DA's Top Dog: A Year in the Life of Blade
What was it like, you might ask, to be DA’s new mascot in its inaugural school year? It was busy: Blade attended more than a dozen on-campus and off-campus events, exchanged an untold number of high-fives and experienced storied DA traditions for the first time. But don’t take our word for it: Hear what it was like to be the big dog on campus — straight from Blade’s muzzle.
First Tour Through Campus
“Meeting DA students for the first time was magical. It was almost as if we had been lifelong friends. I had a chance to walk through each campus, and watching that flicker of recognition — and a few impulsive smiles — from older and younger students was just incredible. I had several students come over and request selfies with me, and a few used the swords from my shield as part of their pose. I even noticed a few students who were in classes at the time huddled around the glass windows in their classrooms as they tried to get a look at this massive dog roaming around campus. It’s hard to beat the joy of seeing this mascot who represents the very best of your school and your community.”
First Halloween Parade
“A lot of high-fives, a lot of hugs — and a lot of making sure that, as a 6-foot-tall, ginormous creature, you’re not literally stepping on anyone. When I went upstairs, there was a solid 30 seconds of kids rushing in going for hugs, for high-fives. It was like that scene from World War Z where the zombies are climbing on top of each other to go over the wall. That’s how I felt. It was a moment of understanding the impact I have, of the meaning behind having a mascot figure for the younger kids. They really, really like it. I don’t know how else to explain it other than there’s something they can rally around.”
First Night at the CavDome
“I remember how excited the little kids were to take a picture with Blade or get an autographed photo from Blade. They made it fun. In my normal life, I am very introverted in a way that I need to recharge, and I get my energy internally. But as Blade, you are just feeding off of everyone else’s energy, and it makes it so easy to be energetic, to be over the top, to be the character that people expect. I think Blade is strength, but Blade is also gentle. And you get to see how special DA is, and how well-spirited this place is for everything DA.”
First Giving Day Promo Video
“You’re bringing the energy of the school. You’re channeling that energy. As part of the video, I did a safety briefing at the robotics lab. It was a great briefing. And having worked with some of the students before, it was cool to see them in a very empowering setting where they really knew what they were doing and building really cool stuff. I am, obviously, a big fan of dogs. Speaking in the abstract, everybody loves the dog. In a family, the dog really brings the family together. Even if there’s strife between community members, everyone can agree that the dog is great. I think it’ll take some time before it really becomes something to rally around — like any change with a huge group of kids. But I think when you see Blade with Lower Schoolers, you can see everybody’s on board, and it gives us somewhere to direct our attention and affection in a way that everyone can relate to equally. I think the last mascot — a human Cavalier, which was a man on a horse with a sword — was something that some people could see themselves in and relate to in some way, but some people couldn’t relate to him in the same way. Having Blade allows everyone to engage on the same footing, which is how we bring a community together.”
- Main story: Brand Entrance