People take a lot of pride in their schools. At every age, school colors and mascots unify centers of education. Most schools chose a combination of colors to represent the student body; this offers clear distinction from cross town rivals. To set themselves apart, schools get creative with who or what will represent them.
Student bodies are often the ones to come up with mascot characters. These representatives are picked with thoughtfulness, creativity, and some zany ideas. To exemplify this point, which will be expounded on later, envision a banana slug, an artichoke, and a holiday tree.
But how do these masterminds come up with the latest designs? What makes a mascot significant?
Mascots embody characteristics and values of the entire school. They make a point and hold true to the cultural and historical significance of the education center. And it doesn’t hurt that mascots are entertaining too.
Mascots Make a Point
The spirit of a student body is electrifying. Mascots draw on this energy by representing collective beliefs. Two schools exemplify this:
- UC Santa Cruz students were deliberate in their decisions to choose a banana slug for a mascot. They believe sports should be available to everyone, which is why one of the lowliest creatures represents them; Sammy the Banana Slug gets to be part of the fun too.
- Scottsdale Community College has a fighting artichoke named Artie cheering them on. Sick of the amount of money sports takes from school budgets, students picked something that would represent their disinterest.
In both examples, students used art in the form of a school mascot to make their views evident.
Mascots Honor Cultural and Historic significance
Mascots stand – and often dance – for school ideals. Education institutions are foundational to communities. The citizens in surrounding areas often look to schools to honor the heritage of the town or city. This is why mascots often rally students together and stand as an expression of goodwill. They are a means to making students feel as though they belong to something bigger. Within the community, schools are a driving force in maintaining pride of involves everyone’s efforts.
Examples of mascots that represent community values include the University of Texas Longhorns, The University of Colorado Buffaloes, and more.
Years out of school, people rarely remember what final scores were for homecoming football games. But they always remember their school colors and mascots. Beyond this, people are drawn to these images for the rests of their lives. The entertainment it provides is great but the memories are far more than that: schools have characteristics that shape the identities of students and communities.
Image made available by KKfromBB on Flickr through Creative Common Licenses.
Read more Segmation blog posts about Art Education:
How to Encourage Creativity in Children
Reviving Art as the Heart of Education
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