Proposed Name Change Stirs Up Hornettes Nest

For the past few months, John Karlson has been trying to figure out how to keep the Edina Hornettes Dance Line from being "eliminated."

In February, he heard the district was considering some drastic changes to the program—including changing its name—and decided to reach out to other parents to get involved. Karlson's daughter, Kelsey, was captain of the team last year and he said the thought of the team losing its identity was simply too much to bear.

"It feels like a radical plan aimed at fixing a problem that is nonexistent," he said.

Under the new model, the Hornettes would join the pep band, competitive cheer team, mascots, the hip-hop dance team and sideline cheerleaders as part of 's Spirit Squad. All teams would be known as the Hornets, which district officials said is meant to build community, collaboration and school-wide spirit. 

So what's in a name?

For Karlson and the thousands of parents who have signed the petition to keep the Hornettes as they currently stand, an awful lot.

"It's a respected brand with 53 years of tradition," Karlson said. "We've tried to politely and professionally disagree with the change, but we feel like at every turn we've either been ignored or told that the decision was already made." 

A massive swarm of dancers, parents and former Hornettes attended the district's Board of Education meeting earlier this week, calling on the board to take action to prevent the name change from taking place.

Even former Minnesota First Lady Mary Pawlenty—once a Hornette herself at EHS—was on hand to help deliver more than 1,500 signatures to the board to stop the name change process.

"We know from history that when you take someone's name, you destroy their identity," Pawlenty said. "We ask that you not allow the Hornettes to be extinguished or diminished."

JJ Ries, who danced with the Hornettes from 1993-95, said the thought of the team no longer being called the Hornettes "is a huge deal."

"Do you think you're going to tell the Rockettes that they're no longer the Rockettes?" Ries said. "That they're now the New York City Spirit Club? They'd tell you to go pound sand."

Ries said the recent changes are part of an ongoing effort to "squeeze the Hornettes out of existence." She contends the district has had issues with the group since her days at EHS.

"They've already cut the season in half a few years ago," Ries said. "Now they are trying to take our identity. We just want the Hornettes to go back to the way things have always been and protect this tradition."

The petitioners asked the school board to form a new task force to tackle the issue, but the board maintained the decision is in the hands of school administrators.

Director of Community Education Valerie Burke said the name change was an administrative decision the district arrived at following a year-long process.

"It's been a coordinated effort to grow all of our opportunities for students to show school spirit," Burke said. "We looked at models in Eagan and the University of Minnesota and decided we really liked an inclusive model like this one."

District officials gathered at Edina High School Wednesday afternoon to discuss the situation, according to Burke. She said the next planned step is to hold a meeting between Hornette parents and the district to help them understand the reasoning behind the changes.

"It seems like a lot of people need more information," she said. "This will hopefully be a good way to make sure parents can ask any questions they might have and try to understand this a little bit better."

Karlson said he would simply like to see the administration put the brakes on the name change for next school year and thoroughly investigate the rationale behind it. By doing so, he hopes people will see there is no reason to do away with or radically change the way the program is structured. 

"Nobody has pitchforks and torches here," Karlson said. "But given the turnout at the school board meeting Monday night, there's no way they can't act. The ball is really in their court now."

Burke said it's unlikely the district will shift direction at this point, admitting she understands the aversion to change for a group as steeped in tradition as the Hornettes.

"We're moving forward, it's as simple as that," Burke said. "They will be known as the Hornets as an official club name, but that's not to say they can't call themselves the Hornettes as a nickname. That's completely up to them."

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