NOVEMBER 12, 2009 NEWS RELEASE - McGivney Mascot Voting May Prove to be a Tight Race
Glen Carbon, IL – Father McGivney Catholic High School has asked the community to help make an important decision – should McGivney be known as the Golden Knights, the Griffins, the Patriots, or the Saints? Since October 15th, parents, students, families, and the general public have been submitting their votes online to support their favorite mascot for southern Madison county’s new Catholic high school scheduled to open in fall 2011 in Glen Carbon.
Over 100 different submissions were narrowed down to the final four choices on McGivney’s website (www.frmcgivney.com). Now it is up to the community to make the final call. “With over 1,000 votes submitted so far, there is certainly no clear winner, but there has been a consistent favorite,” reported Diane Villhard, PR and Marketing Committee Chairperson, “It’s a great way to give the community a chance to get involved in McGivney. A school’s mascot helps define who they are, and we have four really appropriate, meaningful options for McGivney’s future students and teams.” Voting will be open until November 30th, so there is still time to vote online.
Each mascot choice is defined on the voting page of the McGivney website (www.frmcgivneyhs.com) and lists other IHSA schools with the same mascot and possible colors to go with each option. Each registered email address is allowed only one vote, and the mascot with the most votes will be subject to diocesan approval and announced by the end of the year.
Golden Knights reference the Knights of Columbus, the fraternity founded by the high school’s namesake, Father Michael McGivney. As a defender of faith and honor, the Golden Knight would make a fitting mascot. Griffins are legendary creatures that have the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. The Griffin has historically represented Jesus Christ, who was both divine and human, and the intimidating figure is often seen as a guardian or protector. Patriots have a passionate love of country, just as Father McGivney did. In fact, Patriotism is one of the four pillars of his Knights of Columbus and of the high school’s mission. Although Father McGivney has not yet been canonized, he is on track for becoming a Saint as soon as within two years from now. A fighting Saint – depicting the confident, strong men and women who have been canonized for defending their faith – might prove to be a powerful image as a mascot.
Local Catholic grade school students (St. Boniface and St. Mary in Edwardsville, St. John Neumann in Maryville, Ss. Peter & Paul in Collinsville, St. Elizabeth and Holy Family in Granite City, and St. Paul in Highland) voted at school online at a special website just for them to make sure the future students of McGivney have a strong voice in the mascot choice. “We designed a special voting page which doesn’t require any personal registration information from kids. It protects the students’ identities while still giving Kindergarteners through eighth graders a chance to pick their future mascot,” explained Diane Villhard.
Father McGivney Catholic High School is named in honor of the Venerable Father Michael McGivney, an American parish priest and founder of the Knights of Columbus. To learn more about Father McGivney Catholic High School or make a donation to the campaign, visit www.frmcgivneyhs.com.
Contact: Diane Villhard, PR/Marketing Chairperson, Father McGivney Catholic High School, 618-531-6172 or diane@EdwardsvilleOnline.com
