NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The students at the William B. Ward Elementary School have a new friend to cheer them on. Willie the Wolf, the school’s new mascot, waved and danced with the students last Friday for the school’s monthly spirit day.
With blue and white fur, he is the newest of several school mascots in the City School District of New Rochelle. Now that he’s been introduced, he’ll be bringing an extra burst of energy to Ward events and to key moments in school, helping to congratulate classes that are awarded for good behavior, for instance.
“We want to get the kids excited and spark some school spirit,” said fifth-grade teacher Ann Briscoe, a coach with Ward’s Positive Behavior, Interventions and Supports program, the masterminds behind Willie. “Willie represents our C.A.R.E. behaviors (Cooperative, Accountable, Respectful, Excellent) and symbolizes our sense of school community.”