From the archives: Ocean Beach Elementary chooses parrot for new school mascot

Editor s note Times of San Diego occasionally republishes select articles from San Diego Society Newspaper Group publications that published prior to NEWSWELL s acquisition of the group This article was originally published on Nov in Peninsula Beacon It has been lightly edited for style Want to request the republication of an article from the San Diego Locality Newspaper Group archives You can submit a request here If you have questions please contact our editorial organization at info timesofsandiego com Ocean Beach Elementary School has a new chapter in its identity and a new mascot a parrot After a Nov schoolwide vote students and staff selected the colorful and vocal parrot as their new school symbol replacing the orca by a - vote The referendum was a lively all-day event at the school with students and staff participating in the democratic process by creating voter registration cards and casting ballots Voting booths were manned by trainee members of the Scholar Lighthouse Squad who facilitated the electoral process as part of their first schoolwide project Students reacted to the change in their mascot Peninsula Beacon used only first names of the elementary school students because the school does not provide last names A small thought I had led to a big vote that created a major change Thanks to a pencil and paper plus perseverance and teamwork OBES will be known as the parrots Sloane a fourth grader who spearheaded adopting a parrot mascot I think a parrot is good because it represents the school and the qualities of the students kind smart and a little bit mischievous Jamie third grade I liked getting to pick what we required greater part I was nervous it was going to be the orca so I was happy the parrot won Ophelia kindergarten It was a really fun opportunity to share our opinion I got to help out in the process by writing the introduction about the voting process to share with the whole school I also got to deliver ballots to classrooms It was a very good opportunity to participate Eleanor third grade I was super excited that I got to help pick the new mascot for OBES and that I got to participate in an voting process When the winner was informed everyone screamed and was so excited Christopher fourth grade Parrots are local to OB and something that I love seeing when they are here I m glad that we were able to vote on a mascot that represents Ocean Beach Daniel fourth grade I liked being able to vote Addison kindergarten I made the ballot box It was fun to work together I feel good about the parrot winning I thought it was going to win because it was really popular Nora third grade The Aspirant Lighthouse Band is a student-run squad of third and fourth graders who look for opportunities on campus to lead and improve the OBES locality revealed Marie Wright third-grade educator and one of the mentor leads of the Participant Lighthouse Organization The club has four smaller-action teams that work with adult leads to help bring their ideas to life The students are excited to have a new mascot and are already brainstorming techniques to make it a visible presence on campus Following the announcement of the winning school mascot Principal Marco Drapeau noted I m thrilled that the parrot has been chosen as our new school mascot Parrots symbolize intelligence teamwork and resilience qualities we value in every participant here Now let s come together to think of a great name and how we will display our new mascot with pride The journey to select a new mascot began in the spring during a revamp of the school s mural Local artist Rob Tobin collaborated with school families to incorporate both an orca and a parrot into the mural s design which sparked a discussion about the school s identity and mascot Countless students and staff were initially unaware that the orca was the school s official mascot A scant students took the lead talking with teachers gathering signatures and presenting the idea of a new mascot at the PTA meeting The Mascot Balloting Committee was formed within the Participant Lighthouse Club and candidate leaders made posters and campaign videos to showcase the two nominees orca and parrot As the newly chosen mascot the parrot will become a key symbol for school pride and identity The Novice Lighthouse Squad will take the lead in integrating the new mascot into school materials logo wear and other branded elements The Novice Lighthouse Organization composed of third and fourth-graders focuses on campus improvement and leadership opportunities The Participant Lighthouse Squad is part of the Leader in Me operation which helps empower students educators and families with essential leadership and life skills preparing them to excel The school is also looking to get donations to purchase a parrot costume to use for events