Name the New High School

[EagleDad]

This Purdue grad is just waiting for the Metalworkers of America to go after Purdue Pete as a bad stereotype. Don't laugh, it'll happen someday.

[momof3]

At the Naperville Dems meeting, M2 said that they may use the French spelling and pronunciation of Shabbona, which (phonetically) is SHAB-nee. Don't know if that makes a difference for anyone's opinion..?

[wvhsparent]

I say poll the future students and go with those results. They are the ones who have to live with it.

[momof3]

Metea front-runner for name of 3rd District 204 high school

October 31, 2006
By BRITT CARSONtaff writer
AURORA -- Like its sister schools, the third high school in Indian Prairie District 204 likely will be named after a Potawatomi chief.
The school board held a policy committee meeting Monday to discuss the three names it is considering for the high school: Inoca, Metea and Shabbona.

Board members are leaning toward Metea, a Potawatomi chief.

But even though there were many positives about Metea's life, such as his support of education for American Indians, some board members were concerned about the way he died.

Board Vice President Bruce Glawe said according to some research, Metea was celebrating after signing a treaty when he was poisoned. Metea thought he was drinking whiskey when he was actually drinking nitric acid.

"I don't have problems with the story," board President Jeannette Clark said. "I think if we looked deep enough into Neuqua and Waubonsie we might find similar things. Back then that was the culture, especially after he got through negotiating a treaty and he thought he was drinking whiskey."

Clark said Metea had the easiest pronunciation of the three names.

"We are approaching the 10-year mark and we still have to correct people on how to say and spell Neuqua," Clark said. "I can see us going down the same path with Shabbona and Chaboneh."

Kathy Birkett, assistant superintendent of secondary education, said she asked students what they thought of the suggestions. She said most students said it was important for the name to be an Indian chief like the other two District 204 high schools.

She also said students had concerns about twisting Shabbona into "Shabby High" or other names. And the initials of Inoca Valley High School would be "IV High," which has a drug connotation, board member Mark Metzger said.

However, Birkett said Inoca might be a worthy name for the yearbook or school newspaper at the third high school.

The board will make a decision on the name of the school during its meeting at 7:30 p.m. next Monday at the District Education Center, 780 Shoreline Drive, Aurora.

The board also held a facilities committee meeting Monday to update progress on the third high school. The district wants to build the school on 80 acres along 75th Street and Commons Drive in Aurora. The district already owns 25 acres and has filed a condemnation lawsuit for the adjacent 55 acres.

The school is slated to open in 2009 with freshmen and sophomores.

[wvhsparent]

Indian Prairie dissects three name finalists
By Sara Hooker
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Indian Prairie’s board members say Metea Valley High School presents the fewest challenges as the name for its third high school.

Unit District 204 board members considered three finalists: Inoca or Inoka, Metea, and various spellings of the original suggestion, Chaboneh, at a committee of the whole meeting Monday evening to discuss the $124.7 million, 3,000-student facility expected to open in fall 2009 off Route 59 near 75th Street and Commons Drive.

Members did not eliminate any of the choices in the hope for more public feedback before next week’s board meeting.

“People felt the first priority was finding a name that’s pleasing to the eye and the ear, and, secondary, it was what’s behind the name,” member Curt Bradshaw said of his discussions with two parent groups. “Metea, that’s what most people felt was most pleasing to the eyes and ears.”

Beyond that, Metea, whose name means “kiss me,” was a Potawatomi chief — a status students find important for the school’s name, said Kathy Birkett, assistant superintendent for secondary education.

Board members want to follow the district’s tradition established with the Potawatomi Tribe in naming Waubonsie Valley in Aurora and Neuqua Valley in Naperville. Neuqua was the son of Potawatomi Chief Waubonsie. Both were important members of the peaceful tribe that settled in the Fox Valley in the early 18th century, according to the schools’ Web sites.

Chaboneh, which means “built like a bear,” was also a Potawatomi chief, but board members expressed concern at the difficulty of its spelling and pronunciation in the variations such as Shaubnae, Shaubnee and Shaubnie.

“We’re almost to the 10-year mark and we’re still correcting people on the spelling and pronunciation with Neuqua,” board President Jeannette Clark said. “I see us going down the same path with Chaboneh.”

Inoca or Inoka, a word American Indians used to call themselves before the French called the state Illinois, wasn’t a chief. Additionally, members said it could create a drug connotation should people call it I.V. High.

Members felt a drawback to Metea is one version of his mysterious death that says he accidentally died from drinking nitric acid, which he thought was alcohol.

“The getting drunk and accidentally being killed — that’s the only thing,” member John Stephens said. “His history up to there is very, very good.”

The board meets again at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the District Education Center, 780 Shoreline Drive, Aurora.

“If you’re looking for a perfect person, it isn’t going to happen,” Superintendent Howard Crouse said.

