Southwestern Heights High School - Mustanger Yearbook (Kismet, KS)

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Southwestern Heights High School Route 1, Box 24A - Kismet, Kansas 67859 316-563-7292 Becky Skeen, the performing mascot, strikes a pose with the Mustang statue in front of the school. The statue has been spray painted again, but the vandals chose one of our school colors this time. The photo is by Mr. Cliff Thomas. Students at Southwestern Heights High School have really kept the spirit on the rise through the twenty-year history of the school. The first year that the school was in session, the administration held a student contest to choose the name of the school and the mascot. When all the entries were in. Southwestern Heights was chosen as the school name, and the Mustang was the mas- cot. In 1976, the student council purchased the Mustang statue which stands in front of the school today. The statue has proved to be extremely popular. Tourists pull into the parking lot to get a closer look, and rival schools seem to be fascinated with the statue. It has been vandalized with spray paint several times and has even been stolen. It was first stolen in 1977 and then again in 1979. The statue was also spray painted at this time. The last theft occurred in 1984, but through the detective work of several area administrators, the thieves were caught. They replaced the now broken statue at a cost of $1500. In 1983, another mascot was purchased. Mr. Rick Cottrell, for- mer business teacher and pep club sponsor, said, “Spirit was low, and several people, after having seen mascots performing at oth- er schools, asked me why we didn't have a mascot. Mr. Cot- trell promoted the idea, and the cheerleaders, the pep club, and the student council split that somewhat considerable cost of the Mustang costume. Since the arrival of the cos- tume, many students have played the part of the mustang during football and basketball games. Desiree Solko, a former student, was the first to don the costume, and it has been worn this year by Becky Skeen and Lisa Clemens. The Mustang is an important symbol of the spirit on the rise at Southwestern High School.