Legislature Finalizes School Mascot Renaming Plan

Gives In to the Demands of HETA - Animals No Longer to be Used as Mascots

HETA protesters outside the Capitol Building in Charleston. Many members of the West Virginia Legislature feared that the members of HETA might make good on their threat - actually appear in the nude in public. "That would be the most disgusting and unthinkable calamity to beset the citizens of West Virginia imaginable. We just couldn't risk it, and thought it best to give in to their demands."

High schools with animal mascots will be required to change to fruit and vegetable mascots no later than September 1, 2009. As explained by the government spokesman "The biggest hurdle was to find a fair way to assign the fruit and vegetable mascots to each school. All the schools wanted to use the more desirable food names such as artichoke and bananna. We didn't want to end up with 30 schools all claiming to be the top banana." For that reason, fruit and vegetable mascot names were assigned by the legislature. Partial List of Schools with New Mascot Assignments School Old Mascot New Mascot Grafton Bearcats Green Beans Bluefield Beavers Blueberries East Fairmont Bees Eggplants South Charleston Black Eagles Blackberries Brooke Bruins Brussels Sprouts Martinsburg Bulldogs Mangos Philip Barbour Colts Rhubarbs Capital Cougars Cantalopes Jefferson Cougars Tomatoes Lincoln Cougars Legumes Braxton County Eagles Bell Peppers Hedgesville Eagles Jalapenos Magnolia Eagles Blossoms Robert C. Byrd Eagles Beets Frankfort Falcons Figs Woodrow Wilson Flying Eagles Watermelons Oak Glen Golden Bears Acorns Nicholas County Grizzlies Ramps South Harrison Hawks Strawberries University Hawks Endives Herbert Hoover Huskies Hickory Nuts North Marion Huskies Mulberries Clay County Panthers Collard Greens Lincoln County High Panthers Lemons Pikeview Panthers Potatoes Fairmont Senior Polar Bears Pole Beans Elkins Tigers Escaroles Princeton Tigers Parsnips Shady Spring Tigers Soy Beans Wirt County Tigers Pinto Beans Spring Valley Timberwolves Dandelions Wahama White Falcons Artichokes Logan Wildcats Lima Beans Meadow Bridge Wildcats Chestnuts Nitro Wildcats Glycerins Moorefield Yellow Jackets Mush Melons Williamstown Yellow Jackets Walnuts