By: Bash Rosales

School spirit is an essential part of every high school and the school mascot captures a big part of that school spirit. At Shelby High School the Coyote has been the mascot since the start of Shelby Public School in 1921. Teacher, Sharol O'Brien, has attended high school in Shelby and has now taught here for 26 years. During those years she has seen many changes, but the school's pride and loyalty have stayed the same. 

The town of Shelby was established in 1923 before the championship boxing match between Jack Dempsey and Tommy Gibbons, which made Shelby’s mark on the map. In 1921, the Shelby Yearbook Album was the first document about Shelby’s very first school. Construction began in June 1919 and ended in May 1920. The school presented new opportunities and a beginning of further education and was established by Payne Templeton, as the very first principal. 

O’Brien attended high school from 1973 to 1977, “School spirit was fun when I was in high school here. We didn't have any dress-up days, but homecoming was a big deal with float building for a full week,” she said.

Sports in Shelby changed when the school’s opportunity grew when in 1973 the federal government enacted Title 9, which said, girl's and boy's sports opportunities are to be equal, “ My freshman year was the first year that there was a girl basketball team. Girls could participate in track, golf, and cross country. The boys had football, wrestling, basketball, track, golf, and cross country.” said O’Brien.

Shelby’s mascot has always been a coyote, “and usually a mascot embodies something about the area.”  “I think the Coyote is a good mascot for Shelby. Sometimes I can hear coyotes howling north of town,” said O’Brien. Packs of coyotes roam the soil of Montana. Before Chester merged with Joplin and Inverness, they were the “Chester Coyotes.” 

Shelby Public School used a normal coyote, which was later then changed to, Wile E. Coyote, which is a charter in the television show “Looney Tunes,” The first sighting of the new mascot was in the school year 1962 - 1963, which was the very first school year when the present Shelby Public School building was opened in 1961, according to the Shelby High School yearbooks Wiley is being used today at Shelby Public Schools. He brings joy and excitement to students, “Wiley brings a fighting spirit that portrays domination from other mascots,” said Ryan Simpson, it is truly a symbol of pride and loyalty to our school.