This story was updated at 11:55 a.m. Saturday.

Fairfax High School is removing another tie to the Confederacy, dropping “Rebel Pride” in favor of “Fairfax Lions.”

In a letter to the Fairfax High School community, Principal Erin Lenart explained the history of mascot changes for the school and that the change reflects “inclusivity, family, belongingness, respect, and integrity.”

The school first opened in 1936 and its original mascot was “Johnny Reb,” an image of a Confederate soldier. The mascot was removed by a previous principal in 1985 and replaced by “Rebel Rouser,” then “Rebel Pride,” according to Lenart.

“Though I believe the intention of our students who participated in the rebranding to Rebel Pride was not to glorify the Confederacy, I also understand that we do not have the luxury of rebranding in contradiction to what a long and well-established history already defines it to mean—and Rebel Pride has such a history,” Lenart wrote.

Lenart explained in the letter that the work in changing the mascot began last September with the City of Fairfax and other Fairfax County Public School leaders. Lenart hopes depictions of the Rebel in the school can be removed over the next year “when it is fiscally responsible.”

Later on Friday, the City of Fairfax School Board voted unanimously to rename the adjacent street to the high school Lion Run. Since 1972, it had been named Rebel Run to coincide with the school’s nickname.

Earlier this month, school officials in Fairfax County announced a public hearing to solicit comments on changing the name of Robert E. Lee High School after a Black student wrote to the school board to ask why the school still shares a name with a Confederate general.

In the letter, Kimberly Boateng made an impassioned request to the school board to embrace calls to change the name of the school “so that the next graduating class doesn’t have the misfortunate of having his name immortalized on their diploma and remembered as their alma mater.”

The Fairfax County NAACP has called on the school board to make the change for years, according to Sean Perryman, president of the chapter.

“While these changes need to happen, I don’t commend school boards and the town officials that did this at all, because these names were just as racist months ago, years ago, and they were told about it multiple times. So I don’t know it why took the murder of George Floyd to make these changes happen,” Perryman said.

Schools across the state are considering the removal of their Confederate namesakes. Last week, Prince William County Public Schools superintendent Steve Walts asked the school board to “immediately” rename Stonewall Jackson High School and Stonewall Middle School, the Prince Williams Times reported.

“A lot of folks are passionate about tradition and have a hard time with change. I don’t think any name change will change the hearts of those that harbor hate. We all need to examine our hearts and try to find love and respect for other people and cultures,” Turner said.

The school board will officially rename the schools in a special virtual meeting set for June 22.

This story has been updated to indicate that the street adjacent from the high school has been renamed.