In these opening years I've had the opportunity to share the brief history of our school with freshmen in Theology classes. In the Q&A that follows, students routinely ask about our mascot name, the Lions. Perhaps you've wondered, too.
Here's the thought process:
First, an essential prerequisite: No other Cape schools share the mascot name Lions. Also, we need something short, owing to our lengthy proper name. And, our colors, royal blue and gold (from the Papal shield of JPII), need to make sense when matched with a newly-chosen nickname.
Mostly, of course, we want to say something about our school and Pope John Paul II. The Lion exudes greatness. So did Pope John Paul II. In his later years, he was frequently referred to as "The Lion in Winter." Such greatness, rooted in discipline, achievement, and humility, marked the man. This form of greatness marks the ambitions of Pope John Paul II High School, as well.
So there it is. The rationale behind "the Lions" [fun fact: Falcons was an early front-runner, owing to the falcon's presence on the Polish national flag. Alas, Mashpee HS beat us too it.].
Let's take this one step further. Because I (a) apparently have too much time on my hands, and (b) take an interest in school names, I googled all secondary schools named in memory of Pope John Paul II to see what their mascot names are. Here they are:
Eagles (Boca Raton, FL & Puget Sound, WA)
Knights (Hendersonville, TN)
Jaguars (Slidell, LA)
Cardinals (Plano, TX)
Panthers (Tallahassee, FL & Toronto, ON)
Centurions (Corpus Christi, TX)
Stay Tuned! (Upper Providence Township, PA & Jasper, IN)
Knights (medieval), Cardinals (good one!), and Centurions (Rome), I get. The others, not sure. As for the Lions (Hyannis, MA), now you know.
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