Flo tida magic is a popular form of entertainment that combines magic tricks with storytelling and comedy. It is often performed on stage or in front of a live audience. The term "flo tida" comes from the French word "flotter," which means to float. In flo tida magic, the magician often performs tricks that involve objects appearing to float in mid-air or levitate. This creates a sense of wonder and amazement for the audience. One of the key elements of flo tida magic is the storytelling aspect.

Many Catholic schools quit 'painful tradition' of Native mascots, but holdouts remain

Walsh Jesuit High school in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, remains the "Warriors" but has severed its mascot's association with Native Americans. With the backing of the original artist, murals on campus were painted over in 2021. (Photos courtesy of Walsh Jesuit High School)

by Katie Collins Scott

Join the Conversation

Send your thoughts to Letters to the Editor. Learn more

"Home of the Indians" is spelled out in large light blue letters across the gym wall at St. Joseph High School in South Bend, Indiana. This past February, Miriam Rios, a citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, stood beneath the words to share what had long been on her heart: The school's nickname was hurtful.

"I am not a mascot or a stereotype, I am a person," the high school senior told NCR, recalling her testimony. "People have said, 'This is our tradition,' but it is a painful tradition for an Indigenous person."

St. Joseph recently conducted a monthslong process to consider a nickname change, and Rios had articulated her feelings during one of several town-hall-style meetings organized by the school. On May 2, the 70-year-old Catholic institution announced its decision. It will retire "Indians" as a mascot at the end of the current academic year.

Miriam Rios (Courtesy of Miriam Rios)

"I was extraordinarily happy about the choice; I just wish I'd been younger so I could be at the school without the mascot," said Rios, who will attend Michigan State University in the fall.

Located a mile from the University of Notre Dame, St. Joseph is the latest non-Native Catholic high school in the United States to relinquish an Indigenous-themed nickname — part of a larger trend that's gained momentum over the past several years.

Native American Catholics, tribal leaders and educators praised the recent changes, though some noted they come decades after Native groups first brought attention to the issue. Since 1969, the National Congress of American Indians has worked for the eradication of such mascots at non-Native institutions, calling the images derogatory and harmful.

Meanwhile, at least eight Catholic secondary schools in the country continue to use Indigenous nicknames or mascots, including Antonian College Preparatory in San Antonio, known as the "Apache," and Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with the moniker the "Chiefs."

Percentage-wise, Catholic high schools have fewer schools with Native nicknames than their public counterparts. "But if human beings are asking us to stop doing this and saying it hurts them, and the church wants to uphold the basic dignity of all people, then change is an easy decision," said Brian Collier, a professor at Notre Dame and former senior adviser to the American Indian Catholic Schools Network.*

"It seems this should have happened a long time ago, but I'm grateful that in my own community the school has had such a good process," Collier said. "It's never too late to change."

Maka Black Elk is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation and executive director for truth and healing at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota**, a former boarding school. As the Catholic Church confronts new details about its role in the Native American boarding school system, said Black Elk, changing mascots also is "the bare minimum" needed to begin conversations around healing tied to such history.

Maka Black Elk (CNS/Courtesy of Red Cloud Indian School)

'Really mixed feelings'

Fifty years ago, Native-themed mascots and logos "were ubiquitous" in U.S. schools, including Catholic ones, said Collier, whose academic work focuses on Native education. The numbers have been dropping, but according to the National Congress of American Indians, which advocates for Indigenous rights, more than 1,900 U.S. public schools still have Native-themed mascots.

Recent discussions about racism and professional sports teams' name changes likely have pushed private and public schools alike to more readily reconsider their nicknames.

In 2020, after years of advocacy and litigation from Native American groups, as well as pressure from the team's corporate sponsors, the Washington, D.C., professional football franchise announced it would drop the "Redskins" name and logo.

The pronouncement came amid protests over the killing of George Floyd and nationwide soul-searching around anti-Black racism and other forms of racial injustice. Later that same year, the Cleveland Indians baseball franchise decided to change its name.

At least 21 states have taken or are considering action to address Native-themed mascots used in K-12 public schools.

