Aiken High is accentuating all of its new looks with a piece of its athletics past.
The school gathered its student-athletes Monday evening to introduce to them one of many new pieces of the athletic department – a mascot.
It's been years since Aiken High last had a Hornet mascot, and the school is taking the opportunity now to bring it back to go along with its new administrators and coaches.
"It's about school pride. It just doesn't resonate with one team – we want to permeate the whole school, as far as Hornet pride," said Michael Hall, Aiken High's new booster club president. "One of the biggest things when I was growing up was, you always had that mascot out there. That mascot ran around all the time, and we kind of want that mascot to be seen and want it to be accessible. We want the little kids ... to start recognizing Aiken High through the Hornet."
Head volleyball coach Malynda Young will coach the student mascot, and there will be tryouts for the position.
In addition to needing a student to wear the mascot costume, there's something else Aiken High needs – a name for its mascot, and the school is asking for the community's help. Aiken High is welcoming suggestions for the new mascot's name, and those entries can be sent to Young by Sept. 1 at myoung@acpsd.net.
"It kind of incorporates what we're trying to do with getting the whole community back into one platform where Aiken High is the goal," said Hall. "... The end result is way bigger than all the parts, and if we get everybody back on board then I think the train is moving in the right direction. The coaches are on board, administrators are on board, staff is on board, students are on board."
