Article published December 03, 2005
Schools lean to 'holiday trees' as spirit of inclusiveness grows
Decorations, celebrations gradually shift from use of 'Christmas'
Ottawa Elementary School students watch 'Polar Express' in a classroom decorated in the spirit of the Christmas holiday.
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THE BLADE/LORI KING
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By IGNAZIO MESSINA
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Bowsher High School principal Larry Black quickly corrected himself yesterday when he let it slip out that the school had erected a Christmas tree.
"Oh, it's a holiday tree," the educator said when questioned what decorations are up at the South Toledo building.
"We try to respect everybody's beliefs," he said. "The music department does a Christmas concert. Well, actually it's a holiday concert."
The national debate over state-funded religious displays or decorations usually spills into schools by early December, said Christine Link, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.
"The duty of a public school system is to be sensible to the variety and range of their families," Ms. Link said. "We haven't seen an issue yet this season, but I'm sure we will - although more and more schools have gotten more and more informed."
Ottawa River Elementary is decorated for the season that the school declines to call Christmas.
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THE BLADE/LORI KING
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Local schools haven't shied away from decorating for the holiday season but there has been a gradual shift away from the word Christmas and toward the more neutral term "holiday."More than a decade ago, the Washington Local Schools December calender listed Christmas concerts on certain days. Today it's all holiday concerts.
Linda Culp, principal of the district's Trilby Elementary, said it's important to be sensitive to different faiths.
"I don't want to offend anyone, so we say holiday," Ms. Culp said. "We have Muslims, Catholics, and a hodgepodge of different religions."
Shanita Aaron, principal of Washington Elementary in Fremont, said the school's student council decorates a tree and some of the individual classrooms have decorations, but there are no religious symbols.
"I would call it holiday tree," she said. "You can have parents that are against calling it [a Christmas tree]."
A controversy is emerging where some people object to labeling a Christmas tree as a "holiday tree." A Christian group has threatened to sue Boston after the city called its Christmas tree a holiday tree. Meanwhile, in Washington, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said the tree on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, which has been known in recent years as the "holiday tree," should be renamed the "Capitol Christmas tree."
The Alliance Defense Fund is one group reportedly ready to engage a legal battle over what some people call a secular movement against publicly funded nativity scenes, Christmas trees, and the greeting "Merry Christmas."
Calls to The Alliance Defense Fund were not returned.
Locally, school leaders said it's wise to sensitive of the issue and avoid the controversy.
Jeremy Snyder, spokesman for Bedford Public Schools, said there are no district rules on holiday decorations, but stressed that he tries to remain neutral.
"I tend to call them holiday trees," he said. "In my capacity, I try to be politically correct and there are different faiths within the community."
Contact Ignazio Messina at:
imessina@theblade.com
or 419-724-6171.
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