Every school has a mascot and every mascot has a story. When a school is founded, it is up to the staff or a delegation to select a mascot that will fit the school and represent the campus with pride.

Under the leadership of Ron Hudson, FC’s first superintendent, the eagle was chosen as the campus mascot in 1977. This process of choosing the mascot was a result of Hudson asking students to draw the mascot of their choice.

According to current campus superintendent Tim Wilkins, the school at the time was a kindergarten through 7th grade, so some of the drawings were creative, varied and often amusing. In the end, the students voted for an eagle to represent them. Wilkins believed that Hudson would have been exultant with this choice anyways.

The colors were chosen in the very same way. The school chose maroon and gold as school colors. This surprised the staff because elementary students do not normally think of these colors. Popular colors often chosen are blue and white, or red and blue. Hudson guessed that they had chosen these colors after a sports team.

Most schools debate between mascots that best fit their school, although the campus mascot was chosen anonymously. According to Wilkins, choosing the mascot was not a controversial issue; it was very clear that God wanted the school to be the Eagles.

Over the years the campus has updated the colors due to the coaches preferences for sports uniforms. The accented colors include white, gray and black.

“I think that the choice of the eagle was very biblical,” Wilkins said. “I would never want our school mascot to change because the beginnings of our school need to be preserved. I hope we don’t change a significant decision such as the mascot of our school for 26 years over a month-long fad.”

Wilkins believed that the foundation of a Christian school is the school verse. The campus verse is Isaiah 49:11: “I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.” The verse was the last piece that finished the puzzle of the founding of a school perfectly.

The eagle is also reflected in Isaiah 40:31. “…The LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” For many the verse also shows the strength of the mascot and their reliance on God.

“It doesn’t bother me that other schools are eagles too because they have nothing on us,” Katie Haskins, ?03 said. “An eagle is a top preditor. But, if I could pick other colors for our school, I would probably choose to be blue and white.”

Many of the students said that they like the school colors, but it would be cool if they could pick them on their own. Although, when it came down to choosing another color, most did not really have any thing else in mind.

“I like the maroon but not the gold; I think that it should be maroon and gray,” Clinton Jeffries, ’04, said. “I also think it would be cool if our student body could pick the mascot, although we might end up with some funny animal. So in that case, I like the eagle.”

Mascots represent schools in unique different ways. The schools mascot has meaning and substance behind it and signifies the campus and, for many, adds self-respect.

“I like our mascot because it symbolizes our Christian school and our faith extremely well,” Afshin Saffarzadah, ’05, said. “It does not really bother me that we share the eagle mascot with other schools, because our school is not like other schools.”

Throughout the year, The Feather will highlight other aspects of campus life in celebration of the school’s 25th year anniversary.