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Comments:
raymond - 2004-12-16 12:38:34 Oh, how funny. It's also interesting to learn that you grew up in Livonia. What sort of person would build a school without windows? Totally claustrophobic. * * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2004-12-16 13:10:51 Only did time for the last two years of school in Livonia. Family was on the go. When I filled out forms in the military for a security clearance I had to have an extra page for domiciles since birth. The Russian exchange student we hosted was appalled by school buildings here. Even most of our old ones have windows refitted to shut out the outside.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-16 13:13:00 Sounds more like prisons to me. You are right; kids need to be able to float out of the window sometimes..adults too, for that matter.* * * * * * * * * * * * Vince Prygoski - 2004-12-16 13:13:39 I attended two different high schools. My first two and a half years I attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel High (a Catholic school, as if the name did not make that obvious!) in my hometown of Wyandotte, MI. Their mascot/nickname is the Comets. I went my last year and a half to and graduated from the public school in Wyandotte, Theodore Roosevelt High. Mascot, the Bears, a reference I presume to "Teddy" Roosevelt after whom the school is named and also for whom the teddy bear is supposedly named.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-16 13:36:01 For whatever reason, I didn't know that a Catholic high school would have a mascot. I had, mistakenly, thought the "patron" of the school was its symbol as well. OK, I've probably unwittingly offended someone with my outright ignorance so I think I'll stop while the ice is still holding. One wonders what other mascots a high school named "Theodore Roosevelt" might have...* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-12-16 14:57:36 teddy roosevelt high could have perhaps the "Big Sticks", or else the "Soft walkers". I went to a school that was in a land-locked town with no history of scandinavian settlement, so of course they were the 'vikings'. It was a generic mascot i've seen many other places (often using the same bad clip art).
I kept a copy of the satanic bible by anton szandor lavey in my locker, to bring along and keep my nose buried in whenever i was forced to attend pep assemblies. Brett: that's cute. I have to admit I kind of suspected you'd reply to that. I further admit that I was kind of...well, baiting you with that teddy r. mascot speculation (hangs head in shame, yet secretly delighted). How odd--I also read at pep rallies. I couldn't stand 'em. You are right about the bad clip art. Another instance of adopting clan totems that have no organic connections to our lives or the land, resulting in today's modern-day societal malaise and--OK, I'll stop right there.* * * * * * * * * * * * c.c. - 2004-12-16 15:35:00 I went to Dearborn High School. We were the "Pioneers." Our mascot had a funny little mustache that was described by everyone as a "Hitler mustache." see: http://www.dearbornschools.org/Schools/HighSchool/Dearborn/images/DPS_Main/DbnHighSpiritWall.jpg* * * * * * * * * * * * AnnArborcrat - 2004-12-16 15:37:35 Bull Moose too. Teddy's train passed through Wyandotte but never stopped, he just waved to the crowd from the platform of the last car as the train continued on to Detroit, and they still named the high school after him.* * * * * * * * * * * * Vince Prygoski - 2004-12-16 15:47:09 I think the generic "Viking" logo that a lot of high schools use is actually one of the logos of the NFL Minnesota Vikings...the profile of the viking guy with blond hair and mustache wearing the horned helmet. Or at least it is a close approximation of the Minnesota Vikings logo. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-16 15:51:18 Annarborcrat, that is fascinating. Thank you for giving us the history for that--I learned something. Vince, that is a good observation. I guess this culture has a somewhat standardized visual meme for "viking." Wonder what that means. This is really getting interesting. Let's see if we can see patterns yet: Bentley Bulldogs Our Lady of Mount Carmel High Comets Theodore Roosevelt High Bears Dearborn Pioneers Landlocked Vikings Bedford Mules. Perhaps all of Ypsi should adopt a clan totem, to foster unity and create offbeat publicity, while honoring the past. The Ypsi Voyageurs? That's kind of upbeat and adventurous. Disregard this idea if it seems preposterous.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-16 16:00:05 Or at the very least the Freight House folks could adopt a mascot to foster unity, for their website, notes, publicity, &c. "The Cargo Crew." "The Yard Bulls" [perhaps a bit too railroady, but appealing] even have a graphic ready to go for the Yard Bulls, from the time I visited the annual pit bull fair down at the Farm Council Grounds. Just spitballing, here. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura, contrite - 2004-12-16 16:06:12 Um, sorry for the thread hijack, there. OK, back to high school mascots.* * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2004-12-16 16:07:30 Certainly the School of Public Relations should have Bull as mascot.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-16 16:15:17 that's cute. Yard bulls and more railroad hobo slang.* * * * * * * * * * * * shokupanman - 2004-12-17 00:03:39 i was a Tecumseh Indian. not an actual indian as i knew of no native americans in the town when i lived there.