Josh Dolnia pitches during a game this season, the last St. Joseph High School in South Bend, Indiana, will be known as the "Indians." (Courtesy of St. Joseph High School/Bryant Barca)

In April, New York state education officials voted to prohibit public schools from using or displaying Indigenous team names or mascots; they included an exception for districts that obtain permission from a federally recognized tribal nation in the state.

Laws in Washington, Oregon and Connecticut have similar provisions.

State mascot bans "so far don't impact Catholic schools, but they may provide the cover for Catholic schools to make a change," said Tim Uhl, a Catholic superintendent in New York who has written about Native mascots. There have been contentious debates about nickname and logo changes, and administrators feel pressure from some alumni and others in their school communities to preserve longtime monikers.

Brian Collier of the University of Notre Dame (Courtesy of Brian Collier)

A number of years ago, St. Joseph removed Native American images and symbols from use at the school. "There were really mixed feelings" about getting rid of the nickname entirely, John Kennedy, the school's principal, told NCR. "Many were ready for change but others found it very difficult."

Holy Cross Fr. Geoffrey Mooney is chaplain at St. Joseph and was a member of a committee charged with considering the mascot's future. "I was grateful there was not much nastiness in our process, though there were sternly worded emails here and there," said the priest.

It's not inexpensive to change out images on gym floors, locker room walls, and on uniforms and playing fields, said Collier, and some schools may resist change for that reason. St. Joseph staff will look into grants and possibly donations from the broader community to cover expenses.

In 2015, at least 15 U.S. Catholic high schools had Native-themed mascots; today there are about half that. These figures are based on a list first compiled by Notre Dame students and updated at different times by Uhl and the American Indian Catholic Schools Network, an organization housed at Notre Dame that supports Catholic schools on reservations.

Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford, Connecticut, ended its 50-year association with the name "Indians" in 2015.

Last year, after Washington state banned the use of Native American names, symbols and images in most public schools, the former Braves of Blanchet High School in Seattle became the "Bears."

The athletics page of Brother Rice High School in Township, Michigan, includes an image of its orange-colored "Warriors" mascot. (NCR screenshot)

Yet Catholic school "Warriors," "Braves" and "Indians" persist. Brother Rice High School in Township, Michigan, has a mascot depicting an orange-skinned Indian wearing a headdress, while the athletics page of Holy Cross District High School in Covington, Kentucky, says, "Welcome to the TRIBE, the home of the Holy Cross Indians." Holy Cross school spirit gear is sold at "the Indian Hut."

Administrators at those two high schools did not respond to NCR requests for comment.

A decade ago, Brother Rice school publicly reaffirmed its use of the Warriors name and logo after the Michigan Department of Civil Rights urged a ban on Native American names and imagery in high schools.

School leaders said at the time that the Brother Rice community associated the Warrior mascot with images of strength, character and honor and did not find it racist, reported the Patch news website.

Rebecca Richards, tribal chairwoman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians (Courtesy of Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians)

Native American groups, however, have for years contested the notion that Indigenous mascots are ultimately positive.

"Although some view Native American-themed mascots and nicknames with reverence, Native-American-themed imagery and references perpetuate harmful stereotypes," reads a statement from the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi tribal council in response to St. Joseph's decision this month. "Generations of Indigenous people have faced oppression, genocide and erasure for hundreds of years and the impacts of which can still be felt throughout our communities to this day."

Mascots with Indigenous themes, it reads, "make it hard to build meaningful and accurate relationships within the communities in which we reside."

In 2005, the American Psychological Association recommended the "immediate retirement" of such mascots based on studies that found the symbols harm Native students by negatively influencing their social identity and self-esteem.

"To have a mascot or someone dressed up in a headdress who's not Native American — they are wearing them as a costume, and they are not a costume, they are sacred regalia used in traditional dancing," Rebecca Richards, tribal chairwoman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, said in a recent interview with NCR.

Rios, the senior at St. Joseph, said mascots are often animals, and "it's belittling to be put in the same category as animals."

