WMU Wolves win 2023 School Mascot Challenge

WINFIELD — Winfield-Mt. Union School has won the 2023 School Mascot Challenge put on by the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative.

Iowa Healthiest State Initiative selected the first schools to register for the Healthiest State Annual Walk to participate for the chance to win the $1,000 incentive.

“Credit goes to Patricia Jones for organizing it and then a lot of community support in voting,” WMU High School Principal Gaige Gill said after announcing the school’s win the same day they held their Healthiest State Walk.

With the challenge starting right alongside the school year, WMU instructional coach Patricia Jones organized the school’s entry into the campaign which pinned schools against one another in a bracket-style competition based on votes from the public.

The initial eight schools pitted against each other included Des Moines Christian School, Aurora Heights Elementary, IKM-Manning Middle School, Panorama Panthers Elementary, Ogden Elementary, Riverside Elementary, South Hardin High School and WMU.

After a week of voting WMU made it to the top four against Aurora Heights Elementary, IKM-Manning Middle School and Ogden Elementary.

One-week later WMU pulled head of Ogden Elementary in votes and went head-to-head against IKM-Manning Middle School.

With only hours left in voting, Iowa Healthiest State Initiative announce that the votes were neck and neck.

The next morning, Oct. 4, the initiative organizers announced that the WMU Wolves “rallied for a big win in the last day of voting.”

This win comes with not only bragging rights, but also $1,000 for the school to use for a healthy incentives project in their school.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com