What started as a casual discussion has grown into a Columbia Heights Public Schools (CHPS) district committee formed to pursue change in an area of education that has proven quite controversial. No, it’s not test scores. It’s not book banning either. It’s…the school mascot! Our Hylander representative is currently seen as a Scottish man wearing a kilt, carrying bagpipes and repping our school colors—blue and gold. This image, however, has slowly drifted out of circulation, and two potential possibilities are officially on the table: a Scottie dog—or Scottish terrier, which is an even older mascot for the schools on record (but didn’t last long, as very little information is available anymore), and a warrior.
In either case, CHPS isn’t exactly looking for a new mascot in the traditional sense, but rather simply a new face for the Hylander name. Aside from an ancient-looking logo found on Facebook and MaxPreps.com, the only kind of district-sanctioned mascot is the bare-chested male student wearing a kilt at football games and sometimes other sporting events, hyping up the crowd and running the school flag when a team scores. Alumnus Friday Lee (Class of 2025) was last year’s mascot, and just recently, Vaughn Granlund, a current senior at Columbia Heights High School (CHHS)—and full disclosure, an editor for the Heights Herald, was spotted giving the mascot vibe at the Hylander homecoming game this year.
“We want our mascot to be something that our student body connects with,” CHHS Principal Todd Wynne said, “But it’s always going to be a Hylander. No one has any interest in changing it from being a Hylander.”
Other members of the committee, which includes multiple staff and community members, confirmed to the Heights Herald that they are looking for a more inclusive and welcoming mascot to truly represent our school. Rather than having the typical teenage boy running around the field in face paint and no top, CHPS is hoping for something more consistent to use in upcoming years and events. Having it be geared towards multiple groups of people regardless of age, race, gender or any other identity is of the utmost importance during this conversation and in advance of any decision.
CHHS, where the majority of CHPS sporting events are held, is home to a massive community of diverse learners, not to mention a staff that deeply cares about said diversity. Having the mascot be a particular individual simply wouldn’t show or represent what it truly means to be a Hylander, as it has become a concept that encompasses so much. Ideally, the committee is hoping for a gender-neutral figure inclusive to all grades K-12 and be a strong representation of the common traits that make up a Hylander, which is arguably up for debate after years of varying themes, mottos, slogans and acronyms across all six schools in the district.
Wynne, ultimately, was the leader to take the stance to start a discussion towards that new change. In late 2024, there was a meeting held to discuss the mascot matter. Wynne compiled a group of people to this meeting, wanting a variety of different perspectives and voices to be heard. Many people were involved in the discussion, such as CHPS Superintendent Zene Stenvik, other administrators, multiple former alumni, coaches, teachers and some current students. They all met for the first time to share their thoughts on the current mascot.
“I think it would be a good idea to change or update the school mascot,” Xavier Vital-Schwartz (10) said. “Currently, the person changes every year, and a more consistent one would help identify and signify our school more.”
With the help of all these individuals, the committee landed on a consensus that the mascot needs an official change. This became the first step towards a final decision, but with no solid or concise idea in mind, the brainstorming began. The Scottie dog and warrior concepts were the first to be considered, and since the committee agreed that the conversation should be as open to the community as possible, outreach beyond the group started with giving out flyers with QR codes during homecoming week in search of a collective response about these two options.
Although there is no set timeline or expected release date of the official new mascot image or costume, the committee is hoping that sometime next year during the celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the city of Columbia Heights is still feasible. In the meantime, Wynne plans on continuing to elicit student, staff and parent opinions to see what choices could be considered for the planned mascot change.
A third contender entered the proverbial ring when staff at CHHS reminded each other and Wynne that the school speech team, coached by English teacher Ms. Rachel Mann and choir and theater teacher Mr. Nick Hollerman, has its own informal Hylander mascot: a stuffed Highland cow named Magnus. Several teachers showed support for this wild card possibility by displaying small rubber Highland cows on their desks in response.
If you or others are interested in seeing and discussing the upcoming mascot change, reach out to Wynne and share your thoughts. Our community would love to hear it. Above all, even with this change, here’s hoping it can bring our community closer together and encourage more spirit amongst our student body. Roll on, Heights!