The mascot at Mahpíya Lúta-Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota**, features Lakota Sioux chief Mahpíya Lúta, who led several victories against the U.S. military. (Courtesy of Mahpíya Lúta-Red Cloud Indian School)

Mascots at non-Native Catholic schools "implicitly tell non-Indigenous kids that these communities are not real, they are disposable, cartoonish," said Black Elk, of Red Cloud Indian School (more recently called by the Lakota term for Red Cloud, "Mahpíya Lúta"). "They hurt their ability to have relationships that are healthy and meaningful with Indigenous people."

Richards added that Native American boarding schools in the United States — more than 20% of them run by Catholic institutions — "caused historic trauma" that many Indigenous people still grapple with.

"Moving away from mascots can be a step in a healing process," she said.

A question of Catholic identity

Several Catholic high schools that have had Native-themed mascots told NCR they opted to keep their nickname but reduced or cut its association with Native Americans. In Hammond, Indiana, for example, Bishop Noll High School abandoned its headdress logo but remains the "Warriors" in a general sense of the term.

"Being called the Warriors doesn't necessarily mean an entity is Native-themed," said Paul Mullaney, Bishop Noll president. He said the school hopes graduates are "warriors for peace, warriors for social justice, warriors for the sanctity of life."

In 2011, Justin-Siena High School in Napa, California, longtime home of the "Braves," received support from the Mishewal-Wappo Tribe to create a new mascot and logo depicting a Native person in a headdress. The school has since stopped using the image and now only utilizes the school seal and shield for branding, though it's kept the Braves nickname.

Calvin Hedrick, a community organizer and member of the Mountain Maidu in California's Sierra Nevadas, said many tribal people were "very, very upset" when Justin-Siena adopted the now-abandoned mascot image. He said he's observed other instances when non-tribal communities hope for approval from a tribe about a specific matter and "will keep asking until they find someone who signs off."

The new mascot for Walsh Jesuit features a superhero-style warrior rather than a rendering of a Native American warrior. (Courtesy of Walsh Jesuit High School)

Walsh Jesuit High school in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, recently changed its mascot from a Native American warrior to a superhero-type image that looks akin to a medieval soldier. The artist who originally painted images of Native Americans around the campus supported the change, and the school held a ceremony to paint over the former images at her request.

The changes "were not political correctness but Jesuit justice," said Karl Ertle, president of the Midwest school.

At St. Joseph, a nickname evaluation committee read studies, held town-hall-model gatherings, conducted a survey and consulted with the local Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. Speaking with members of the band, they learned it had issued a resolution in 2021 condemning the use of Native themed imagery, symbolism and nicknames by non-Native institutions, stating they have "a detrimental effect on Native Americans."

"The testimony and opinion of the tribe — that was key to the whole process," said Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana. Rhoades said he felt the school's approach was commendable and he was "very happy with the outcome."

"It was what I'd hoped for," he said.

"At the end of the day, the most important thing was alignment with the mission and core values and our Catholic identity," said Kennedy, the principal. "If this was harmful to one human being then it does not align with that identity."

Many Native Americans say Native-themed mascots at schools serving predominantly Indigenous children are not typically problematic.

Curtis Yarlott, executive director of St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana (Courtesy of Curtis Yarlott)

The three Native Catholic high schools in the United States, all located on reservations, are St. Michael Indian School in St. Michaels, Arizona; Red Cloud-Mahpíya Lúta; and St. Labre High School in Ashland, Montana.

Mascots at non-Native schools are one dimensional, said Curtis Yarlott, executive director of the St. Labre Indian School. "Here at St. Labre, where more than 90% of students are Indigenous, saying, 'We are the Braves' actually represents our student body." And the concept of what a brave is has depth.

"A brave is someone who is a protector and defender of people, who puts the community before himself and has a particular creed of honesty and integrity," Yarlott said.

While most advocacy groups and many Native people oppose mascots at non-Native schools, Yarlott said he does not feel they are wrong in every instance.

He believes it's important for a non-Indigenous school to help students, staff and the broader community "understand the qualities embodied by the mascot." He said it's also critical to listen to local Native voices and take concerns they have to heart.

After listening to personal accounts of Native people, Mooney, the chaplain at St. Joseph, said he feels "a sense of conversion in my own heart that this is the direction we need to go in Catholic schools."

