By Theresa Cantu
There are many different images of a wildcat displayed on various Keystone High School merchandise and advertisements. Students, staff, and community members see it all the time, but not everyone knows what exactly a wildcat is. Wildcats were originally native to Europe, Western Asia, and Africa before being introduced to America by settlers. Wildcats now, also known as “feral cats,” are really just ordinary cats that have not been domesticated, or were once domesticated and then returned to the wild. Purple and white are not colors typically associated with this animal but instead pale yellow and light brown. Though our mascot is portrayed as large and ferocious, wildcats are actually no more than a foot tall. They do not roar, but instead they purr, meow, and hiss.
Now you may be wondering how our mascot was derived from this small, nearly-harmless creature. The mascot commonly used in school publications and apparel is actually portrayed as a lynx, which is not a wildcat. If you separate the words “wild” and “cat,” then a lynx is, in fact, a wild cat. Leaving it as one word indicates that one is referring to the small, fluffy creature previously described. The Canada Lynx was indigenous to Ohio during the time that LaGrange was first founded, making it very possible that it was the original inspiration for the school’s mascot. Lynxes are dangerous, ornery creatures which make them very suitable to represent sports team or a strong, determined group of students.
