Mascot Musings from Peter Davies, Lower School Principal

When Mrs. Davies and I we were shopping for plants for the entrance to the Lower School several years ago, we found something that we just could not resist, the surprisingly realistic looking bulldog who greets everyone as they enter the Lower School. We  just had to have him at the end of the bridge because the bulldog is Dwight-Englewood’s mascot. Since that time, she ( I am not sure why we always  assume a bulldog is a he.) has spent so much time outdoors that last spring one of the fourth grade classes had to give him a much needed new coat of paint.

Fourth-grade model for outdoor sculpture piece

I assume that the picking of a mascot is a deliberate choice, reflecting the character and culture of a school. One of my children’s colleges had a Huskie as mascot, which I can understand. Another had a Beaver, which, considering its engineering orientation, also makes sense. Another had a mud hen mascot, which I can only interpret as part of her college’s culture was that it has a good sense of humor. My other daughter’s college only had the color crimson as a “mascot.” I guess they were above the whole idea of mascots.

Fourth-grade paper sculpture

Over the six years that I spent heading the admissions office at D-E earlier in my career, it became clear to me pretty quickly that there were certain qualities that stood out, way above others, in determining which students would be a good match for Dwight-Englewood. It was not always the student who had the highest test scores, but those who had the most “stick-to-itiveness” and tenacity that were the best fit - exactly the same characteristics that are associated with bulldogs! At D-E, we encourage, value, scaffold and reward self-direction, resolution, stick-to-itiveness, tenacity and courage, for it is individuals with these qualities, natural or learned, who are not easily discouraged when they think something is the right thing to do, when their creative idea is not at first accepted by others, or when things just do not work out perfectly the first time.

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