He said he "shudders in regret and horror" as he recalls being at other schools with Indian-themed days or playing teams with Native mascots who said or did inappropriate things.

"During this process we've heard, 'My people are not logos, we are individuals, we are human beings,' " said Mooney. "At a Catholic school, we must be sure we are recognizing that every person is created in the image and likeness of God and we must be sure every person is treated with dignity."

*This article has been edited to correct Collier's current status with the network.

**The article and caption have been edited to correct the state where Pine Ridge is located.

A version of this story appeared in the June 9-22, 2023 print issue under the headline: Catholic schools grapple with 'painful tradition' of Native mascots.

A Scientific Ranking of the 27 Jesuit College and University Mascots

May 6, 2020 — In honor of this college graduation season that is weird, more bitter than sweet and just a huge bummer overall, here is a toast to this year’s graduates of the 27 Jesuit colleges and universities of the United States in the form of a list ranking all the institutions’ mascots. It’s the very least I can offer you.

These scientific rankings were compiled by evaluating each mascot (plus mascot-related logo) on a zero-to-10 scale in four different categories:

Originality: Is the mascot unique or dime-a-dozen?

Fear: Mascots are meant to intimidate the opponent. Am I afraid of it?

Whimsy: Mascots are also meant to be whimsical. It’s a tough balance, fear and whimsy.

Logo design: How fresh is the visual presentation of the mascot?

One note: Some schools’ mascots are different from their official nicknames. I’ll consider it all.

Another note: In the spirit of this contest, I will decide how to break ties arbitrarily and capriciously.

THE RANKINGS:

27. Seattle University Redhawks (9 points)

26. Boston College Eagles (10)

25. Marquette Golden Eagles (10)

Here’s the generic sports team birds section. Marquette and Seattle are to be commended for team nickname changes that the Washington, D.C. pro football team should take as instructive. But they could’ve picked something more interesting.

To soften the blow for these three schools, here are fun facts about them that are more important than mascots, anyway: Seattle University’s Chapel of St. Ignatius might be the most beautiful college chapel in the world; actress and comedian Amy Poehler went to Boston College; Marquette was the first Catholic university in the world to admit both women and men.

24. Scranton Royals (11)

23. John Carroll Blue Streaks (12)

22. Santa Clara Broncos (13)

21. Rockhurst Hawks (14)

20. Saint Joseph’s Hawks (14)

Why do two generic hawks round out the next tier? Rockhurst’s logo is weirder than you’d expect for a hawk and it’s working for me. The hawk mascot at Saint Joe’s flaps its wings the entire dang game, which is cute and earned it a lot of whimsy points.

19. Gonzaga Bulldogs (15)

18. Creighton Blue Jays (15)

17. Regis Rangers (15)

Regis gets an extra point for an adorable new fox mascot named Regi. But that logo is going to haunt my nightmares.

16. Loyola Marymount Lions (16)

15. Holy Cross Crusaders (17)

14. Loyola New Orleans Wolf Pack (17)

13. Fordham Rams (18)

12. Fairfield Stags (19)

11. Detroit Mercy Titans (19)

Detroit Mercy is here on the strength of their logo, which neatly fits the D and M together in a font that nods to the Detroit Tigers’ classic look.

10. Georgetown Hoyas (21)

9. Loyola Chicago Ramblers (21)

8. University of San Francisco Dons (22)

I’m glad Captain Hook from the animated “Peter Pan” watched Zorro and thought to himself, I could have a less terrorizing second career!

7. Spring Hill Badgers (25)

6. Xavier Musketeers (25)

Xavier is not in the top 6 because of the Musketeers, which is a fine but unspectacular nickname. They’re here for the Blue Blob, which was pioneered in the 1980s as a kid-friendly mascot, less scary than the musketeer. I really wish I could’ve sat in on the marketing meeting that led to the Blue Blob. Imagine being the person brave enough to pitch that. Anyway, I find the Blue Blob WAY scarier (and more whimsical) than the musketeer.

The Top 5

5. Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (26)

Greyhounds are awesome, athletic, underappreciated dogs. Slight demerit for removing the greyhound from their official logo a decade ago.

