The long-awaited mascot was picked and the high schoolers and teachers have cast their votes: the mako shark won. Last month, that is.
The delay in implementing the new costume, school spirit, and logo design is a short series of tabled or split votes from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) Committee, a board of nine members.
The MVRHS committee met on June 1 and on Monday to vote on possible adoption of the chosen mascot, which would include providing funds for the students to purchase a mako shark costume and merch. However, the committee cited hesitation to abandon the former mascot in both meetings, which according to them, was “the Fisherman.” That figure, however, has left virtually no trace in student life. The MVRHS students who started the initiative for a new mascot even included an option for “Fisherman” in their poll, and it received few votes.
The initiative for a new mascot was started by two sophomore students, Madison Curelli and Charlotte Cramer, the founders of the school’s Spirit Club at the start of the school year. Curelli and Cramer conducted a survey of students and faculty with a list of mascot options, with a final list of the mako shark, the osprey, and the tide.
The final two were the shark and osprey. The mako shark won 54 percent of votes and the osprey won 46 percent. The Spirit Club stated the shark was chosen because it’s a symbol of resilience, and the animal’s intelligence and athleticism sets it apart.
Some committee members said that the issues facing the mascot adoption should be more cut and dry. “If there’s a problem with the fisherman, let’s call a spade a spade,” school committee member Amy Houghton said in Monday’s meeting.
And administrators who work directly with the high schoolers urged the committee to move forward with the mako shark.
“These younger grades want to build school spirit,” said Justine DeOliveira, the MVRHS vice principal. “I think they would be thrilled to just purchase the costume.”
A motion was proposed to allow the students to purchase the mako shark costume, but it didn’t pass. Amy Houghton, Elliot Bennett (a new committee member, representing Edgartown), and Rizwan Malik abstained from voting, Kathryn Shertzer voted it down, and Sarah Murphy, Martha Shufrin, and Skipper Manter voted yes.
Interim principal Sean Mulvey, who is returning to his position as an MVRHS counselor after this school year, said students and faculty have had conversations about the fisherman mascot recently, and that there’s “a lot of concern” regarding how well it represents the student body. The stoic nature of the mascot was a point of contention for students, according to Mulvey, who said “it’s not a smiling person,” and not a “cheerful thing.”
“Sometimes, it’s a swing and a miss, and this one didn’t stick,” Mulvey said of the fisherman.