Preserve Tradition: Keep "Go Raiders" On The Water Tower

To The City Council of Decatur, Alabama:

Hello, my name is Dan Fite, Jr. and I am an 11th grade student at Decatur High School. I am writing to you as a result of a request recently made by the Delano Park Conservancy to the Decatur City Schools Board Of Education. An excerpt of their request reads as follows:

“In an effort to be true to the original vision of Delano Park as a park for all people, we are requesting that you not paint "Go Raiders" on the historic water tower. Not only will this avoid any appearance of exclusivity, but it will leave open the wonderful possibilities that digital art and other light technologies can bring to the park, the school system and the City of Decatur.”

The Delano Park Conservancy consists of four women: Sally Smartt, Barbara Kelly, Noel Shinn,and Nell Standridge. While I am very thankful to these kind women who are passionate and caring enough to take care of our park, I must respectfully disagree with their request. I am writing this letter having already garnered support from my peers, both at Decatur High School and Austin High School; as well as many adults in the community.

The water tower was, and is, a proud symbol of tradition that our community holds in high regard. It is a local icon, so much so that it was even printed on the backs of Decatur High School’s 2015 Homecoming t-shirts. Not only would removing “Go Raiders” diminish that icon, but it would do so for no point. Allow me to explain, having taken the points of the Delano Park Conservancy into consideration.

I have spoken with Austin High School students, and I can assure you that it does give off any “appearance of exclusivity” as the Park Conservancy claims. If anyone was to feel this way, it would be the students of Austin High School, as they are our rivals. The rivalry between us is part of what makes it so fun to partake in events between the two schools. If it wasn’t such a deep seated part of our community, the school system would have chosen to build one new high school instead of two-as that would have been more financially sound. Yet, even these students who passionately cheer against us in various extra curricular activities, feel that the water tower should remain as it is-with the “Go Raiders” painted proudly on it’s face. One Austin High School student, an active one at that, had this to say when I asked him both about the issue and about signing a petition to support efforts to keep “Go Raiders” on the water tower:

“We have one by our baseball field, so I feel that y’all should be able to have one also. We will spread the word around our school as a high school community and not as a rivalry.”

And another:

“I think both schools should be able to have something…I totally support the Go Raiders thing. I’ll sign it.”

So you see, the students who would feel most excluded by the painting of “Go Raiders” on the water tower do not feel excluded. They view it as it is: a symbol of school pride, which is something universal to all high schools and communities. Like the first student said, they have their own water tower that supports the Black Bears. Therefore it is totally fair for the students of Decatur High School to have one on our side of town that supports the Raiders. It is not exclusivity; rather, it is understood tradition.

I would now like to address the suggestion that the water tower be used as a canvas to present “digital art and other light technologies". This is an excellent idea, and one that I support. You see, I am a videographer and filmmaker. I recently produced a narrative short film that I am now seeking to view in as many public venues as I can. So to me, presenting digital art on such a magnificent face is a terrific idea to promote creativity in the community by taking advantage of the water tower’s iconic status. However, this is an idea that could be brought to life with “Go Raiders” still painted on the water tower as it was before. I have been driving by that water tower for my entire life, and it has a tremendous amount of space available on it’s surface. In the past, “Go Raiders” was painted on one side of the water tower; it only faced Decatur High School, the street, and a small corner of the actual park. However, the entire back side of the water tower, the side that faces the majority of the park, was left completely blank. I propose to you that this blank side of the water tower be used to present the digital art as the Delano Park Conservancy has suggested. Painting “Go Raiders” on the side where it was originally painted would not interfere with this. And, when you really think about it, it makes more sense to present the art on that blank side anyways. If the Delano Park Conservancy would really like to use the water tower to present digital art projections, they would have more potential for a bigger audience by presenting it on the side that was already blank to begin with because it had more space for said audience. If the water tower was restored to it’s original form; the Delano Park Conservancy would be able to present the digital art, and the local icon would remain in tact. Everyone wins.

Finally, I cannot go without mentioning that the majority of the community wants “Go Raiders” to remain on the water tower. Our country has always functioned based on that power of the majority-and at the end of the day, that is how this situation should be handled. There is an entire community of people who view “Go Raiders” painted upon that magnificent water tower with a sense of pride in their home and in their Alma Mater. Both Decatur and Austin High School are currently being torn down to make room for their new buildings. With both of these buildings having been here for so long, it has gotten our student body talking about the idea of legacy. The purpose behind our homecoming parade this year was even “Leave A Legacy”. That is part of the reason why the water tower, with “Go Raiders” proudly painted on it’s face, was chosen to go on the back of our t-shirts. Legacy is an important thing. It allows us to move forward, while honoring our past. If we forget completely forget our pasts, then how can we expect to learn from it? And how can we expect to be successful in the future? Painting “Go Raiders” on that water tower is perhaps one of the last true ways to physically honor Decatur High School’s past as we move into this new era of our school.

On behalf of my fellow students and my community, I would like to express my sincere thanks for all that the Delano Park Conservancy does to make the park such a beautiful part of our community. However, we would like to ask the they please respect our proud tradition, as it is firmly planted in the roots of our student body and our community.

Thank You,

Dan Fite, Jr.
A Proud Decatur Red Raider & Citizen Of The Community