SKOWHEGAN (AP) — Pressure is building on Skowhegan High School to drop its Indian sports mascot.

The president of the Greater Bangor Area NAACP has formally asked school officials to stop using the name and image.

In a letter dated Friday, accompanied by a petition, NAACP President Michael Alpert writes: “The implications of cultural violence embedded in Skowhegan High School’s nickname and mascot are deeply offensive to native people.”

The NAACP is supporting efforts already under way by Barry Dana of Solon, the former chief of the Penobscot Nation.

Several other Maine high schools, including Sanford and Wiscasset, have dropped Indian-themed mascots in recent years.

Superintendent Brent Colbry and Principal Monique Poulin told the Morning Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1Af9VVH ) they are willing to listen to concerns, but changing the nickname is really a community decision.