DEVILS LAKE, N.D. - Satans, the nickname for Devils Lake Central High School since the 1920s, are no more.
The 5-0 school board vote this week to change the name brought applause, hugs and a few tears of joy from an audience that was largely pro-change. The few nickname supporters in attendance walked out of the board meeting without any verbal reaction.
Tears shed included some from Kellie Karlstad, a parent of three children and the junior varsity girls basketball coach.
"It's hard to stand up and cheer for the Satans," Karlstad said. "It's not an appropriate name for children. Also, as a coach, you try to instill pride. I think it's important to be proud of your name, too. I'm happy we'll be starting a new year with a new nickname."
Karlstad is a 1985 graduate of Grand Forks Central. That School Board dropped the "Redskins" nickname a few years after she graduated.
"It bothered me at the beginning, but then I came to understand why they changed it," she said. "But `Satans' is a negative name for everybody, not just one group of people."
The negativity and division the nickname brings to the community, not its religious connotations, was given by board members as the reason for their votes.
"As far as finding one positive for keeping the nickname, I can't," board member Julie Schemionek said.
"I believe in tradition. But sometimes, traditions need to be changed."
Board member Ed Brown said, "we should move forward and get a mascot the entire community can get behind."
Pro-nickname forces asked for the issue to be decided by a vote, either by residents of the School District or by students. But board member Jeanne Corbett said, "The longer we drag this out, the longer the community will be torn apart. And if it turns one student away from our school system, it's one too many."
Anti-nickname people testified two weeks ago that some students enroll in other schools or are home-schooled because of objections to the mascot. The dynamics of losing students and the state aid they bring was showed earlier in the meeting with a report that enrollment for the upcoming school year is projected to be 100 fewer than a year ago.
When the nickname issue first came up at a board meeting July 18, board chairman Kevin Regan said he favored deciding it by a vote. A school alumni and athlete, Regan said neither he, his family members nor his friends have been bothered by the nickname.
"I always thought it was a natural fit that the mascot for Devils Lake would be Satans," he said. "But as we've gone through the process, I realized that a group are sincerely offended by the use of the name. It affects these kids, and it's more than just a couple. A significant percentage are uncomfortable with it because of their religious beliefs."
Nickname supporters urged board members to vote with the majority. But board member Curt Sinness said he has a different view of the majority.
"I logged my telephone calls, letters and personal contacts and 80-plus percent favored a change," Sinness said. "So I moved with the will of the people."
A poll on the Devils Lake Journal newspaper's Web site also favored a change.
Tom Mertens, the parent who proposed the change to the board, said the unanimous vote made it even more significant. "I was hoping for a unanimous vote so there would be no division," he said. "Ten years ago, the vote was 3-2 to keep it and that's why there's still controversy today."
Mertens shared a hug with the Rev. Bruce Dick, pastor of Bethel Evangelical Free Church of Devils Lake. The ministerial association was united in seeking a change.
"Ten years ago, there was division even in the religious community," Dick said. "This time, a lot of categories came together to offer broad support. I'm not sure why it was different this time. Maybe it was just because the time had come."
The nickname has been the object of debate for 27 years and still has its supporters. Alumni Gary Krantz, who wanted a districtwide vote, said the month-and-a-day debate "was settled too fast. If it's such a big issue, more time should be taken to decide it."
Parent Marca Foughty said the students should decide, because "the mascot represents them. School doesn't start until Aug. 26, so they haven't had a chance to get together on this."
Sophomore Talice Regan, a cousin and godchild of the board president, voiced her support for "Satans" during a break from volleyball practice.
"It's been around a long while, and it will seem weird having another name," she said.