WCHS has been promoting harmful stereotypes for too long, and students have agreed that it is time for a change. While having a bulldog as a mascot may seem innocent, the true injustice of this choice has been hidden. Students have long been protesting this key issue for many reasons, including the rocky history of why bulldogs can be mascots in the first place. The MCPS community has had a rough time dealing with the legacy of the bulldog and agrees that it is time for a change.
Mascots are the visual embodiment of a school’s values, usually meant to inspire positive qualities in students like strength and cleverness. These symbols are culturally understood to be essential to a school and communities identity. WCHS believed that a bulldog had aspirational traits, and used it as its chosen motif. However, WCHS junior Max Scott and many other students believe it is wrong for WCHS to use a symbol of violence and abuse as their representative.
“It just feels wrong. Bulldogs have been stereotyped as these violent dogs for so long and it feels wrong to encourage it,” Scott said. “All the [depictions] of bulldogs at school are big snarling dogs, ready to tear into someone. That kind of [imagery] causes people to hate these innocent animals, or be scared of them. Don’t you think it makes bulldogs sad when they don’t have any friends because people hate them?”
On the flip side, some of WCHS’ community disagree with the coming change and are staying loyal to their mascot. Despite the bulldogs’ controversial past, WCHS alumnus Bill Doug is convinced that the school can move forward and believes the issue is not that serious.
“It’s just a dog,” Doug said. “I have kids at this school and I like to think that they are smart enough to understand that bulldogs are just like any other dog. Besides, the bulldog is a part of Churchill’s history, you can’t just take it away.”
Doug was a part of WCHS’ athletic department as the mascot in 1987. He has been an inactive WCHS community member until the 2024 school year, as he is now making his intentions clear through his recent election to head of the PTA and creating a petition to MCPS against a new mascot. Doug has been very vocal, especially now in the face of the replacement that students have taken upon themselves to implement.
After being contacted through his Twitter by several student activists, including Scott himself, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill has agreed to be WCHS’ new mascot. After the offer was made, Churchill made an announcement on his Twitter to 1.3 million followers, explaining this latest development.
“The nose of a bulldog is slanted backward so he can continue to breathe without letting go,” Churchill said.
Ultimately it was Churchill’s agreement to this offer that encouraged WCHS to cut all funding to the media center, which has redirected WCHS for a total rebranding. The next five years of the budget will be allocated toward repaintings, new athletic uniforms and a program to educate students on harmful stereotypes. Scott is pioneering this program to create a smooth transition to WCHS’ new mascot.
“I hope that everyone can come to understand and support this decision,” Scott said. “It’s time for Churchill to get woke.”