Board members also heard from the school’s architects regarding ways to reduce the high school’s cost, which was $5.1 million over its preliminary budget.

After reductions, which include altering building materials and minor design changes that won’t heavily impact the aesthetics of the facility or programs, the school’s cost stands at $126.5 million. Board members will meet with architects again to further whittle.

“We are building to a budget. That’s the bottom line,” Crouse said.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

dailyherald.com

[wvhsparent]

“If you’re looking for a perfect person, it isn’t going to happen,” Superintendent Howard Crouse said.

Finally something out of his mouth that actually made sense

[gatordog]

wvhsparent said:

I say poll the future students and go with those results. They are the ones who have to live with it.

I agree. I think this is the top high priority. From Kathy Birkett's input, it seems like the students want a Potawatomie Chief, and they want one who is reasonably easy to pronounce, and a name that cannot easily be twisted. I am happy to say we have two worthy Chiefs for them to consider. And if students lean toward the name Matea because the name itself is most straightforward, that is a fine choice on their part.

It is interesting to me that the board's main hang-up with Matea was the nature of his death. I personally see this as a tragic accident and do not read any more into the incident. I wonder what students think? I wonder what others think?

The board is OK with the fact that Metea helped inflict a military defeat on the US Army at Fort Dearborn. In fact John Stephens said. “His history up to there is very, very good.” I would have to disagree with that: I think Metea's presence at one of the most notorious events in this region's history should be taken as a negative. I know it disturbs me. But in the final assessment I am ok with it. I believe Metea felt he was acting as best he could in his people's interest. If it makes a difference, I think Metea was more of a secondary leader there, I understand Chief Blackbird was the principle Potawatomie leader at this battle. And yes, Chief Chebeney/Shabonna also fought against the US, its just that he had no involvement in this one specific, notorious battle.

To me, putting the stories of Matea and Cheboneh side-by-side, Matea is more of the warrior, while Cheboneh was more of the peacemaker. They both were doing the best they could in response to the most trying times in the history of their people. I have a feeling that Matea may have had a greater standing and level of respect from his own people during his lifetime. While Chebeneh justifiably earned himself the name "friend of the white man", its fair to say he was regard by many of his own kind as a traitor. I read that he survived an assassination attempt after his tribe had been forced to Kansas. That is why he moved back to Morris IL, where he died at an old age and was buried. Also, his son was assassinated by those who never forgave Cheboneh for failing to support the Indians in the 1832 Blackhawk war. History is a difficult thing: one person's peacemaker is another person's traitor.

We have a history of honoring "worthy" military opponents. I previously made a comparison to Robert E. Lee. Maybe a better comparison is the Shawnee chief Tecumseh. He was THE principle Indian military leader against the US in the War of 1812. And that war was a very hard fight for the U.S. The British and their Indian allies inflicted many defeats on our country, although we eventually earned a marginal victory. Even though he was an enemy, Tecumseh has been honored with towns in a half dozen states, many school names, and even a Navy ballistic missile submarine. And this was an Indian who died on the battlefield fighting against Americans. Tecumseh never had a chance to show what kind of leader he was in defeat. Matea did have this opportunity. And from what I have learned, he proved to be a noble, effective, and wise leader of his people after the conclusion of a terrible war for his tribe.

I think the students (and community as a whole) have the names of two worthy chiefs before them. I think either would very much honor the Potawatomie history of this region and carry on a fine tradition with our high schools.

[Avenging Eagle]

metzger said:

And the initials of Inoca Valley High School would be "IV High," which has a drug connotation, board member Mark Metzger said.

avengingeagle said:

School Name: IV High
School Mascot: The Drips
School slogan: (No drug problem here)

Well we know that MM is still reading the boards....we better come up with something useful for him to use......

[gatordog]

momof3 said:

"I don't have problems with the story," board President Jeannette Clark said. "I think if we looked deep enough into Neuqua and Waubonsie we might find similar things..

Seems like our old friend Chief Waubonsie also nearly met his untimely end from alcoholic debauchery.

"In 1826, he (Waubonsee) signed the treaty of the Wabash in Indiana, in which he sold the Potawatomi lands to the United States. It was almost a fatal day for Wabaunsee. Whiskey had obviously helped the Indian commissioners persuade the chiefs to sign with the usual disastrous results; Indian turned on Indian and the chief was stabbed. Agent Thomas Tipton, who told (Col.) McKenney the story, cared for Wabaunsee and he survived.

Ironically, the agent now had a serious problem; the warrior who had stabbed the chief was in hiding, but it was expected that Wabaunsee would seek him out and kill him. Interpreters had warned Tipton that the warrior was popular and his death could bring on a tribal feud.

