Tim Grace grew up playing ice hockey for Barnstable High School. He took pride in every aspect of the program, from the players to the coaches to the games. Hes tried to instill that same passion in his players since he became the head coach in 2015, right down to the Red Raider nickname.

Red Raiders means a lot to me, Grace said. I played my high school career as a Red Raider and graduated a Red Raider.

Grace, his players and the rest of the Barnstable athletic community could find themselves playing under a new nickname when the 2020-21 school year gets underway. A petition spearheaded by current and former BHS students in late June requested a change to the nickname, which some consider offensive to Native Americans.

The Barnstable School Committee on Wednesday will discuss potentially dropping it.

There are some people that obviously are very nostalgic about the pride and years of competing under a certain mascot, Barnstable athletic director Scott Thomas said. But then, were also being sensitive to issues that are prevalent in our society today.

Should the committee vote for a change, it will find general, but not universal, support among the coaching staff. Every head coach from Barnstables last three competitive seasons (spring and fall 2019, winter 2019-20) was contacted, and the majority of respondents said it was time for a change.

I think these are concerns, not complaints, and are absolutely valid, said Tom Turco, Barnstables girls volleyball coach and the schools longest-tenured varsity head coach. The pride is in playing for and representing Barnstable. The same drive and desire of the Barnstable athletic community, to be the best possible athlete, coach and team, will not in any way change.

Grace said hed prefer to keep the nickname he grew up with, but if our name is, in fact, offending a group of people, then, yes, we should change our name. Several other coaches shared Graces reaction, that the nickname should be changed if it offends people.

Anytime theres a group of people that speak out, then theres definitely validity behind it, Barnstable football and girls basketball coach Ross Jatkola said.

A minority of coaches were firmly against the change.

Its time that we put aside our political correctness and get real about dealing with whats important to the majority of the student body and not a few that are offended, girls tennis head coach Lou Giglio said.

Changing nicknames might have big implications for the school, but perhaps not as much actual impact on players day-to-day lives. Grace said his teams helmets bear a Red Raiders sticker, but the uniform just says Barnstable.

We identify ourselves as the Red Raider baseball program, but on the field refer to ourselves as the Raiders, baseball coach Dave Fouracre said. If a mascot name is offensive to a race, a culture or a particular group of people, then it is my belief that it should be changed.

Multiple coaches said their teams rarely refer to themselves by the full nickname Red Raiders during practices or competitions. Jatkola said his football team sometimes calls its field Red Raider Beach, but he tends to simply use Raider in plays.

We haven't used Red Raider in a long time, field hockey coach Ashley Bishop said. Weve used Raiders or Barnstable or Stable for as many years as I've been coaching.

Turco said his volleyball uniforms also have Barnstable written on them, but no reference to the nickname. His preferred cheer is Lets go Red, but thats a reference to the school color, similar to the University of Michigans Go Blue.

When I think of red, I think of the actual color of the uniforms, Jatkola said. I dont think it was ever intentionally used (here) to describe a skin tone or anything like that. Its just been the color of the uniforms and the school colors.

The petition demanding the change, among other educational reforms, had over 1,700 signatures on change.org as of Thursday afternoon. It comes amid national conversations surrounding racism, cultural appropriation and minority representation.

The NFLs Washington franchise officially dropped its Redskins nickname earlier this month.

Thomas said he received occasional calls in previous years asking Barnstable to change its name, but nothing as organized as this.

Its definitely on everybodys mind, Thomas said. I definitely dont want to disrespect anyone.

Barnstables athletic department already has undergone several changes to its iconography over the years. The schools logo used to be a Native American face, but has since changed to a red letter B with attached feathers, though that face still appears on redraiderpride.com, the schools athletic archive.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has for years been against using Native American imagery or terminology for athletic teams. Cedric Cromwell, the tribes council chairman, signed a January 2019 letter to the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Ways and Means requesting legislation prohibiting Native American mascots and nicknames. The tribal council in 1995 unanimously voted to condemn such uses.

Itll be an adjustment, because well have to change logos and names, but if its an issue and its something that offends people, it should be changed, said Casey Proto, a rising senior and baseball player at Barnstable. Obviously, it can mean something thats derogatory.

Changing nicknames could also allow Barnstable to find a more unique mascot. Many other Massachusetts high schools have used the nickname Red Raider, including Lowell, Melrose and North Quincy.

Suggested new nicknames from coaches included Red Hawk and Pride. The red hawk would allow Barnstable to maintain the feathered B logo it currently uses, while Pride refers to the school slogan of Pride, honor, respect.

There is a red-tailed hawk that flies around campus all the time, boys tennis coach Mike Sarney said. We should have a nickname/mascot that everyone can be proud of.

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Coaches weigh merits of Red Raider mascot - Cape Cod Times