The land was acquired by Louis Pizitz , a Polish immigrant who settled in Birmingham in 1889 . Pizitz lived here with his wife , Minnie and their son , Hortense . After their death , their son Hortense sold the land to the City of Vestavia Hills in the 1960s . The school was built in the 1970s , in the context of the establishment of segregation academies in the 1970s , which enabled white American children to segregate themselves from black children , who remained in public schools . Until 2016 the school mascot , known as Rebel Man , was a plantation owner . The school " picked a Confederate Flag-waving Civil War Rebel because it saw itself as rebellious . " In the wake of the Charleston church shooting in June 2015 , '' The Birmingham News '' highlighted this history and called for a removal of the mascot . Meanwhile , the school superintendent called it ' a " point of contention for some members " of the community ' . By early July 2015 , some Vestavia Hills residents wrote an op ed in '' The Birmingham News '' calling on the school board to change its name . By the middle of July 2015 , comedian John Oliver made fun of the claim that it was " heritage , not hate " on national television . He argued , " Your logo is a plantation owner . ... And saying that the image of a plantation owner is not used in a racist way is a bit like arguing the Hitachi magic wand is only used as a back massager . " The Vestavia Hills City Schools System decided to keep the '' Rebels '' name but initiate a " rebranding " process . The new branding was approved by the school board on May 18 , 2016 . The new branding replaced the objectionable mascot and instituted the new slogan " You play one Rebel you play us all . "
Charleston church shooting
Charleston church shooting
Vestavia Hills High School