By Don Murtha
Silverton High School’s mascot is saying goodbye to gray hair and hello to orange.
This summer, the Fox mascot has undergone a major makeover – one desperately needed since the last time it was freshened up was 35 years ago.
The aged costume is coming apart at the seems, it stinks inside, the person wearing it can’t see through the slots intended to be eyes – basically, the mascot uniform is a raggedy image of its former self.
And no one wants to wear it.
So, as his senior project, Raven Herring decided to replace it with a bright new costume, no easy feat considering the cost.
Silverton High School Principal Mark Hannan said Herring was up to the challenge.
“Raven is a hard worker. He is very visible around the campus and very popular. He is a leader. That’s why he was elected student body president last spring,” Hannan said.
Herring proposed his project to Hannan last spring.
“Having worn the old costume as principal, I knew what it was like and I knew Raven so I encouraged him,” Hannan said. “I even offered to pledge half of the cost out of the Associated Student Body (ASB) fund.”
The new costume is being fashioned on the image of the Fox icon displayed around the new Silverton High School campus.
“It will have a helmet for the head; the tail will stand up instead of dragging around on the floor like the old one. It will have a muscular body like the Fox mascot character,” Herring said.
The fund raising was conducted over the summer. The goal was $2,000.
“It was pretty amazing,” Hannan said. “They raised more than they needed and they did it in two weeks.”
“The Traegers donated a Traeger barbecue and we raffled it at $5 a ticket. The Homer Davenport people allowed us to set up a booth at Homer Davenport Days and the Rotary Club and Hi-School Pharmacy chipped in. We also had a booth at the Farmers’ Market in Silverton and at First Friday downtown,” Herring said.
The fundraising exceeded the goal.
“In two weeks we raised $2,110 and we didn’t need the money from the school,” Herring said. “We got help from family and friends, students and former students and even some who will be coming in as freshmen this year.”
Herring said he hopes to have the new costume by start of school. It will be featured at Homecoming, with the football game and Homecoming festivities beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30.
Herring has plans for the mascot.
“As student body president, I want to have the costume at every event – football, basketball, swimming, soccer, track and every possible program,” Herring said. “I want the people at the events to know they are supported. That they are not forgotten. The Fox mascot will be a source of pride for us.”
With the old costume, it was hard to get volunteers to wear it, Herring said. The new one should have volunteers lined up to be the Fox mascot.
