A Winged Mascot Takes Flight
Leonardtown Adopts the Osprey

By Jenna Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 14, 2008

For years, the "little tornado man" had served Leonardtown Elementary School well as a mascot, symbolizing the school's theme, a "Whirlwind of Learning." But staff members and parents thought an aggressively whirling storm that causes death and destruction was perhaps not the most appropriate image.

So, with a $17.5 million renovation wrapping up this summer, school officials decided it was time for the mascot to get a makeover as well.

"There just was some negative connotation with a tornado and the power it has," said Principal Denise Eichel. A tornado ravaged La Plata in 2002.

"With a new school, we were ready for a new mascot," she said. "And no one was really attached to the old one."

In the spring, Eichel asked students to submit ideas for a mascot to replace the little tornado man. A committee of parents and teachers reviewed the suggestions.

Several students wanted the blue crab, but the crustacean was taken by the only charter school in St. Mary's County. Other county schools had dibs on more traditional mascots, such as eagles.

So the students had to become a little more creative, voting for ladybugs, Labradors and orioles. Many students suggested the osprey, a bird of prey that flies over Southern Maryland waterways, feasting on fish. The mascot committee liked that idea.

"We wanted to go with the idea of 'soaring high,' " Eichel said.

Students then had the opportunity to draw pictures of what they thought the mascot should look like. The school's art teacher came up with a sketch that will be used.

The school's slogan also had to be rewritten. Rather than the tornado-themed "Whirlwind of Learning," the osprey will be shown with its wings spread on top of a scroll inscribed with the motto "Learning, Experiencing, Succeeding."