OPINION
BY DAVE PRICE
Daily Post Editor
The controversial decision by the Palo Alto school board to rename Terman and Jordan middle schools could result in an unexpected financial opportunity for the students of those two schools.
I’ve heard people say that because of this decision they won’t contribute to the PTAs for those schools or to the district-wide fundraising program PIE, Palo Alto Partners in Education. That would be a bad idea to punish kids for a poor decision by the school board and superintendent. Please don’t do that.
But between now and the fall of 2018, when those names are officially purged, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a run on items bearing the Terman Tigers and Jordan Jaguars mascots. Thousands of adults who attended these schools will want some memorabilia to remind them of their days at these schools.
If you go on eBay, you can find Stanford Indians sweatshirts for $41, hats for $27 and t-shirts for $21.99.
Stanford dropped the Indian in 1972, but the mascot lives on.
My suggestion to the Jordan and Terman PTAs is that they should start marketing memorabilia to those who are fond of the old names. Start selling t-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, decals and all the rest. It could provide a nice bump for the PTAs, who would use it to benefit today’s students.
What’s the expression? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Editor Dave Price’s column appears on Mondays. His email address is [email protected].
