Hawk Flies High At Central Montco

By M. English
Correspondent

The larger-than-life bird in the burgundy sweatshirt isn’t likely to achieve the notoriety of, say, the Phillie Phanatic or the upcoming Vancouver Olympics’ Miga, Quatchi and Sumi — cartoonish critters of indeterminate ancestry.

Central Montco Technical High School’s Hawk isn’t exactly a household name, even locally. But that hasn’t stopped the Plymouth-based school’s fledgling mascot from leaving its mark during special events like open houses, in-school class competitions and get-togethers with students from other schools.

The plush gray bird with the saffron beak even appeared front and center on CMTHS’s annual holiday card.

The Hawk, which has been flapping its wings (sort of) for roughly a year, is the creative brainchild of teacher Steve Bross, who figured a mascot would boost school spirit and sharpen its identity.

But Bross, a visual communications educator and lead advisor for CMTHS’s Skills USA chapter, isn’t the guy in the feathered suit. That job falls to students Jesus Cervantes and Marcus Kegler-Branch, who share the gig they snagged during tryouts last fall.

The two say successful mascoting isn’t as mindless as it may seem. The respected College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship held every January includes a mascot section, and competitors at that level make it clear there’s a lot more to it than flat-footed cavorting and soundless kibitzing.

For starters, enthusiasm.

“You have to be really energetic,” says 18-year-old Cervantes, a student in CMTHS’s certified nursing assistant program when he’s not attending 12th-grade classes at Norristown’s Roosevelt High School. “I’m a clown everywhere I go, just a humorous person. I like being noticed. I’m Hispanic, and when I tried out, I wanted to do something with my culture, like the macarena. I was the last one on, so I was kind of nervous. But when I got up there, a lot of people danced with me.

“I think the main thing, to be a mascot, you have to have the kind of personality that has fun no matter what situation you’re in. You can’t be embarrassed. Just do whatever comes into your head at the time and have fun with it. You can’t talk, so it’s really all about your actions.”

Kegler-Branch, an 18-year-old senior at Norristown Area High School, is also the animating force behind his home school’s mascot — the NAHS Eagle.

“The reason I wanted to do this here was because it gives us an identity as a school,” says Kegler-Branch, who’s studying art at CMTHS, favors drawing and hopes to pursue a career in fashion photography. “I’m always very energetic, which helps a lot. I dance, too, and my big thing when I tried out was I danced to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies.’

“I think one of the biggest things is the energy. You have to have a lot of energy because if you don’t, you won’t be able to get your personality to come out through the suit. That’s a big part of it.”

As for juggling the alter egos of two winged vertebrates, “there’s a difference between being the Hawk and being the Eagle,” Kegler-Branch says. “With the Hawk, I’m more of a serious mascot, a big macho man. With the Hawk costume, you can’t do too much actual playing around. With the Eagle, I play around — not too corny but more playing around. I play to the crowd, especially at [NAHS events].”

Although Bross admits the Hawk was nearly a bulldog (“The bulldog had the coolest costume”), he couldn’t be happier with the CMTHS mascot’s evolution.

“The Hawk made more sense because there’s a hawk in the park by the school [Plymouth’s Bicentennial Park], and the hawk is usually thought of as depicting very positive characteristics and leadership qualities,” he says. “I think that tied in well with what we were trying to do. A lot of our students consider tech their primary school, but unlike their home schools we didn’t really have a unifying element or identity here. We saw this as a way to fix that.

“We’ve created a whole new environment here with all the renovations and improvements we’ve made on campus, so there’s this whole pride thing going on, too. There’s no longer that stigma, that old school stereotype — ‘Oh, you’re a techie.’ We have pretty amazing programs happening here, and the kids know it and take pride in the school. So, I think having a mascot like the Hawk has turned into a real good thing, something that seems to be pretty popular with the students and the staff.”

Kegler-Branch and Cervantes agree, although Cervantes says being encased in fake feathers can have its drawbacks.

“It can be very hot in the costume,” he says. “Very, very hot. But in enjoying the moment, you forget about that. You get caught up in the excitement and don’t think about it. Another thing is, it’s hard to see, but I have two assistants who help me walk without bumping into things. It’s worth it, though. I think everyone enjoys it … even the teachers.”