Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

Appendices

The Story of the Gator Torch , Spring 2012 By Laura David, Grade 4

This year is the 20th anniversary of the Havergator, and thanks to budding Junior School journalist Laura David, we will learn the history of the beloved school mascot and how it came to be. Let’s all wish the Havergator a Happy 20th Birthday! For a quick recap: the Gator is an alligator that is all green except for the middle of its tummy and the bottom of its tail, which is gold. Until now, how Havergal’s Gator came to be-for some people that is-has been a mystery. In 1992, a Grad student named Rachel DeBlois and the rest of the Prefects decided it was time for a school mascot. Before then Havergal was mascotless! During the summer of 1992, the Prefects met at Ms. DeBlois’ house- that is when they came up with the Havergator. The colors worked perfectly! They decided they could not use the other House animal mascots. DeBlois’ classmate, Andrea Ou-Hingwan, drew the original Havergator. Ms. Ou-Hingwan currently teaches at the Upper School.

Ou-Hingwan’s drawing was used on that year’s button. However, her sister, Helen, drew the Gator that we see on items in the Green & Gold Shop today. The Grade 12 girls also had to find someone who could sew a Gator costume. Classmate Dale McIntosh asked her mother, Rosemary, and she agreed to make the costume. Ms. DeBlois kept the costume safe in her room in the Boarding School and wore it to school events throughout the year. The school motto for that year was “91-92: The Year of the Zoo.” The saying went well with the school’s new animal mascot. Back then, one of the reasons the Prefects thought that Havergal should have a mascot was because most of the boys’ schools had them. Crescent School had the Coyote, Royal St. George’s College had the Knight and Upper Canada College had a guy in a blue suit (who went to all their sports events). When the Havergator came along, our mascot ruled them all! And that, my friends, is the story of the Gator! Gator, Happy 20th Birthday!

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196  HAVERGAL COLLEGE