By Emma Porter
McNicholas High School has always been known for its mascot, the Rocket, but this year, changes are being made to the physical representation of the mascot.
Since the all-girls’ school of St. Joseph Academy became what is now known as the co-ed school of McNicholas High School in 1951, the mascot has been the Rocket, but in more recent years, this physical Rocket mascot has disappeared. Students have wondered where the mascot went and have been anticipating its comeback, but now a new mascot is in the making. Teacher, Student Culture Coordinator, and Assistant Football Coach Mr. Todd Naumann stated, “Getting it right was our top-priority . We’ve been patiently walking through this process in hopes that this new mascot will be sustainable and around for a while.”
The reason that a new physical mascot is being created is to give a sense of newness to the school. According to Naumann, this new mascot’s purpose is to help bring school spirit to life.
Student leaders, administration, and the communications department were all involved in the making of this new mascot. The idea was to make something both fun and tangible for all students.
Senior students have expressed that they have been waiting for this new mascot’s arrival for quite some time now. Senior Olivia Dorschug said, “A couple years ago, my brother got to wear the Rocket Man, who was the original mascot [costume], at Saint Bernadette and got to pose and stuff, so that’s always been an early memory ingrained in my mind from before I even went to McNick. I think bringing back a mascot is going to be a nice throw back.”
Senior Carter Kent shared a similar experience. “My first three years here, we hadn’t had a mascot. In second to third grade, I remember coming to McNick’s basketball games and seeing the mascot. Since then, I’d always wondered where it had gone, I think that younger students will have a lot of fun getting involved with the new mascot,” Kent said.
It has been years since McNicholas High School has had a physical mascot to associate with. In fact, the previous mascot, Rocket Man, has not been seen around the school since before the pandemic.
This new mascot brings an opportunity to show off school spirit during sporting events, pep rallies, and more, according to Naumann.
Naumann said he hopes that Orbit, the new mascot, will bring a sense of newness to the school, and stay constant throughout the years of McNicholas High School. While the debut date of Orbit is still to be determined, the Rocket mascot Orbit will be showing their face soon.
The McNicholas Milestone 