The name Marauders has survived months of community scrutiny and will remain the moniker of Dedham High School sports teams.
This spring the school announced it was retiring its old logo, a screaming Native American face with a Mohawk hairstyle, and launching an examination of whether to keep the name Marauders.
Yesterday Athletic Director Thomas Arria said overwhelming support among students, faculty and alumni had led the school to keep the name.
"It was mostly decided before I started," said Arria, who became athletic director this September. "They were looking for consensus and everything pointed to keeping the name."
Principal Alan Winrow was not available to confirm the decision yesterday. Assistant Principal Jake Santamaria said last week that he thought a consensus had been reached on sticking with the name Marauders.
The Dedham High School Boosters Club initiated the move to retire the old logo, which had been the symbol of the town's high school sports teams for more than 30 years, but had drawn complaints it was either in poor taste or offensive.
The decision to keep the name, which school officials said should be made by the community, focused on whether the word "maraud," which means to roam in search of plunder, was too negative.
Now, with the fate of the name decided, the school is choosing between a few logo designs submitted by students and centered on the letter "D." The Boosters Club has offered a $100 reward to the designer of the winning logo.
Arria said the school hoped to choose a new logo as soon as possible and, at the very latest, before the beginning of the next school year.
The old Indian head logo is not featured on any current Dedham High School team uniforms. It was recently removed from the school's gymnasium wall and from the brick wall on the outside of the school building facing the football field.
Arria said the school is still exploring what to do with the logo on the wooden Dedham High School sign at the front of the building facing Whiting Avenue. The school may try to save the ornate gold-lettered sign by removing the logo.
Santamaria, also a Boosters Club member, said the Boosters need a new logo before they could begin their next fundraising "sticker campaign," featuring decals with the logo, next September.
Daily News staff writer Patrick Anderson can be reached at 781-433-8336 or panderso@cnc.com.
