Proposed Name Change Stirs Up Hornettes Nest: 2012 in Review

Edina Patch covered a lot of different stories, topics and events throughout 2012. That said, there were a few that stood out as the most interesting, important, touching or possibly infamous to our readers.

And as we near the end of 2012, we're looking back at those articles. The following is one of those stories.

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For several months earlier this year, John Karlson tried 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 Edina High School'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." 

Read the remainder of the story here. And see what eventually happened here.

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