WOOLLEY: Belton High School Naming Controversy Provides Much Needed Hilarity in Texas

School Board President has made it clear the idea of shared identity" is not feasible By Lynn Woolley Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Youd expect the controversy to be over naming the school after some historical figure such as Robert E. Lee or Ronald Reagan. But thats not it. Its about whether or not to give the new school the same name mascot and colors as the existing school. Normally I would not pay much attention to the naming of a new high school. But the school board in Belton Texas is making the process too much fun to ignore. Belton schools have this thing about all their campuses being called Tigers" with red and white colors. If the new high school is also Belton High and is also the Tigers the ensuing confusion may not be as funny as the current naming controversy. Imagine two sets of Belton Tigers both in red playing each other in football. On the other hand if theyd teach American exceptionalism who cares? Keep Belton Weird."  Someone posted that little takeoff on Austins unofficial slogan on my Facebook page. Most of the time its not true. Austin in its politics is downright bizarre. But Belton is bucolic a slice of the American mainland. Its quaint downtown with a knockout historical courthouse meandering Nolan Creek and a nice museum is a pleasure to visit. Nearby the University of Mary Hardin Baylor is as pretty a small college as youll find. So Beltons weirdness stems mostly from the idea of having Belton High School on one side of town and Belton High School on the other. That this is even being discussed is weird. School Board President Randy Pittenger has already made it clear that this idea of shared identity" is not feasible. Of the names mentioned as mascots he says Tigers" will not make the cut.

The one name I would eliminate would be Tigers. Ive researched it and statewide nationally I cant see a duplication of a second high school following along with the mascot or colors… I like the Belton Memorial Patriots."

That at least makes sense assuming the school is named Belton Memorial High School." Memorial High" might be a way around the current PC fad of dishonoring our Founding Fathers Framers and Confederate generals. But if the memorial" name is designed to honor war veterans Mr. Pittenger might as well get ready for a backlash. After all some of those veterans fought for the Confederacy. We know Robert E. Lee High School" is out and I suppose Ronald Regan High School" my personal choice is out too. Reagan was a conservative and schools boards are not going to go there. The Board may very well decide in October to name the school North Belton High or some such banality all complicated by the fact that this Belton school is in Temple. If theyre going to go with a directional or location name thats a cop-out. Name it after a great American or great Texan or stick with simply the other Belton High School. Football games at Belton vs Belton would be fun to call.   Heres a sample of how it might sound:

Welcome to Tiger Stadium in Belton Texas where tonight the undefeated Belton Tigers 2 and oh are taking on the Belton Tigers a team that enters the game at oh and 2. The Tigers are wearing their customary red and white uniforms with the stylized B" on their helmets. The Belton Tigers are decked out in white with red trim and the stylized B" on their helmets. The Tigers will kick into the wind. Damian Johnson takes the ball at the ten-yard line and gets it back to the 25 where hes tackled in a sea of Tigers. Here come the Tigers to the line of scrimmage. The Tigers offensive line is not expected to be a match for the Tigers defensive line. By the way most football prognosticators predict that the Belton Tigers will win this game.

And so it would go. For total shared identity" both teams could actually be dominant red with white trim. Why not? Just so long as Tigers win. If this all sounds silly thats because it is. Liberals have made identity politics" famous but this takes the cake. This new school deserves a brand of its own. I could live with the Belton Memorial High School Patriots. But I dont live in the district and I have no say. Even so I urge the BISD to reflect on this: the current PC fad of dishonoring most all American heroes outside of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will pass. Someday well come to our senses remember history and understand that no one (outside of Jesus and Tom Landry) has ever been perfect. So Im back to Ronald Reagan as the honoree for the schools name. Since that is highly unlikely in the liberal world of school districts heres another thought. Belton used to have a black high school named Harris High." One of its students went on to become a journalist TV news anchor and a pastor. He made a difference in the lives of young blacks that wanted to be on TV. And now he ministers to a congregation. So why not? Why not Roscoe Harrison High School? I admit it. Im thoroughly enjoying this story. Lynn Woolley is a Texas-based syndicated radio talk-show host and author who blogs at WBDaily.com. The Lynn Woolley Show can be heard Monday-Friday from 8:00 am 11:00 am in Lubbock-Amarillo (KVOP 1090) Midland-Odessa (KCRS 550) Waco (KBBW 1010) & Temple-Killeen-Ft. Hood (KTEM 1400) and Navasota. Contact Woolley at Lynn@BeLogical.com