Regional high school students will officially begin the upcoming school year with a mascot meant to blow the competition out of the water — or into it.
A decisive vote at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) committee meeting on Monday night sealed the deal for students to purchase a mako shark mascot costume, although whether or not the shark will be the final and only mascot still needs to be ironed out. Monday’s decision was the culmination of months of student effort and toggling between options by the school committee members after a vote to adopt a mascot was tabled, then split by members at multiple meetings this summer.
Bryan Lombardi, new principal of the high school, said: “I think that part of our job in this process is: ‘How do we educate and show students how we make effective change in systems and structures?’” Monday’s meeting was Lombardi’s first as the principal of the school.
The journey to the resolution on what to adopt as a mascot began with a student-run survey in 2022, when character options were voted on. Years later, the results of that survey inspired rising juniors Madison Curelli and Charlotte Cramer to found the Student Spirit Club this past school session and take up the effort. Curelli and Cramer canvassed across the school with a list of potential mascots, such as the mako shark, the osprey, and the tide. Students, teachers, and administrators all cast their votes this winter, and soon, it was down to two in April: the mako shark and the osprey.
Although teachers and administrators were largely in favor of the large raptor, the shark, with its pale blue-gray fins; sharp, jagged teeth’ and message of strength and resilience, won it. When that decision made its way to the MVRHS committee members, however, the administrative process began; one that brought up years of history with a previous mascot, concerns about cost, and a final push to rebrand because of a desire to support the student body. Discussion across the meetings also raised flags for some committee members about the ease of administrative processes in general, with some asking for more structure going forward so that student needs are at the forefront.
“It is only at this table that we fail,” Kathryn Shertzer, school committee member, said on Monday. “Where [are] the checks and balances?” Shertzer said she fully supports the student’s initiative but has spoken out for weeks about the detriments of the drawn-out process administratively. The mako shark mascot adoption, she added, is one of those examples, and she asked that the committee take that seriously and remember it moving forward.
School committee members treaded water mainly because of the presence of a previous, largely unused and mysterious mascot of a fisherman, or fisherperson, as members referred to the figure on Monday. While details about this figure were initially scarce, at the most recent meeting on Monday night, a timeline of the fisherperson mascot emerged.
According to Assistant Principal Justine DeOliveira, a discussion to rebrand the school’s sports teams, who are often referred to as “the Vineyarders,” began in 2019. The classic purple and white colors, which MVRHS is known for, were on the table to be spruced up, and as MVRHS committee members looked into new shades and a more cohesive look, in 2020, they also proposed a new mascot: the fisherperson. But, the chosen mascot was not met with fanfare from students and faculty.
In 2021, a Race Equity Committee requested a meeting with district leadership to urge them to reconsider the fisherperson, saying the mascot didn’t represent the students. That year, Black Lives Matter protests and the “Me Too” movement were a present part of student life, so some equity committee members didn’t feel that a white, male fisherman with a stone-faced look reflected the diverse student population. While administrative discussions continued, MVRHS coaches were instructed to abstain from using the mascot in any of their branding. “That’s where the fisherperson just froze,” DeOliveira said.
Fast forward to this year, and the mako shark has had its fair share of complications because of the previous mascot. But all of that subsided on Monday night. And in an 8-1 vote, with only Shertzer voting nay on the motion, the funding to purchase a costume for the mako shark mascot and adopt it passed.
“It’s something that the students want,” DeOliveira said. “I’ve been so impressed working with the students through this because it’s been such a thorough process [and] such a genuine process.”
Lombardi said that the entire process the students went through is a great learning experience about creating effective change on a local level, which often involves town meetings, presentations, and canvassing. “It says a lot that the students are buying in,” Lombardi said.
What a shame. I congratulate the students and respect the choice they made. They worked hard, followed the process and got what they wanted. I simply would have chosen differently.
Of course an osprey is a predator. My point was never that it is a gentle bird. It is what these animals have come to symbolize. Even this article describes the mako by its “sharp, jagged teeth” and a message of strength and resilience. Why does fierceness and intimidation increasingly seem to be what we look for in a mascot?
I remember back in 1970, when Martha’s Vineyard had only two breeding pairs of osprey. Beginning in 1971, Gus Ben David and others built nesting platforms around the Island. By 2014 there were 83 breeding pairs, and the 2025 count found more than 140. For generations, we have watched them return to our ponds, harbors and shorelines each spring and raise their young.
Makos are found in waters around the world. The Vineyard’s osprey recovery story belongs specifically to this Island. That is why I thought the osprey was the far better choice to represent Martha’s Vineyard.
And then there is that shark mock-up. The image speaks for itself, unfortunately.
Are makos aggressive enough?