Best high school mascot in Connecticut: Top 10 candidates

From Winged Beavers to Wyverns to Wild Boars, meet the best high school mascots in Connecticut

The Constitution State has some of the oldest high schools in the country, and with age comes some interesting nickname origins.

But Connecticut also has some new kids on the block with some one-of-a-kind mascots, such as the Marvelwood Pterodactyls.

SBLive Sports' love for unique mascots with interesting back stories has been well documented.

We've crowned Hodags and Imps the past couple of years in national high school mascot contests, and now we're taking a spin through every state.

Over the next couple of months we'll go from Alabama through Wyoming featuring each state's best high school mascots, and then give readers a chance to vote for their favorite. Our Connecticut poll posted Oct. 10 on highschool.si.com and will stay open through Oct. 17:

Vote: Which is the best high school mascot in Connecticut?

Vote: Which is the best high school mascot in California?

Vote: Which is the best high school mascot in Alaska?

Here are the top 10 high school mascots in Connecticut:

Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers

The school’s founder, Theodate Pope Riddle, chose the Winged Beaver as the school’s mascot to reflect the school’s motto, Aspirando et Perseverando, aspiring and persevering. The wings of aspiration represent the soaring flight of an eagle, and perseverance is symbolized in the diligence of a beaver. 

Berlin Redcoats

According to a 2017 article on myrecordjournal.com, this unique nickname has nothing to do with war: “Our high school mascot pays homage to those who built our town. The Redcoat is not a reference to the Revolutionary War, but to the brick manufacturers who wore heavy coats to protect themselves from the hazards of the job during the early days of Berlin.”

Choate Rosemary Hall Wild Boars

The year 1995 was a big one for Choate Rosemary Hall — when the school mascot transformed from Judges to Wild Boars. In an Opinion piece published in The Choate News in 1995, teacher Ned Gallagher wrote of his proposal, “This tenacious beast seems a much more suitable symbol for the athletic competition than a jurist. The wild boar is an authentic school tradition that reaches back to the nineteenth century; using it as a mascot would acknowledge the importance of athletics in our school’s heritage.” The student body agreed. 

Danbury Hatters

Danbury’s hat-making history goes back to the late 18th century. According to local legend, a man named Zadoc Benedict plugged a hole in his shoe with fur. He found sweat and friction turned it into felt. Benedict began making felted fur hats on his bedpost and eventually opened a hat shop in Danbury. By 1800, Danbury made more hats than any other U.S. city.

East Hampton Bellringers

East Hampton has the only Bellringers in the country in high school sports, and its town has as rich a history as you’ll find when it comes to bells. In the early 1800s, William Barton created a process where bells were cast hollow instead of being soldered together. That jumpstarted the bell-making industry in East Hampton, causing more than 30 bell-making firms to sprout up there.

Kingswood Oxford Wyverns

From the school’s website: “As soon as you enroll at Kingswood Oxford, you are transformed into a mythic Wyvern, a legendary winged beast from medieval times, not to be mistaken for a dragon. There is a distinction. Dragons breathe fire, whereas, Wyverns have attitude. Once you’re a Wyvern, you’re always a Wyvern.” 

Law Lawmen

The school is named in honor of the 27th governor of the colony of Connecticut, Jonathan Law (born 1674, died 1750), and these are the only Lawmen in high school sports. Interestingly enough, last year’s girls basketball and soccer teams were captained by Sabrina Lawless. Also interesting about the school’s physical mascot is that it’s a humanoid eagle, not a judge or barrister.

Marvelwood Pterodactyls

A small, private school surrounded by conservancy lands, Marvelwood opened in 1956 but had no mascot until 1991. Students chose the Pterodactyl to stand out from other schools, with the logic being that if pterodactyls existed at the same time as all the other typical Lions, Tigers and Bears mascots, the Pterodactyl would have destroyed them.

Nathan Hale-Ray Noises

The Moodus area is known for its low-level seismic activity, so the high school is the Noises — meant to underscore strange, underground rumblings.

Westminster Martlets

From the Westminster website: “When you become a Westminster student, you earn the notable distinction of forever being a Martlet. This remarkable mascot captures the grit and grace that Westminster students strive to embody. Since this mythical bird has no feet, its only choice is to demonstrate its ‘grit and grace’ by continuing to fly – despite obstacles, exhaustion or even a fierce headwind.”

(Feature photo by John Heider / hometownlife.com via Imagn Content Services)

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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports