Date: Fri 17-May-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

mascot-NHS-

Full Text:

NHS Mascot List Narrowed To Five

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

Newtown High School's road toward a new mascot took a step forward this week

with the announcement of the top five candidates.

The final contestants, as voted on by students in grades 8-12, include the

Blue Knights, the Dragons, the Eagles, the Lightning, and the Night Hawks. To

the surprise of some, there was no sign of a Yak.

Students chose the quintet from a list of 20 animals, monsters and natural

phenomena last Friday. In the coming weeks, they will narrow the list to two

mascot choices before a final vote near the end of the school year. No date

for the vote had been set at press time this week.

NHS Principal Bill Manfredonia announced last February his decision to

eliminate the traditional Indian as the high school's mascot, saying it was no

longer serving to unify the school. He agreed with several others in town who

felt the mascot did not honor Native Americans. Mr Manfredonia's decision was

met with plenty of opposition from those who held the Indian close to their

heart.

"Those five were clearly the top five," Mr Manfredonia explained Wednesday

after the finalists were announced.

Prior to the next vote, students will present arguments as to why each mascot

would best represent NHS.

Candidate number one, the Eagles is defined in Webster's Dictionary as "any of

various large diurnal birds of prey of the accipiter family noted for their

strength, size, gracefulness, keenness of vision and powers of flight."

Trumbull, Groton, Tolland, Kennedy, Manchester, Wethersfield, and Wolcott high

schools have already adopted the eagles as their mascots, but Newtown's

Shepaug Dam is one of few areas in Connecticut where American Bald Eagles can

be spotted. America's national bird is drawn to the area below the dam to

feed.

Candidate number two is the Blue Knights. Webster's defines a knight as "a

mounted man at arms serving a feudal superior." There is nothing in Webster's

mentioning a blue knight so it must be assumed that it is a blue version of

the man described above.

Southington is already the Blue Knights, while Notre Dame of West Haven calls

itself the Green Knights and Stamford is known as the Black Knights.

NHS Mascot Committee member Emily Fries, a senior, said there were some who

objected to the knight because it is considered a male.

"A lot of girls I talked to said they wouldn't want to be known as the Lady

Knights," she explained.

Candidate number three, the Dragon is defined as "a huge scaly serpent," but

it is also defined as "a violent, combative or very strict person."

Night Hawks, the fourth candidate, is described as "a diurnal bird of prey."

Because there is no mention of a night hawk in Webster's, it must be assumed

that it is a nocturnal hawk.

Head O' Meadow School is took on the nickname "Hawks" upon its opening in the

late 1970s and the long-winged birds are often spotted circling near the Boggs

Hill School.

The final candidate, Lightning, is defined as "the flashing of light produced

by a discharge of atmospheric electricity from one cloud to another," or as an

adjective, "having or moving with or as if with the speed and suddenness of

lightning."

Old wives tales say lightning never strikes twice, but if NHS adapts the

Lightning as its mascot, it could strike again and again....

Heading in to this most recent vote, the Yak, one of the original 20 mascot

choices, appeared to be a contender since it was the talk of the town.

"That was definitely the biggest one talked about last week," noted junior

Laura Marusa, a member of the mascot search committee.

However, it failed to receive enough support on the day of the vote, though it

did receive a large number of votes, as did the Blue Lightning, the Centaurs,

the Legends, the Rams, the Road Runners and the Storm.

As far as the Yak's sudden popularity last week, Mr Manfredonia felt the

newspapers had a lot to do with it.

"I'm not sure where the Yak came from. I think the papers did that," he said.

Ms Fries said many people were surprised to see the Yak not among the top five

after all the talk.

Who's the odds on favorite to become the next Newtown High School mascot? It's

too early to tell, but no doubt everyone has a favorite.

And, for anyone wondering what Webster's definition of a yak is, it's "a

large, shaggy haired ox native to Tibet."