Mascot Debate

County l3: top story white rodney simpson against the change l3: top story white debate over high school mascot "rebels" boyle county l3: top story white jordan drake for the change l3: top story white debate over high school mascot "rebels" boyle county l3: top story white daniel morgan petition author l3: top story white debate over high school mascot "rebels" boyle county the boyle county high school rebels..... have been around since 19-63.

But it took boyle county alum daniel morgan years to realize he might have the power to permanently remove "rebel" from those uniforms. he wrote the online petition...encourag ing the district to drop the mascot.

He's not the first to bring up a change...but any time it's come up over the last several years...nothing has changed and some people like it that way...arguing it'll be too costly to make the change...or ruin a tradition.

"my opinion is i don't think we should ever change anything you can't change the past."

Rodney simpson doesn't argue that past was problematic... but doesn't think changing a mascot will have much impact.

"ya know if it's gonna make things change but is it gonna make things change?

That's just my thought.

I think if we're gonna change it's gonna start with ourselves."

Others say it's not about changing the past...but instead...making the future more welcoming.

Jordan drake...a member of danville's black lives matter group says the mascot doesn't do that for his friends of color.

"a lot of them felt ashamed they feel hurt by it and that it brings up a lot of memories and feelings of what the rebels stood for."

And drake says the school really stood for the confederacy.

He says yearbooks show confederate flags in classrooms, students holding the flag...a confederate soldier on the cover.

"to a lot of people it's hurtful and it's sort of celebrating what these confederate soliders did."

Morgan says he wants that to change... not just as an alum...but also as a current high school history teacher in louisville...he wants schools to be inclusive....open to all.

"no student should feel ashamed of their mascot because that mascot represents people that wanted to keep them oppressed."

Christy bollinger, abc 36 news.

A spokesperson for the school district says if you want to see a change made...get in touch with the high school's site-based decision making council because wre the conversation