Tyrone the Dragon has been a fixture for years now at Stuart Hall. However, talking to some students and faculty as to the origins of the mascot, especially that of its name, I have run into some confusion as contradictory pieces of information emerged. Given this discrepancy, I decided to do some digging into the topic; the result is the STU Spectator’s first, if quite brief, "investigative" piece, with anonymous sources, (not so) secret trips to the reception room during study hall, and the like.
To illustrate some of the difficulties, one specific source claimed that the name was changed last year, acting on the recommendation of an advisory group. However, this was definitively refuted by my other source close to the matter, who provided me with official documentation, with specific details double-checked with yearbooks from the respective period that the mascot’s name, in fact, was decided during an advisory competition in the beginning of 2016. Other than Tyrone, the name Blaise is known to have been proposed, but the current name (put forward by former music teacher Mr. Echols’ advisory) triumphed.
Some more interesting facts turned up about the mascot’s past, too. Before the dragon, we used to be the “Red Devils” – however, upon the incorporation of Hunter McGuire Lower School into Stuart Hall in 2008, Stuart Hall took their dragon mascot. The physical costume was acquired in 2015 by the athletics department of the school, prompting the competition mentioned above. This was around the latest peak of the Stuart Hall athletic program, under the leadership of Mr. John Duncan, with the girls’ basketball team winning the state championship, and great results by the cross-country team, too, among other achievements. Here’s hoping that with Coach Lafave at the helm, and Tyrone on the sidelines, we’ll come back to these heights soon enough!
-Simon Rozsa
Source for cover image: Stuart Hall School's Facebook page