS as "a sort of stinging bee with a fiesty little red jacket or red sweater."
While the red jacket or sweater pictured on the mascot would pay homage to the origin of Graveraet Elementary School, it could be confusing due to the proximity of the L'Anse Purple Hornets.
"We know that no matter what name we pick, there will be people who don't like it and they'll question the process that we used to come to this decision, and I think that we did everything we could to make sure that the process was as transparent as possible ... but we're not going to please everyone," Cambensy reminded the board.
Klipp made sure to thank the public for their criticisms and suggestions throughout the process.
Cambensy continues to welcome further feedback concerning nicknames through MAPS's email: schoolboard@mapsnet.org. The final decision will be made on Monday.