Mighty Red Devils, 3.
Opposition, 1.
By a 3-1 vote, the Nebo School District's Board of Education decided to keep Springville High School's controversial Mighty Red Devil mascot.
The Wednesday vote means the image of a horned imp will remain perched on the school's marquee and on school uniforms.
"We do not believe that the mascot issue is either a legal or religious issue but matter of preference," said LaMar Wilson, school board president.
"We are sensitive to the feelings of all our patrons and realize that there will be some that will not agree with our decision here tonight."
Nebo's board has been bedeviled by the mascot measure since some parents petitioned for a change earlier this year.
Their opposition to the mascot is rooted in religion.
Many say the Red Devil is an evil influence — and may be a contributing factor for teen drug use in the city.
To gauge sentiment in the school and on the streets, the board asked for a public vote.
Tuesday's non-binding vote supported the Red Devil.
The outcome: 76.2 percent embraced the devil, and 23.8 percent wanted to cast him aside.
The tally at the high school: 948 in support of the mascot — and 82 against it. Seventy school staffers voted to retain the devil mascot, while 10 wanted to see it go.
A total of 6,438 votes were cast — a better turnout than for most elections.
To show support, several students sported Red Devil T-shirts Thursday morning.
Senior Tyler Erickson said he thought the heated argument of the high school mascot was silly.
"I just think it is ridiculous that adults would think about something so stupid," he said.
Cheerleader Stephanie Jensen said the controversy "was blown completely out of proportion. This was mostly influenced by the parents."
Jensen said she and her friends think parents should have been worried more about such issues as school funding.
At the meeting to announce the board's decision Wednesday, high school junior Joelle Shuller and her friends painted their faces in red and blue and sported devil horns.
"We'll do what we want anyway, so they'd better keep it," Shuller said.
The board moved the meeting to Spanish Fork Junior High because of an expected large turnout. About 150 were there to cheer — or decry — the decision about the Red Devil.
Board members Bonnie Palmer, Collin Allen and Brent Gordon voted to keep the devil mascot. Kaye Westwood voted to adopt a new moniker.
Palmer, Allen and Westwood are all Springville High graduates. Westwood said the issue has raised its head many times — and is sure to be back in the public's eye again soon.
As a result of the efforts to overthrow the Red Devil — which comes from the name of the type of concrete used to make the foundation for the school — the Nebo board wants a committee to tone down the image and bring it back to the board for approval.
"We must now put this issue behind us and move on," Wilson said. "The education of our students is what is important."
E-mail: rodger@desnews.com