FREEBURG, Mo — Cheers filled the air in the cafeteria when the school district announced they would keep the Mighty Midgets nickname despite some complaints.
"It's tradition," supporter Mary McGraw told the Belleview News-Democrat. "Don't Mess with the Midget."
Others weren’t pleased.
"Your word hurts my child," said Johnnie Jennings. Johnnie and her husband Rodger are the parents of a child with dwarfism.
“I hear a lot of people talk about (the cost of changing the mascot), Rodger began. “How much is a life worth versus changing a mascot?” Some in the crowd believe the word is derogatory.
“We’re not here to make fun of small people,” McGraw disagreed. “When someone messes with something like tradition, you decide something’s worth fighting for instead of letting it go.”
An unnamed supporter told the crowd it didn’t matter what the school decided. “Once a Midget, always a Midget,” he proclaimed.
New student Elle Berger told the paper, she thought the fight was "kind of dumb." Even so, she quickly admitted, "I also see how little people feel sad, how this is really hard for them."
WJAX
