Former Rutland Senior Secondary student Casey Peake expressed disappointment at the school’s decision to change its sports teams’ name from the Voodoos, a tradition he proudly represented during his three seasons playing football. “It’s a tradition you’re excited to be a part of,” said Peake. “You bleed that school’s colours essentially for the time that you’re there and even in the future. I still rock my Rutland football gear out and about out in the community.”
On Thursday, the school announced its official rebranding, opting for the name Rutland Senior Secondary Thunder after considering both “Thunder” and “Wolverines” in a vote where “Thunder” received approximately 60% support. Principal Hugh Alexander commented, “Rutland Thunder has a ring to it, but the best part is seeing our students get together and rally behind the name as we know our community will at many events to come.”
Peake expressed reservations about the name change, questioning the rationale for erasing the team’s long-standing history. “It irks me a little bit that you’re kind of taking away all those years of tradition,” explained Peake. “Being a Voodoo and what that means to not only the school but everybody in the community who’s been lucky enough to attend school there or be a Voodoo at some point in their life.”
RSS teacher Chris Werry explained the change as a necessary response to concerns raised by students in 2018 regarding the team’s name and its negative implications. “We’re part of education, and so we listened to the students and started doing our own research and realized there is a history to that term that comes from a racial point down in the southern U.S. at the time of slavery,” Werry said. “We decided it’s maybe not an appropriate name for our school.”
Despite the name change, the school will retain its traditional blue and gold colour scheme, dating back to the mid-1950s. While the school has yet to reveal its new logo or mascot, Principal Alexander expressed excitement for the opportunity to create something new with the involvement of students and teachers.
