When the Old Town High School gymnasium floor was repainted a few years ago, the old Indian head mascot was removed and the name of the gym – MacKenzie Gymnasium – was painted in its place.

It was a sign of things to come in Old Town as the school board voted 7-0 Tuesday night to stop using the Indian, which had been the school’s nickname and mascot since the turn of the century.

The vote marks the end of a decade-long discussion about the Indian, which some say was introduced to honor the members of the Penobscot Nation who live on Indian Island and send their children to middle school and high school in Old Town. Others contended that the nickname and mascot were degrading to the people of the nation.

Jim Dill, the school board chairman, said there were a variety of opinions expressed at the meeting in the Old Town cafetorium. Several students and community members told the school board they were proud of the nickname.

But Dill said others, including members of the Penobscot Nation, said they felt the nickname and mascot do not honor them at all.

“You listen to them say, ‘How would you like to be called the Old Town Jews or the Old Town Blacks?'” Dill said. “You just sit there with wide eyes and think, wow, there’s no argument for that.”

Dill said the Penobscot Nation representatives expressed their gratitude after the meeting.

“All of the Penobscots who were there shook our hands and thanked us for having the courage to make the decision,” he said. “It was sincere and heartfelt.”

Although there were two distinct sides to the issue of using the Indian mascot and nickname, there was a third matter to consider.

Because the students were strongly discouraged from portraying the Indian, they didn’t have a mascot like the Bangor Ram or the Hampden Bronco.

“In effect the kids have not had a mascot they were allowed to be enthusiastic about, and the administration felt the kids needed that,” said school board vice chairman David Wollstadt, who introduced the motion at a board meeting in June.

At that meeting the school board voted 3-2 to keep the Indian. The school board needs at least four positive votes to pass a motion.

Wollstadt said he felt the presence of members of the Penobscot Nation at Tuesday’s meeting may have made a difference.

“Most of the speakers from Indian Island urged us to do away with the Indian mascot,” he said. “Some of them were quite eloquent. … My feeling is it would have passed even if no one had been there.”

Wollstadt introduced the motion after he met with a group of school administrators last spring. The administrators had discussed the nickname with Penobscot officials, who told the school group they didn’t like the nickname.

Chloe Meisner, an Old Town junior who spoke out at the June school board meeting, said Wednesday she was in favor of the nickname change, but only because the school will finally have a mascot it can use.

“It was like we didn’t have a mascot at all,” said Meisner, who is a member of the field hockey and swim teams. “… [The mascot] didn’t really bother me. I’m not Native American, but I think it was done to honor them.”

The students found out about the school board decision Wednesday morning when an announcement was read over the intercom.

There was little reaction among the students, Meisner said.

“I think we just wanted everyone to make up their minds,” she said.

It was hard to gauge the reaction from inside the community Wednesday morning, Dill said, because of the death of two high school students in a car crash before school.

The school board will launch some kind of educational program, Dill added, to make sure the community understands the board’s vote.

Maine high schools with Indian-themed nicknames include the Fort Kent Warriors, Nokomis of Newport Warriors, Skowhegan Indians, Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook Warriors, Sanford Redskins, Wells Warriors and Wiscasset Redskins.

Scarborough changed its nickname from Redskins to Red Storm about four years ago.

The Maine Principals’ Association, which runs interscholastic postseason tournaments and meets in the state, has no specific policy on the use of Indian nicknames and mascots by high schools in the state, according to the MPA executive director Dick Durost.

“We don’t have the authority, nor do we presume to have the authority [in matters like these],” said Durost. “Obviously we hope that people are understanding and look long and hard at the traditions and the local aspects of nicknames mascots, but in the end it’s a local decision.”

Last month the NCAA adopted a policy prohibiting its colleges and universities from displaying hostile and abusive mascots, nicknames or imagery from its postseason championships. The NCAA also recommended best practices for schools who use Native American mascots, nicknames and imagery in their intercollegiate athletic programs.

Old Town’s next challenge will be finding a new nickname and mascot everyone can agree on.

Dill said the hope is there will be a new nickname and mascot in place by next spring, or at least in time for graduation. The new nickname and mascot would be installed in time for the fall 2006 season.

Students will be a part of whatever decision is made, Wollstadt said.

Meisner said there have been a few joke suggestions, including the Old Town Paddlers, a reference to the presence of Old Town Canoe in town. The students weren’t too excited about that suggestion.

“What are we going to do, whack things with paddles?” Meisner said.

BDN sportswriter Ernie Clark contributed to this report.