The H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program. It’s a school in Arlington, Virginia. The school goes by H-B, and it’s not your typical place. It’s a democratic public school, which means students get a lot of say in how things work. H-B Woodlawn has been around since 1971 and teaches kids from 6th to 12th grade.
One of the things about H-B is that it doesn’t have a mascot. Yup, you read that right—no mascot! Most schools have some animal or character that everyone cheers for, but not H-B. The school instead believes in letting students be themselves and not having to rally around a common figure. Instead, they focus on building a strong community while letting everyone be unique.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Even though the school doesn’t have an official mascot, the H-B Woodlawn frisbee team has adopted one– kind of. They have a panda on their jerseys. This has caused a bit of confusion because, technically, the school doesn’t have a mascot. But the frisbee team just rolled with it and made the panda their own thing. It’s like their unofficial symbol, and shows how the students can make their own traditions.
Another unofficial mascot is a humpback whale. The H-B newspaper supports this mascot because our paper is called the Current. For two reasons. First, the news stays current, but also it is a nod to the humpback whale. This mascot was put in place at a town meeting last year. The Silly Committee, one of H-B’s silliest clubs, proposed the whale and the voters agreed. However, the HB frisbee team kept the panda because their jerseys had pandas on them.
H-B Woodlawn is all about student empowerment and alternative education. It’s a place where you can truly be yourself and grow in a supportive environment, and the flexibility of the school’s mascot is a prime example of the school’s mission.
