Many of you have already seen a new fuzzy figure making appearances around campus and social media. Rumble the Rhino is the new mascot of Denver Christian. Already, Rumble is bringing fantastic energy and school spirit to the community.
Why add a mascot?
Mascots increase the sense of community and belonging in a school. As Denver Christian continues to grow, we are excited about each unique student brought to us. While we grow, we want each student to feel that they belong and can unite together as students at DC. Mascots and school spirit are an exciting way to do this.
The Story Behind Our Mascot
As the Denver Christian Thunder, we face a unique challenge in selecting a mascot. How do you represent the sound of Thunder? Back in 2020, our seniors’ life skills class, Navigating a Compex World, tried to answer that question. They researched and proposed a variety of options including Boomer the Bull, Billy the (Lightning) Bolt, a Thunderbird, and–Rumble the Rhino! The entire high school voted on the options, with Rumble the Rhino coming in first place.
Just as we prepared to bring Rumble to our community, COVID-19 came around, and the mascot had to sit on the back burner as we navigated the pandemic, and changing athletic directors. This summer, Mr. Romero and the Booster’s Club presented to Mr. Hoch (and Dr. K) the idea of resurrecting this process and adopting a mascot for this year. The athletic administrators decided to affirm the earlier work of the students and adopted Rumble the Rhino.
School Spirit at Denver Christian
Recently, we have renewed our cheer program which is able to incorporate a mascot into cheers and stunts. This is a great avenue for college cheer scholarships. Did you know that many colleges give a scholarship for being a mascot?
This spring, our cheerleaders were state champions! In addition to their amazing competitive success, they bring energy to our games, pep rallies, etc. They even host a cheer clinic for younger students. We are excited for Rumble to further contribute to the energy and school spirit that the cheerleading program already brings to our community.
Keep an eye out for Rumble!
Already, Rumble has been welcoming students, visiting classes, and bringing energy to the Thunder community. This month, Rumble visited Mrs. Viss’s Junior Kindergarten class. She says that their reaction was “like teenagers meeting Taylor Swift! There were screams, cries, giggles, and jumping.” If you were wondering if you could pick Rumble’s nose–the answer is no. (The Junior kindergarteners tried…) Rumble made some more spots at other elementary, middle school, and high school classrooms. (Rumble’s nose was not harmed in this tour.)
Who is behind the rhino costume? The identity is a mystery, but this individual is working hard to add school spirit to our already amazing cheerleaders and student section. We are excited to discover how Rumble the Rhino will help us build unity and school spirit to our students. Keep an eye out for Rumble at events, games, and maybe even in the halls! Roll Thunder!