Why Louisville High School is changing its traditional band greeting
LOUISVILLE, Ohio (WJW) — The Leopards marching band, pride of Louisville High School, have a long and lauded history.
“Louisville was a military regimented-style band. I mean, for years, they had the double buttons all the way down, the military-style uniforms. That’s always been their thing to do — regimented salutes,” said Bob Severns, a band parent whose wife served several years as the president of the band boosters.
A part of the band’s storied history has been a tradition for more than 60 years in which its members shout “Hi” to fans from between the 40 yard lines, offering a wave.
“In fact, if you are sitting in the stands when they do that to you, the response from the audience is “Hi” right back. You know, we are waving right back to them. It’s a great way to kick off the game. It’s always been a part of that tradition,” said Severns.
The district now says that wave, an outstretched arm and hand, needs to be changed.
In a written statement to the community, Superintendent Michele Shaffer explained:
There has been recent community dialogue regarding a gesture used by our band when greeting the attendees at the Stark County Fair this week. The gesture resembles a dark time in world history and is extremely offensive to most people, the Jewish community, and especially those who have been directly and indirectly affected.
I have asked the administrative staff to work with the Band Director and me to ensure that an appropriate greeting from our students will be used in the future. As educators and leaders, we have a duty to ensure that our school environment fosters respect and sensitivity for all members of our community.
I would ask for patience and grace from our community while we work through this issue. Our school, like our country, has been and still is a work in progress.
The decision has been met with some pushback from those who attribute it to the so-called “cancel culture.”
But the district explains it is not eliminating the tradition, just making a change to the gesture for all future performances.
“I’m certainly not for throwing away tradition for tradition’s sake but at the same time, I can understand the other perspective from people who maybe don’t understand the tradition or can be offended by it — so I can see both sides,” said Severns, who has had two children graduate from the program and a son who is currently in the eighth grade.
“I actually heard expressed from my daughter there are often times other band members that are like ‘why do you do that gesture’?” he told FOX 8 News.
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The district, in response, posted an explanation to the community:
“This decision was not made lightly. The Board of Education, the administration, and band directors, have all been involved in this decision-making process. We are fully committed to finding a way to honor our tradition of engaging with our audience in a manner that is respectful and inclusive. We will be implementing an alternative ‘Hi!’ greeting that will preserve the spirit of our performance while addressing the concerns that have been raised for all future band shows.
“We deeply value our community, our staff, and our students, and we remain dedicated to maintaining the high standards of excellence that our district is known for. We appreciate your understanding and support as we navigate this transition.”
If Severns’ son does follow his siblings and march in the band, and there’s a change to the generations-old tradition, “the support is going to be exactly the same,” Severns said.
“And ultimately, I think any adjustment they can do that relieves any confusion but kind of honors that tradition, I think, is great.”
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