* * * * * * * * * * * * Dave D. - 2004-12-17 10:58:42 Heh, I'm from Wyandotte too (Roosevelt Class of '88). Great town, and hope to move back someday from Ypsi. I wonder if they had to change any of their sports names like the Chiefs or Indians. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-17 11:03:56 Tecumseh Indian: that is interesting. One wonders how many Native American themed mascots are in Michigan. Now I'm curious. Dave D., may I ask just out of curiousity, what do you think the YHS will do about their currently contested Braves logo? I've heard preferences on both sides of the question.* * * * * * * * * * * * Vince Prygoski - 2004-12-17 11:20:44 Wyandotte used to have a little league football team named the Indians, but I am not sure if they still use that nickname. My undergraduate alma mater, Central Michigan University, still uses the Chippewas nickname but has done away with most if not all Native American symbols and imagery. For example, the CMU football helmets used to feature a spear and feathers logo, now they have a jazzy letter "C" logo instead. I think the university made a deal with the Chippewa AKA Ojibwa tribe to continue to use the name but eliminate the other Native American or pseudo-Native American stuff.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-17 11:23:24 It seems more widespread than I thought. That's interesting, Vince--the compromise.* * * * * * * * * * * * tricia - 2004-12-17 11:27:24 I went to two high schools -- in my town the two schools consolidated after my sophomore year. First it was the Douglas MacArthur Generals. The other school in town were the Dwight D. Eisenhower Commanders. We consolidated to form Heritage High School Hawks. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-17 11:36:22 Tricia, those are 2 very interesting names. I find it a bit ironic that when the schools merged, they called the new one "Heritage" although the 2 former names were ones that actually referenced American history. Vince, it is fascinating to read of team mascots in other languages! I wonder if any team mascots presented translation challenges. * * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2004-12-17 11:57:15 I went to two high schools, too (this seems to be a theme). My first one was private and all-girls (Miss Porters in CT) and I don't recall having a mascott at all. My second was the local public school in the NYC burbs, and we were the Quakers, complete with quaker oats type guy. To my knowledge, no actual Quakers protested being associated with football, hockey or cheerleaders.* * * * * * * * * * * * Dave D. - 2004-12-17 11:59:46 Laura, I think YHS will probably keep the name. I personally don't think it passes the "smell test" of being too derogatory or racist (e.g. Washington Redskins). I think you can retain a name like the Braves if they're respectful and maybe take a few other steps. I refer back to my old hometown, Wyandotte, because they've been very diligent in teaching about, archiving, and memorializing the tribe and it's heritage right down to the elementary school level. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-17 12:01:18 Hmm. That begs the question of what the mascot at Ms. Porter's *might* have been. Your coment about the Quakers is funny and thought-provoking. Yes--why is it that the Quakers haven't made a fuss about that? Very interesting, Anna--thank you!* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-17 12:03:41 Oops, Dave beat me to the comments; sorry, Dave. Hmm. Regarding the "smell test," I personally think slightly differently, due to the cartoonish nature of the logo. Your school sounds like it did an outstanding job of teaching the history. Thanks for sharing your opinion.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2004-12-17 12:10:31 Hehe... thanks. We had a 200-year-old Quaker meeting house that still had an active congregation in town, so I can only conclude that they didn't mind, since they certainly knew that our football team was called the Quakers. Maybe because they as a group have been basically left alone (except for a short period of persecution in the early settlers' days), they are pretty laid-back and live-and-let-live. I just checked the Miss Porter's webpage and searched for a mascott -- nothing. I kind of wondered because I loathed it there with a passion I have yet to muster about anything else -- as a result of my loathing, I have subsequently repressed almost all memories of the place. (I can't even remember why I loathed it, so complete is my repression).* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-17 12:17:16 That is so nice of you to check; thanks Anna. Hmm...I hesitate to ask why it was unfortunately so unpleasant a place.* * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2004-12-17 12:22:27 Oh, I suspect it had to do with a) the awkwardness of being a teenager, b) the rigourousness of the academic program (I was a rather lazy teen, I do have to say), c) the lack of boys (!), d) the general stuffiness of the place. Nothing major or traumatic. I liked the local public high school much better -- it was a much more normal place. No dress-code or "morning meeting", no traveling to dances to meet boys, no bush patrol, no restrictions on leaving campus, no prying administrators (i.e., less supervision), kids free to be kids, etc. etc. etc.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-17 20:31:38 Oh, I see; yes, sounds like it would be kind of confining for a teenager; thanks Anna.* * * * * * * * * * * * add your comment: |