Have you been to a school event lately? Have you seen the Viking at assemblies of games? School mascots are a big part of morale and school spirit. Our school mascot, The Viking, whose name is Mjölnir has brought more joy and excitement to all school events. Mjölnir is important and has impacted the lives of members of the community, not just our students.
Many kids like the idea of a mascot but are intimidated when they are in the presence of a mascot. Others are freaked out by the whole concept of a larger than life creature. Recently, Associate Principal Tonya Grinde’s niece was helped out of her shell by Mjölnir .
“I have a six and three-year-old niece, and they came to a football game this fall, and for whatever reason one of them became so afraid of the mascot that everywhere we went they just kept looking for the mascot and sobbing, wanting to leave,” Grinde said.
Grinde had the idea to show her niece the Viking costume without a person in it, attempting to show her it was not scary. As they were looking at the costume, her niece was still a bit scared. The person playing the Viking at a game walked to the room to get their costume. The six-year-old requested to see the person playing the Viking put the costume on, so she could be less scared.
After giving the Vikings some privacy, the six-year-old watched them put the costume on. The six-year-old was still scared but the Viking carefully showed her all the different parts of the costume and explained everything to her to make her less scared. The six-year-old talked about the Viking the entire game, and she walked out of the game holding hands with the Viking, completely unafraid. At one point, they danced in front of the band together and made hearts with their hands. She had completely come out of her shy shell.
People may not realize that there is a difference between the Friends of the Viking and the students who wear the Viking costume and become Mjölnir.
“The Friends of the Viking and The Viking are different,” said a member of the Friends of the Viking. Friends of the Viking do not wear the costume; their primary job is walking around with the Viking during games or other school activities, to help them from falling or hurting themselves. The identities of Friends of the Viking members are not a secret; however, The Viking is. If you know or have suspicions about who the Viking may be it’s important to keep it to yourself. The fun of the Viking centers around its anonymity and the kept secret. .Being a Viking is a touching and important job, it can change people’s lives. This is a job people must volunteer for, they do not get paid.
“I think it has taught me to be yourself even when people are watching. You should never have to put on a mask for anyone. But in a literal sense, that sure helps making a crowd get excited – and that’s just simply my favorite part of it all,” The Viking stated.
Being a part of this school and being a Viking is about being the three R’s, Responsible, Respectful, and Ready. The Viking volunteered for their position because they embody what being a Viking is. They want to make people happy and continue to spread the Viking spirit throughout the community.
