Roncalli High School to drop ‘Rebels’ nickname
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Roncalli High School is abandoning their nickname “Rebels” and assigning a task force to decide on a new name, school officials said Wednesday.
“For the past 50 years Roncalli High School has been a leader in education, forming young men and women in the Catholic faith,” said Roncalli High School interim president Father Robert Robeson in a video posted online. “As we imagine the vision for the next 50 years, it’s critically important to raise the question ‘How do we best serve our mission as a Catholic high school?’”
Robeson explained the school’s nickname of the “Rebels” derived from the “revolutionary spirit of Angelo Roncalli, St. John XXIII.”
The school’s principal, Chuck Weisenbach, said the nickname “misses the mark” and the school is in the process of choosing a new one that better describes St. John XXIII’s life and ministry.
“The confusion and negative connotations attached to the nickname ‘Rebels’ are also a source of concern as we move forward over the next 50 years,” said Terese Carson, vice president for institutional advancement for Roncalli High School.
Robeson will be appointing the task force this summer. It will include current students, faculty and staff as well as alumni, parents and board members.
“We know that there will be some members of our community who will be saddened by this change,” Robeson said. “But as we look forward to the next 50 years, we believe this change is essential in order to better serve our mission as a Catholic high school…”
Details on when the new nickname will be selected was not immediately clear.