Declare the Demon as our mascot and logo

October 25, 2012

Washington, Iowa

To the Editor:

The Demon mascot is one that we ? as alumni of Washington ? have associated with our whole Demon lives. It is displayed on the buildings we learned in, lifted weights in, ran track at, played football and soccer next to, where we celebrated our homecoming pep rally and so much more.

Those are not the only places that this Demon mascot will be found. It is also on our football helmets and jerseys, our cross-country jerseys, our volleyball jerseys, our wrestling singlets, our band uniforms, our track suits, our soccer jerseys, our golf shirts, our baseball/softball jerseys and hats, and almost every T-shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, warm-up, etc., that has been made supporting the Washington Demons.

This list continues with the Demon mascot being on our scoreboards, the seats our parents and supporters sit on when they come to watch us, the vehicles we drive, and so much more. We not only wear the Demon, we display it, and we support it.

The news has come that the current Demon logo cannot be used anymore due to copyright laws. We would like to stress the importance of using the Demon character in our new logo and as our mascot. A mascot is known as ?an animal or person adopted as a symbol who brings good luck.? We do not believe a ?W? fits into that definition, being it is just a letter.

We can guarantee that almost anyone and everyone who has ever gone to the Washington public high school knows the feeling we get when we put on that Demon apparel and step into the place that the Demon mascot is present. We are representing and protecting a name and mascot that has been progressively getting better since 1928.

The Demon mascot evokes our sense of school pride. It is something harmless and was not created to be something ?satanic.? One of the first definitions of a Demon is ?a person who is extremely skillful in, energetic at, or devoted to a given activity.? We believe this represents not only the Washington public school district, but also the community of Washington very well.

We know that some of the current school board members are not Washington alumni. They did not grow and learn in the Demon environment. They may not get the excited feeling that we do, when we see that mascot and we remember that we are a Demon and will forever be.

However, they are the ones representing the Demon alumni. We hope that you encourage them to do their jobs and represent their district correctly, listening to what the district has to say and not voting by their own opinions or religious affiliations.

We also hope that as a community you will support our Demon legacy and urge the school board to continue the use of the Demon in our new logo and as our mascot.

We are Demons!

Elaine Giardino, Jake Engle,

Parker Turner, Shannon Murphy,

Class of 2012