Burgettstown School District unveils new mascot uniform at pep rally
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown Area School District unveiled its new Blue Devil mascot uniform at a pep rally.
Burgettstown Area School District held a district-wide pep rally - its first since before the COVID-19 pandemic began - to introduce its new Blue Devil mascot.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown Area School District’s beach-themed, district-wide pep rally featured the unveiling of the Blue Devil mascot.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Bentworth Area Elementary School students participated in a district-wide, beach-themed pep rally where the new Blue Devil mascot was introduced.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The Blue Devil, Burgettstown Area School District’s mascot, is introduced at a pep rally.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown Area High School students celebrated the unveiling of a new Blue Devil mascot at a beach-themed pep rally. The district-wide rally also included elementary and middle school students.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
Students in the Burgettstown School District had a (Blue) Devil of a good time at a district-wide pep rally, where a new mascot uniform was unveiled on Friday.
The blue-caped, trident-wielding mascot ran out through a gauntlet of students to the center of the gymnasium floor as kindergarteners through 12th-graders clapped, cheered, and stomped their feet.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Amy Lemmon, a Homecoming Committee member and Burgettstown alumna who played a significant role in bringing back the Blue Devil mascot.
According to Lemmon, the school mascot uniform “got lost in the shuffle over the years.”
Lemmon has fond memories of her scholastic days at Burgettstown, and the Blue Devil mascot was present at every school event to energize and inspire students.
She and other members of the Homecoming Committee wanted to bring back that tradition.
So Lemmon, curious about the whereabouts of the missing uniform, began to search the high school and district grounds, an investigation that found her looking in closets, and exploring the mezzanine and other locations where it might be stored.
Lemmon’s inquiry into the fate of the mascot ended when she discovered it had been destroyed. She did not disclose how the Blue Devil uniform met its end.
But Lemmon and the Homecoming Committee were not bedeviled by the costume’s demise, and they looked into getting a new one.
That’s when the Burgettstown Area Community Development Corporation and the Homecoming Committee stepped forward to provide funds to purchase a new uniform.
Lemmon said the Blue Devil – a high school student whose identity remains anonymous – originally was going make his first appearance during Homecoming, but the costume delivery was delayed for months.
“The costume was stuck on a shipping container out in the ocean for a long time, and I thought it would never be delivered,” said Lemmon. “It finally showed up one day on my doorstep, and I was so excited.”
The high school student council and pep club proposed and organized a beach-themed pep rally to introduce the Blue Devil.
Fast forward to Friday, when students from the elementary, middle and high schools – clad in flowered shirts, beach wear and leis – filled the gym bleachers to greet the Blue Devil.
It was the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than two years ago, that the entire student body was able to gather, said Superintendent Stephen Puskar.
And the students were in the mood to celebrate, as they batted around beach balls, sang the Blue Devils fight song, and welcomed their mascot.
“I’m glad the elementary school was able to be a part of this, too,” said Lemmon. “It’s great to have the Blue Devil back. He’ll make appearances and sporting events, book fairs, open houses, and whatever warrants the Blue Devil’s appearance. It’s really exciting.”