Bellefonte, Pa. â The sound of an imitation war whoop echoes throughout Rogers Stadium.
Itâs the kind of sound used in old Hollywood westerns, the sound children playing âCowboys and Indiansâ might make as they move their hands over their mouths. When Bellefonte high plays Penns Valley in an early October football game, fans let out the cry as the Red Raiders rush onto the field. To the fans itâs just another Friday night, as it has been since 1936. Others in town would definitely not approve.
Kathryn Pletcher, of Bellefonte, Pa., poses for a portrait at the Arboretum at Penn State on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Pletcher, a descendent of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa tribe of the Ojibwe people, is one of the foremost voices advocating for the change of Bellefonte Area High Schoolâs mascot, the Red Raiders.