L'burg School Board Considering Name Changes; Take A Survey

By Mike Perleberg (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Greendale Middle School may soon be renamed Lawrenceburg Middle School, or perhaps something else. During a board retreat this past weekend, the Lawrenceburg Community Schools Board of Trustees voted unanimously to change the Greendale Middle School mascot from the Bengals to the Tigers. The switch starting next school year will bring GMS in line with the school corporation’s three other schools, which already use the Tigers name. Superintendent Karl Galey said the mascot change started when the Lawrenceburg High School girls basketball coach offered to provide gently used varsity uniforms to the middle school team. “They said Tigers on them. That kind of started the conversation,” explains Galey. “(GMS assistant principal and athletic director Jason Caudill) had conversations with the girls at that time. The girls were supportive of wearing them. They were excited because they were a little bit better condition uniforms.” “Then he kind of asked me then in the same sentence, ‘Has there ever been any thought or consideration of potentially the Bengals mascot versus the Tigers?’” said Galey. Another reason for the mascot change is the cost to families to buy new school apparel for three years of middle school, says Galey. “Do parents want to spend money $40 on a hoodie when then they’re only going to wear it for a few years because once they get to high school they’re going to want Tiger stuff again?” The board looked at other area school districts, few of which don’t have the same mascot for their high and middle schools. The mascot change got the school board discussing some other possible changes in names. Namely, the renaming of Greendale Middle and Central Elementary schools. “If it changed, it would be Lawrenceburg Middle School. On Central, I’m not sure on that one. It could be Lawrenceburg Elementary or it could be Lawrenceburg Intermediate School,” said Galey. The LCSC Board of Trustees wants to know what the school district’s residents think of the proposed school name changes. A public survey is open through the end of April. You can take the brief questionnaire at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScnDFut4Zd4amfxrEgIDrPDfaXmdIELU8jKJLyMZk86JMrwKw/viewform. Galey said the survey results will be shared with the school board at their May 8 regular public meeting. The board could vote to change the names then, or think on it for a few more weeks. RELATED STORIES: Greyhounds Become Wildcats At New Franklin County Middle School