INDIANAPOLIS — A task force will find a new nickname for Roncalli High School after concerns from the community its current nicknamed could be misunderstood.
"One of the most visible signs of our identity in the past has been the nickname of the school, the Roncalli Rebels," Interim President Fr. Robert Robeson said in a video message posted Wednesday. "In the past, we have clearly articulated that this name is derived from the revolutionary spirit of Angelo Roncalli St. John the XXIII."
Current students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and board members, Robeson said. People will be appointed to the task force by Robeson this summer.
The confusion and negative connotations attached to the rebel nickname are concerning as the school moves forward, Terese Carson, vice president for institutional advancement, said in the video. The decision to start the task force comes after alumni and community members expressed concerns about how people could misunderstand the Rebels nickname.
The task force will consider "a nickname that better reflects the character of our namesake, a nickname that will better honor Angelo Roncalli's life and ministry by reflecting the Catholic faith," Principal Chuck Weisenbach said in the video.