4. Canisius Golden Griffins (26)

Just look at this thing:

The lion and the eagle are boring mascots. But combine the two into a mythical griffin and OH MY GOODNESS I’m frightened AND delighted. My first instinct was that the griffin felt like a newer replacement mascot from the ‘90s. Nope — it goes back to 1932 and was an homage to the Le Griffon, the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes in 1679.

3. Le Moyne Dolphins (29)

Are there dolphins in Upstate New York? Does anyone care? Dolphins rule. (The association goes back to Siracusa, Sicily — a much more aquatic spot and where Le Moyne’s home city gets its name.) The dolphin is also an ancient Christian symbol for fascinating reasons.

2. Saint Louis University Billikens (30)

I know what you’re asking, so let’s just go to the SLU website and ask them what in heaven’s name a Billiken is:

“The Billiken is a mythical good-­luck figure who represents ‘things as they ought to be.’

Before he was Saint Louis University’s mascot, he was a national sensation, a figure who was reproduced as dolls, marshmallow candies, metal banks, hatpins, pickle forks, belt buckles, auto-hood ornaments, salt and pepper shakers, bottles and more.

To buy a Billiken gives the purchaser luck, but to have one given to you is better luck.”

I find that it’s most helpful to not try to think about it too much. Just embrace the mystery.

1. Saint Peter’s University Peacocks (37)

Imagine you’re a small snake, enjoying life slithering around in some tall grasses. Suddenly, a peacock swoops down and you’re brunch. That’s right: Peacocks, birds so beautiful they could get by on looks alone, are also vicious hunters. But they’re not picky. Peacocks are omnivores — versatile, hardy, polite dinner guests. You’d be happy to have one over.

Until it screeches. Have you heard peacocks screech? Have you ever seen something so beautiful sound so scary? I took my little kids to a zoo once and a peacock was just walking around the human walkways and it looked so nice so we got up close. Then it opened its beak and I pushed the stroller as fast as I could in the opposite direction. What I’m saying is peacocks have it all. Plus, they never show up as mascots in major sports. It’s a sin, but Saint Peter’s benefits from this oversight.

The university’s logo, mascot and color scheme are so well done, perfect tributes to a perfect animal. Also, I’m imagining a peacock just strutting around the streets of Jersey City, where Saint Peter’s is located, and that’s the coolest image.

There you go, in a blowout: The Saint Peter’s University Peacock is the best Jesuit mascot.

Mike Jordan Laskey is senior communications manager for the Jesuit Conference in Washington, D.C. He is the author of “The Ministry of Peace and Justice” (Liturgical Press) and lives with his family in Maryland. Follow him on Twitter at @mikelaskey.

Sacred Heart: New mascot better reflects Catholic values

One of the key elements of flo tida magic is the storytelling aspect. The magician will often incorporate a narrative into their performance, using props and illusions to bring the story to life. This adds another layer of engagement for the audience, as they become engrossed in the tale unfolding before them.

Morrilton school picks new Knights mascot after dropping confederate imagery in 2005

By Aprille Hanson Spivey
Associate Editor

Dean McKendree, dean of students and high school science instructor, hangs a sign outside the gym made and donated by an alumna that displays the new Sacred Heart School mascot Oct. 28. McKendree designed the new logo for the Morrilton school.

Dean McKendree, dean of students and high school science instructor, hangs a sign outside the gym made and donated by an alumna that displays the new Sacred Heart School mascot Oct. 28. McKendree designed the new logo for the Morrilton school.

For the fourth time in the school’s history, Sacred Heart School in Morrilton unveiled its newest mascot.

The Knights better reflect Catholic values, the school stated.

The official announcement came in February, but the idea to change the team name from the Rebels has been discussed for the past 16 years.

“It’s a positive step forward for the school and the way it’s seen in the community,” said Sacred Heart Church pastor Msgr. Jack Harris.

“The decision to select a new school mascot enables our school to more fully celebrate our school spirit. Ultimately, we believe that Knights embodies characteristics that we want to build in our students as they go out into the world, protected and fortified by the armor of God.”

This fall, students began sporting Knights on athletic gear, and signage is continuing to be installed in the school and gym.

