[citation needed] The original decision to name the school the "South Rebels" stemmed from the original Union High, with "South Rebels" seeming to some to be the logical name for the school after the "Union" was split.

In October 2010, a shirt depicting a re-coloration of the Confederate Flag was sold in the spirit shop.

The spirit shop offered to refund any money students paid for the shirt or to replace them with a less inflammatory version.

The student then put the gun to his head, but was talked out of doing himself any harm by the Vice Principal of Willoughby South, Jeff Lyons.

[7] On August 17, 2017, days after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools announced the decision to remove the Confederate soldier mascot while keeping the name "Rebels" and also the school colors of grey and blue.