Once I Graduate I Think I Should Be The New Mascot 

I think I, MGallagher should be Oak Hill High School’s new mascot. It’s a long shot I know, but I have my reasonings. For as long as I can remember, we have been the Oak Hill Raiders, the raccoons, the trash pandas as some may even say. And I think with me graduating I should be the new mascot.  I’ve gone to this school district since day one. I’d be a good and new representation for the music and theater kids (Sports have had their time to shine for a while). I was a part of the Civil Rights team when I went to Oak Hill. I want kids to understand you can be different. I can be a symbol of diversity. I have so many stories from this school that I could tell. Sure, maybe you don’t want a human person’s face as your mascot but how about this then: a dragon. Dragons are my favorite animals and are a sign of fantasy and things you can only dream of. Before anyone starts thinking that I hated being a Raider and know nothing of school spirit, I do! I participated in Homecoming all four years, the Winter Carnival, and the Spring Fling. Those were all things I loved and looked forward to each year of being a Raider. I loved being a Raider. I have so many fond memories of Oak Hill that I never want to leave behind. Did you know that I even went to a football game… It was only once but it counts! Right here right now I could tell you ten Things I loved about being a Raider. 

 Number one: I love the unity that happens during weeks like Homecoming, Winter Carnival, and Spring Fling! Everyone was together, everyone was dressed up, and everyone spoke to each other! Sure we were a little competitive but that’s okay! Because, at the end of the day, we knew that we were Raiders. Together. 

Number two: The teachers make this school everything. I genuinely can’t think of who I would be if I didn’t have the teachers I had that helped me be who I am. 

Number three: This school let me find who I am. I hear a lot of people from Lewiston or Gardiner say rude things about this school and say “Man I’m glad I never went to Oak Hill” but they are so wrong. I’m a trans man and I’m going to be graduating and going to lengths that I never knew was possible. I found a path of being a screenwriter and a director. I always thought that I’d have to be one thing but now I know that’s not it. Maybe I could have found that at another school but I tried and I don’t think I could have. I like to believe that the only place for me was Oak Hill. 

Number four: The cafeteria food isn’t as bad as everyone says and I appreciate our lovely Oak Hill cafeteria staff for making lunch edible. 

Number five: This is where my family is from. My mom and my dad both went here. They were high school sweethearts. My siblings are soon to follow me out of here. My cousin went here, my Aunt went here, my Mimi went here. It holds a place near and dear in my heart.

I want to talk about some of the five things that I’m proud of myself as a Raider that I accomplished. Number six: In my senior year I got into the SATB All-State choir. From a quick Google search, I found that there are around 79,404 teens in the state of Maine.  Only 243 kids got into All-State Choir. I was one of them. I think that means Oak Hill did something right there. 

Number seven: I wrote a play that was performed for our One-Act Festival during my senior year. We didn’t win but it was a wonderful learning experience and I don’t know any other school that would have let me do that. 

Number eight: I came up with the idea for civil rights to donate money to the Trevor Project during my junior year. They are an organization that focuses on the prevention of suicide for queer teens. It was also my idea my senior year to donate money to OUT Maine a local organization that helps queer youth find who they are and communities that welcome them with open arms. 

Number nine: I was in all theater and music productions throughout my four years of high school and while juggling drama and music during my freshman and sophomore years I took eight classes, junior year: seven classes, and senior year: five classes. 

Number ten: High School. I accomplished High School. Probably the hardest thing I’m going to do… until College. Kids are mean and school is hard and family is tough but I made it through High School. If you asked ten-year-old me if I was going to be standing here now he would have said no way.

Well… I guess I just proved my point. I love being a Raider. I love being a raccoon. I love being a trash panda. Maybe I just don’t want it to end. I don’t want High School to be over. Sure kids were mean but I had my school. Maybe I’m trying to erase it all, forget the good times I had, and create something new. But as I look at the ten things I love about Oak Hill I know that’s not what I want. I mean a dragon sounds like a cool mascot, but, we are the Raiders. We are the raccoons. It almost feels like a little piece of my identity. When I go to college in the fall I’m going to be sad to leave high school behind but when I become a black bear I’m going to think of a black bear like a really big raccoon. I’m always going to be a Raider and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Raccoon in trash” by Keith T. Robinson is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.