“At Sacred Heart, we want all to feel welcome in our school, as we do in our Catholic Church. In all honesty, we have not had a true mascot in many years,” said Alisha Koonce, director of development for Sacred Heart School. “The decision to select a new school mascot enables our school to more fully celebrate our school spirit. Ultimately, we believe that Knights embodies characteristics that we want to build in our students as they go out into the world, protected and fortified by the armor of God.”

In early 2021, a handful of students, parents, alumni and parishioners were chosen as part of a task force to deliberate on new mascot options, guided by marketing agency Nicholson Group in Russellville. Noah Koch, 18, who graduated from Sacred Heart School in May, was the student representative on the committee. They began with about 23 mascot options and whittled them down to a top three: Knights, Cardinals and The Express, an ode to the city’s railroad.

A survey was sent out to students, alumni and parents who overwhelmingly picked the Knights. Dean McKendree, in his first year as dean of students and high school science instructor, designed the logo for free. The 30-year military veteran said he and his wife, Casey McKendree, Sacred Heart kindergarten teacher, own a T-shirt business. He offered 16 drawings of a knight, and the one chosen was customized by the Nicholson Group for certain sports and activities. The feathering on the helmet is unique to each grade -- with one feather for elementary students, another for junior high and a third added for high schoolers.

“I want to be a part of anything that glorifies my Savior Christ,” McKendree said. “I just love it here.”

Past mascots for the school, established in the 1800s, include the Gridders and Panthers. In 1962, the school chose the Rebels mascot, with images of Johnny Rebel, a confederate soldier, and a confederate flag. The confederate flag and Johnny Rebel logo were removed in the 2005-2006 school year. Since 2018, the school has only used the school crest and the name Rebels, a school news release stated.

“I think it’s been mixed,” Koonce said to the reaction from parents and students. “There are many families who have a connection to Rebels in only positive ways, and they don’t embrace any negative connotations with it; it’s just part of their heritage at Sacred Heart. But collectively, we had to look at what was best for Sacred Heart School,” Koonce said, adding the overall reaction has been supportive. “There were definitely some that just felt like it was time . We want to be known for being very open to people from all different backgrounds and for that not to be a reason someone would not consider Sacred Heart.”

Every student and faculty member received a complimentary Knights T-shirt. Students are not allowed to wear any Rebel gear to class or games, as stated in the school handbook.

Koch, now a freshman at the University of Arkansas, attended Sacred Heart from sixth grade until his graduation. He said the change needed to happen, as people in his generation have been made more aware of the sins of the past and how they are portrayed today.

“The Knights mascot brings more unity and more inclusion to certain people,” Koch said. “Whenever people hear Rebels, and it’s associated with the South, they think, ‘Oh, Civil War.’ We didn’t want that sticking around.”

Msgr. Harris said the timing of the change was appropriate, given the official launch of Pope Francis’ “Synod on Synodality,” which will be a two-year process of the Church, from dioceses to the faith on a global scale, to hold listening sessions with people who are marginalized in the Church.

“I don’t know where that’s going to go, but I like the idea that we’re attempting to hear from people that we haven’t heard from in the past. Those that are excluded,” he said, which can include people of various races, those in the LGBTQ community, the divorced and remarried and the youth. “All of those little components that make up a parish. They’re all there, at least most of them are, some of them silently there. They’re anonymous. This is an opportunity to at least go define them, then see if we can bring them in. I hope this (the new mascot) might assist with that a little bit.”

Please read our Comments Policy before posting.

Comedy is also a key component of flo tida magic. Magicians who perform in this style often use humor and wit to engage with the audience and create a sense of enjoyment. This can involve funny one-liners, slapstick comedy, or interactive moments with audience members. Flo tida magic is often a visually stunning experience. Magicians will use elaborate props, costumes, and sets to create a visually appealing performance. This can include colorful backdrops, intricate illusions, or skillful sleight of hand tricks. Overall, flo tida magic is a captivating and entertaining form of magic that combines elements of storytelling, comedy, and visual spectacle. Whether performed on stage or in an intimate setting, flo tida magic is sure to leave audiences spellbound..

Reviews for "tge experience"

tge experience