In the spring when the chief came to the trading post to thank Tipton, the agent begged him to forgive and forget. Wabaunsee grasped Tipton's hand and told him that because he owed him his life, he could "send him [the warrior] and tell him to come back. A man that will run off like a dog with his tail down for fear of death, is not worth killing. I will not hurt him." "

What is it with the treaty-signing parties? They would have been a lot better off if they passed on the firewater and just stuck with the peace pipe!

[proschool]

I read the accounts of Wabonsee signing the treaties because he was drunk at the time but they never made any sense to me.

Afterall he had to go through get trouble to get to Washington DC or Chicago or wherever the treaties were being signed. He must have known where he was going and why he was travelling.

I think that the stories were made up after the fact by people who did not suport the treaties. I would never name my kid Metea.Why name the school Metea? Even if Wabonsee was a perpetual drunk it would not justify naming another school after someone else with the same flaws.






I am disappointed by the whole process of naming the school. I would never

[title1parent]

I think that the stories were made up after the fact by people who did not suport the treaties. I would never name my kid Metea.Why name the school Metea? Even if Wabonsee was a perpetual drunk it would not justify naming another school after someone else with the same flaws.

Pro, I think you have to look at the bigger picture than single isolated incidences. And understand that these people, for the most part, were peaceful people unless provoked.
If we were to dig deep enough into our own history, would we have put Grant on a $50 bill based on the criteria of "drinking?"

[gatordog]

proschool said:

I read the accounts of Wabonsee signing the treaties because he was drunk at the time but they never made any sense to me.

Afterall he had to go through get trouble to get to Washington DC or Chicago or wherever the treaties were being signed. He must have known where he was going and why he was travelling.

These chiefs came to these months long affairs not knowing for sure what they were getting into. They were so-called negotiations. "My tribe will cede this land, not that land, for this price, etc." But we all know the Indians were "negoatiating "from a very weak hand. Its not alcohol that ultimately "forced" any chief to sign. It was the overwhelming influx of whites, the overpowering US army, the shrinking Indian population from disease, etc. But did the US Indian Agents find whiskey as a way to ease negotiations? Yes they did. These treaty negotiatiions must have been terrible experiences for the chiefs. They continued to see their land, traditions rapidly being taken from them with no other choice. Only for the whites to come back literally every couple of years and continue to ask for more, and more and more. Many of us in the same position, I wager, would be "driven to drink" in similar circumstances, in futile attempts to numb the pain.

proschool said:

I would never name my kid Metea.Why name the school Metea? Even if Wabonsee was a perpetual drunk it would not justify naming another school after someone else with the same flaws.

I thought the Waubonsie story was a very relavent point that, yes, others have flaws too (of course they do, they are human.) For both Waubonsie and Metea, consider their respected standing within their tribe. Consider eyewhites accounts of their dignified behavior during encounters with whites, such as at the business portions of the treaty negotiations. In no way can these men be considered "drunks".

The presence of the whiskey bottle was everywhere during this time period. Congressmen debated in the Capitol while drinking whiskey. Across the county, courts met with judges, attorneys, and juries all taking swigs of liquor. This was deemed to be socially acceptable. We of course disagree, and rightly so, with MANY things they found "socially acceptable" (slavery for starters).

I do agree, proschool, neither you or I will name our kids Metea! Of course that isnt a good reason to throw it out for school naming purpose.

But seriously, we as a community should ask, should the embarrassing end of Metea's life disqualify his name? My own answer is 'no". I can say, however, that within my own house at this point, there are other opinions contrary to my own.

[gatordog]

wvhsparent said:

Chaboneh, which means “built like a bear,” was also a Potawatomi chief, but board members expressed concern at the difficulty of its spelling and pronunciation in the variations such as Shaubnae, Shaubnee and Shaubnie.

For the democratic process to work best, I think there should be a staight-up vote between the two chiefs. But what is the BEST spelling for Shabonna/Chaboneh...? I think these two sylable names are on the right track.

Criteria: Prevent confusion with town of Shabonna, remove BONE so no word foolishness, no linkage to "Shabby High", avoid multiple pronouciation possibilities such as "ch" or "ie".

How about?:
Shaubneh Valley High School [/b]
pronounced shawb-nay

This is very close to the multiple phonetic spellings given for Chief Shabonna in the various treaties he signed, or rather "marked".

[yeti]

I must agree with Howie. You are not going to find the perfect person. If you dig deep enough into any historical figure, you are going to find skeletons. I can only think of ONE historical figure who is pretty close to perfect. However, Jesus Christ High School probably will not fly.

[wvhsparent]

yeti said:

I must agree with Howie. You are not going to find the perfect person. If you dig deep enough into any historical figure, you are going to find skeletons. I can only think of ONE historical figure who is pretty close to perfect. However, Jesus Christ High School probably will not fly.

FWIW there was a Discovery Channel program or History Channel which painted even J.C. in not the best light.