Almost every college in the U.S. has a mascot. Many teams in professional sports have beloved mascots too. Most high schools have a mascot represented by a logo, but not all of them have a physical mascot to complement the logo and bring the name to life on the field or court. Mascots, especially in high school sports, try to hype up the crowd and get them to have a fun time while supporting the team they are rooting for. When finding a student to take on the role of the school mascot, the activities and athletics department might try to find someone who is outgoing and not afraid to be a little embarrassing at times.
The history of the Columbia Heights High School (CHHS) Hylander mascot is varied and often hard to pin down. In a 2008 issue of The Heights Herald, a story by Anna Hord on the front page of the Heights Herald describes the scene at the start of a football game: “The crowd begins to cheer as a group of boys run onto the field. They’re all wearing plaid skirts and pom poms.” The past generations of Heights students prove that Homecoming Week has been at the center of this tradition, and Hord brought it to light in her story, even if she misnamed the iconic Scottish kilts as skirts. We have had a few others try to be mascots as “Scotty” dogs and cheerleaders who have been integral to hyping the crowd up at various sporting events, but they were not exactly the classic Hylander.
For the past two years, CHHS has had a student-nominated mascot. The student chosen to wear the Hylander mascot outfit this year is senior Friday Lee, who is also a boys’ swim and dive captain). Lee has gone shirtless, donned a kilt and worn blue and gold body paint to transform into the Hylander at a few varsity football games this year already, running up and down the track alongside the field whenever the home team scores and leading the crowd in chants and cheers. Lee also plans to go to more sporting events as the mascot for winter and spring sports, including boys’ varsity basketball games at home. In addition to that unmistakable plaid blue and yellow kilt, he also wears a tartan scarf across his chest and carries around a Heights flag hoisted high in the air.
“Having Friday as the mascot is great [because] he brings amazing vibes and includes everyone,” Davian Harris (12) said. “During the homecoming game, [he] was asking people what he should do for each touchdown in addition to running down the field.”
From doing pushups on command to shouting from the fences, Lee has done an outstanding job already by being very outgoing and interactive, leaving all humility at the door to put on an entertaining show and encourage the most from Hylanders in the bleachers and on the field.
Last year’s mascot was senior Siloh McGovern (a junior at the time) for a few football games—the first CHHS mascot since before the COVID-19 pandemic McGovern decided to be the mascot simply because his friends on the football team asked him to, so he took on the role of the Hylander effortlessly. The reintroduction of the mascot proved crucial to helping others to enjoy the experience, and McGovern enjoyed it in like kind. At the end of his junior year, he decided and started a new tradition that the Hylander mascot duties should be passed on to a new student every year.
“Being [a] mascot is a super fun way to get to know people and overall is just a fun night every time,” mascot Friday Lee (12) said. “I used to be very lacking in self-confidence when I started high school, so it’s cool to see that kind of switch.”
When Lee took the role of the Hylander in his senior year, he said he would continue what McGovern did by passing it on to another student for the 2025-2026 school year. So if you’re interested, consider approaching Lee—he’s a friendly face who would love to tell you about what it’s like to be the Hylander mascot. Being able to see the Hylander at sports events for Columbia Heights has been and will continue to be a unique and exciting experience, especially with this new tradition set to continue.
