School Mascots What are their purpose?

School Mascots What is your school mascot? How was it selected? Do you like it? Why? If you were to select a different mascot, what would it be? Why would you select it? Name some mascots of other schools— either schools in the area, or perhaps, schools you’ve attended. What do you think of these?

Rockford School Mascot Knights (Auburn)

Rockford School Mascot Guiliford Vikings

Rockford School District East High School

Rockford School District Jefferson J-Hawks

Northern Illinois University Huskies

Mascot Evaluation What do you think of this mascot? If you like it, what makes it a good mascot? If you dislike it, what makes it a bad mascot?

University of Santa Cruz, CA Banana Slugs

Stanford University (CT) Stanford Trees

Monroe High School, WI Monroe Cheesemakers

Teutopolis High School, IL Wooden Shoes

Freeport High School, IL Freeport Pretzels

Mascot Selection Rules Work as a group to develop a set of 3 to 5 rules to help guide the selection of a mascot for a new high school.

New Mascot Contest! Wentzville East High School, Wentzville, IL Wentzville East High School in IL will open in 2012 They have not selected a mascot You are being called upon to help! Contest: design an appropriate mascot for WEHS

The mascot will appear on the gym floor, on school stationery, on school spirit wear, and on publications. Four drawings have been selected for final consideration, and you are being asked to serve as a judge. Select one of the drawings, and write an explanation of why it would serve as a good mascot, based on the evaluation criteria. In making a judgment, keep the evaluation criteria in mind, remember the profile of the school and community, and study the details and attributes of the proposed mascots.

Background Notes about Wentzville East High School: Wentzville East High School will open in 2012 in Wentzville, Illinois. Wentzville is located in Saline County in the very southern region of the state. The current enrollment at Wentzville is 315.

Wentzville East High School is situated in an area that has two major interests for business: farming and coal mining. The area has long been rich in coal mines, and many families in Saline County have had some connection to the coal mines. Since fewer homes and business depend on coal as an energy source these days, the activities in the mines have slowed; and the coal companies employ few residents.

At the same time, the town of Wentzville and the rest of Saline County associate themselves with the coal industry. That is why the citizens named the school after John L. Wentzville, who was the president of the United Mine Workers of America for 40 years.

Mascot Selection: Wentzville East High School manatees LOWLAND gorillas miners LEMURS