Op-Ed: Panther Pride? — Archer’s mascot needs an update

By Cat Oriel and Cybele Zhang|May 24, 2018

Archer’s mascot, the Panther, demonstrates its team spirit during the game. Leyla Namazie ’17 and Kaia Turowski ’17 each took turns in the Panther suit for the night. Photo by Meghan Marshall ’17.

From the NFL’s Carolina Panthers to the 2018 blockbuster movie “Black Panther,” there have been a lot of panthers in the media recently.

But does this large cat really encapsulate what it means to be an Archer girl?

You’ve probably seen the mascot posing in the Winter Wonderland photo booth or parading the field during half-time of a soccer game. Someone might put up a “panther paw” during an assembly to get the crowd to quiet down. Panthers are often associated with aggression, power and courage. Although these traits can be positive, we believe that the current mascot does not capture the true spirit of Archer.

Archer’s identity is inherently feminist and tied to Greco-Roman mythology. The school itself is named for Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt and protectress of women. Mythological names are already abundant at our school: The Arrow, The Artemis Magazine, Hestia’s Flame, The Oracle, etc.

So why does this theme not continue into our mascot?

Many meaningful symbols are associated with the goddess Diana. Some of our favorite options are the Heroes, the Stars (which would also pay tribute to the original Eastern Star Home), the Hunters or the Arrows.

These are just a few of the potential options, which are more connected to Archer’s history and feminist, mythological identity, and there are many other options that could be interesting to discuss. Revamping our mascot would also work well with our new athletics logo of Diana.

Ultimately our goal isn’t for the two of us to decide on our official new mascot but to rather open the up conversation regarding a potential change to the entire community. Archer is a unique school with a strong identity. It’s time we have a mascot that reflects that.

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As part of Archer’s active and engaged community, the Editorial Board welcomes reader comments and debate and encourages community members to take ownership of their opinions by using their names when commenting. However, in order to ensure a diverse range of opinions, the editorial board does allow anonymous comments on articles as long as the perspective cannot be obtained elsewhere, and they are respectful and relevant. We do require a valid, verified email address, which will not be displayed, but will be used to confirm your comments. Because we are a 6-12 school, the Editorial Board reserves the right to omit profanity and content that we deem inappropriate for our audience. We do not publish comments that serve primarily as an advertisement or to promote a specific product. Comments are moderated and may be edited in accordance with the Oracle’s profanity policy, but the Editorial Board will not change the intent or message of comments. They will appear once approved.

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