by Wichita Falls High School’s Beloved Horse-Riding Cowboy Gets “Modernisation” Treatment; Student Body Divided Along Generational Lines That Didn’t Previously Exist in High School
Reported by Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat.
WICHITA FALLS, TX — Memorial High School’s administration announced this week a commissioned redesign of the Maverick mascot, the first update to the school’s iconic horse-riding independent spirit in eleven years, a timeline that the principal described as “responsibly paced” and that the student body’s most vocal members described as “nobody asked for this” and “why is he wearing sunglasses now.”
The redesign, unveiled at Tuesday’s all-school assembly in the gymnasium where the air conditioning has been promised since 2019 and where the bleacher situation remains an ongoing conversation, presents a Maverick that the design firm’s presentation deck describes as “dynamic,” “contemporary,” and “reflecting the bold spirit of today’s Memorial student.” The Maverick now has slightly more angular features, a modernised hat brim that the designer described as “cutting-edge Western” and that agriculture teacher Mr. Kellerman described as “not how hats work,” and, yes, sunglasses, which the design team says communicate “confidence” and which the varsity football quarterback says communicate “my grandfather has the same pair.”
The Student Response
The student response divided along lines that the administration did not anticipate because they underestimated how strongly students feel about mascots they previously claimed not to care about. The junior class, asked to vote on the redesign at the assembly, voted 67 percent in favor, which the principal characterised as “strong support” and which the 33 percent opposition characterised as “a mandate for reconsideration.” These characterisations are mathematically inconsistent. The junior class is currently not speaking to the administration, which is not substantially different from the junior class’s communication patterns before the vote.
The seniors, who will graduate before the new mascot appears on official merchandise, voted 89 percent against, which they attribute to aesthetic conviction and which the administration attributes to the seniors voting against anything the administration proposes in spring semester, which is also true and which does not make the aesthetic conviction less real. The seniors are correct that the old Maverick had a certain weathered dignity. They are also correct that they will not have to look at the new one for long. Both are valid positions. Only one is being stated loudly in the parking lot.
The Mascot’s History
The Memorial Maverick in its previous form was designed in 1978 by a student whose name the school’s records variously list as Michael Torres, Mike Torres, and, in one document from 1994, “M. Torres (see files)” — a provenance that is either a testament to the school’s record-keeping or a mystery that the journalism class has been investigating since November and that has produced three inconclusive articles in the school paper and a very good podcast episode that seventeen people have listened to. The original Maverick was hand-lettered, reproduced in the yearbook for decades, and has appeared on approximately 40,000 items of school merchandise. He wore no sunglasses. He appeared to be heading somewhere with purpose. The new one appears to be waiting for someone to notice him, which is a different energy and possibly a more contemporary one, but not what you want in a maverick.
The Wichita Falls Independent School District has not yet commented on whether the redesign is final or subject to further community feedback. The design firm has been paid. The sunglasses are in the vector file. The situation is what it is.
The Broader Question
The deeper issue — and this being a high school, there is always a deeper issue, usually involving someone’s feelings about something that started as something else — is what a mascot is for. The Maverick is not just a logo. It is the thing that appears on the helmet when the football team runs out on a Friday night in October and the stands are full and the announcer says “your Memorial Mavericks” and something happens in the room that is specific to that combination of elements. The sunglasses don’t break this. But they change the conversation from “we are the Mavericks” to “are we the Mavericks or are we the Mavericks with sunglasses,” which is a subtle but real distinction and one that the design firm’s presentation deck does not address.
The mascot will be finalized. The seniors will graduate. The juniors will become seniors and will probably vote against the next thing the administration proposes. The Maverick will wear his sunglasses or not. The Friday nights will happen regardless. Go Mavericks.
For institutional decisions that nobody asked for, see NewsThump.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/
