
Why Harrison High School has the most statues
As the statues in Harrison High have risen to heights of $20 million, a few of the school’s former students have begun to question the school and its dedication to its legacy.
The Harrison High statue stands on a hill in Harrison, Indiana, the site of a statue of the Revolutionary War commander and statesman George Washington.
The statue was erected in 2009 and named for the city’s founder.
It is one of three statues of Jefferson Davis at the school, which was renamed in honor of the president in 2015.
The other two were erected in the 1930s and ’40s.
The third statue was built in the 1990s.
Both statues have been criticized by students and others who say they disrespect Jefferson Davis.
The Jefferson Davis statue was also vandalized last year and is being repaired.
“The statues that are in our school have to represent the students that were there when we first built them,” said Dylan Hough, a junior at Harrison High.
“They have to be a reminder to keep it moving.”
He added, “I can’t say enough about how much I love this school.
I just can’t see myself moving away from it.”
The school’s students have been vocal about their desire to see the statues removed.
In a statement to CBS News, the Harrison High Board of Trustees said the statue should be removed because it “has a history of disrespect to the Confederate general.”
The district has said the statues were never intended to represent students and were intended for the students to come together for an outdoor celebration, not for them to be disrespectful.
Hough is one among many who have voiced their displeasure with the statue, saying it represents a “historical failure of the institution to properly acknowledge its past.”
“The fact that the statues of other historical figures are being taken down is shameful,” Hough said.
“This is a sad state of affairs and the school needs to come up with a solution.”
Hough, along with other students at Harrison, say they will be visiting a nearby park in hopes of reaching out to the district to remove the statues.
“We’re going to have a great party, and the only thing we can do is get these statues down,” Houg said.