Sandy Hook Elementary School students learned about the importance of voting on November 6, when each student cast a vote for the name of the school's new mascot. The event was held the day before municipal elections took place.

While the eagle is not new as the school's mascot, the eagle mascot costume is new. It was donated to the school by Post University.

Sandy Hook School PTA Co-President Heather Franse organized the "election day" at the elementary school after Co-President Karyn Holden had an idea for it.

A few weeks before the election, Ms Holden said students from throughout the school had the option of putting names in the running for the vote. The top three names were added to the "ballot" on November 3.

Classes took turns voting in the school's lobby, which was decorated with an election box, voting booths set up with folded cardboard on tables, and red, white, and blue decorations. Balloons and streamers hung near the ballot box, set up to collect folded ballots.

As one first grade class came to take its turn voting, Ms Franse asked them all to gather around her.

"We have to name our eagle, and we have to find out what his name is going to be," Ms Franse said, before describing how students would color in the box next to their preferred name on the ballot, then place the ballot in the box to be collected and counted later.

The three choices for names were Sandy, Eddie, and Cribby, after school counselor David Cribbins, who dons the costume for events.

After students filled out their ballots at the booths, they walked up to place their ballots in the ballot box. Each student that voted received an "I voted" sticker.

According to Ms Holden, the school chose to name the eagle mascot Sandy, which earned 194 votes. Eddie earned 116 votes, and Cribby earned 92 votes. There was also one write-in vote for Soary, according to Ms Holden.