OKEMOS - The Okemos School District originated over 100 years ago. When the school district came together those who were apart of it wanted to honor Chief John Okemos.

That was then...this is now.

After an outcry from people across the country, a new Civil Rights movement occurred targeting sports and other businesses that use Native American monikers in a derogatory manner. The community of Okemos uses the term Chieftains for the school system. At the beginning a Chieftains head was used as the logo but had to be changed due to it skirting the boundaries of political correctness.

According to Eric Stelljes who is part Native American and was on the committee to change the logo, things could have been different had the logo looked like John Okemos instead of a random Plains Chieftain.

"If you are going to recognize John Okemos as representing the school symbolically then it should darn well look like John Okemos" Stelljes said.

The approved logo is now standardized across their platforms, therefore no multiple logos exist, looks like a skinny letter "O" with script lettering across it, similar to that used by the University of Oregon.

Stelljes remains hopeful that there may come a time to introduce Chief John Okemos symbolically and more realistically into the realms of the school district.