After 115 years, DCD finally has a school mascot: the hawk! The outcome of the voting over the past month was announced at the DCD Olympics on Friday, June 1. Votes came in from alumni and past parents as well as current parents and children.
Children sported keepsake wristbands after the Olympics and were excited to begin cheering for the hawks. Then on Tuesday, June 5, they had a chance to see a live hawk up close during a special assembly with Jim Parks of Wingmasters, learning much about the hawk and other birds of prey who are native to the DCD campus and surrounding area.
Jim is a licensed raptor rehabilitator who cares for injured birds of prey. Most birds he cares for can be released into the wild, but in some cases, they are permanently handicapped. Jim provides a home for these birds and then uses them in educational programs at schools, libraries, and museums throughout New England.
At his presentation on Tuesday, Jim introduced students to four birds of prey: the American Kestrel, the Barred Owl, Screech Owl, and of course, a Red-tailed Hawk, who happened to have been found nearby at the junction of routes 109 and 128 and whose birthday nearly 20 years ago was June 1, the same day DCD announced the hawk as its mascot!
Noting the similarities between students and their chosen mascot, Head of School Allison Webster said, “hawks are patient, they work hard, but once in the sky, they have fun soaring, and though they may go away for a period of time, they always return home.”
We’re excited to cheer on the DCD Hawks in the fall. Go Hawks!
