New Charter School's Mascot Causes Stir

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was written by Dylan Walsh and Sophia Ramos, sixth grade students at Context Charter School. It was originally published in the school newspaper, M&M Monthly. It appears on Temecula Patch as a joint collaboration. To read more, .

Students of Context Middle School have been complaining about our mascot for weeks now.

Some students think that the coyote was not the best choice for our mascot, others are pleased and some just don’t care

The new school opened its doors to students earlier this year. To read about it, .

One student in particular, Brigitte Bayer, isn’t particularly happy about the choice. “I don’t like the mascot at all, because coyotes are vicious, vicious and vicious,” she said. “I preferred the cheetahs because they are fast and move forward like context is doing now.”

Another person with a different view is Lacey Monson, a teacher at Context, and this is what she had to say. “I like the coyotes, but originally I voted for the conquistadors.”

Two others, Isabelle and Max, agree that they “don’t care because it’s just a mascot.”
The origin of the mascot dates back to ancient times. It was believed that a mascot would bring good luck.

There are numerous reasons why a certain mascot would be chosen. Some were chosen with the hope of instilling fear into the hearts of the opposing side. The thought is, simply upon hearing the name of the mascot, the other team would know to expect tough competition.

Wild animals such as tigers, bears, and lions fall into this category. In the 1800s, the mascots chosen were often wild animals. Mascots based on warriors were also chosen for their fear factor, but Native American mascots have been taken out of favor because of the stereotypes they use.

Mythological mascots, including dragons, serpents and Minotaurs, can represent
invincibility, making them another prime mascot.

Sometimes there appears to be no logical thinking at all as to what a mascot should be and is chosen for its looks or the sound of its name.

Despite all the different opinions, coyotes are a perfect mascot for context if you look at the positive side.

Coyotes represent cunning, fitness, motivation and speed, the fact that they have survived for thousands of years is a testimony of their adaptability and cunning.

Coyotes are fast and can run up to 40 mph. They have a keen sence of smell and hearing that allow them to find prey and detect hunters.

Lastly, coyotes are clever. Did you know that they “sing” as a way of long range communications with other groups or with their own? What better animal could we have chose for our mascot?

The coyote is smart, quick, adaptable, and best of all, musical, just like Context students.