Top 5 high school mascots in Vermont: Vote for the best

From Flying Turtles to Solons, meet the best high school mascots in Vermont

Screech the Owl is the Montpelier Solons' mascot. / SBLive archives

What happens when a Flying Turtle meets Screech the Owl on a Vermont field?

Few can predict that outcome, but high school mascot fans in Vermont might at least know why we asked the question.

Over the past few months, SBLive/High School on SI has been featuring the best high school mascots in every state, giving readers a chance to vote for No. 1 in all 50.

The winners and highest vote-getters will make up the field for our NCAA Tournament-style March Mascot Madness bracket in 2025. The Coalinga Horned Toads (California) are the defending national champions.

Here are High School on SI's top 5 high school mascots in Vermont (vote in the poll below to pick your favorite):

The poll will close at 11:59 p.m. ET Friday, Feb. 21.

1. Flying Turtles (Vermont Commons)

This nickname came about on the fly when a Vermont Commons volleyball coach went to register the team.Peter Goff told vtcng.com, “We were asked for a team name. The school had the turtle as part of its logo, so we said, ‘OK, we’re The Turtles.’ The woman behind the desk said, ‘The Turtles? That’s not very scary,’ so we thought a moment and said, ‘How about the Flying Turtles?’ and the rest was history.”

2. Gumbies (Green Mountain Valley School)

From the “Why Gumby?” section on the school website: “In the late 1980s, the GMVS girls soccer team was making a run at the state championship title. After one game, a reporter asked the team what their mascot was. They looked at one another – they didn’t have an official mascot – and in a moment of creativity, one girl spoke up. ‘Well, we’re flexible, we’re agile, we’re fun…I guess we’re the Gumbies.’ The name stuck.”

3. Slaters (Fair Haven Union)

Fair Haven is known as the Slate Center of the Nation because of its slate quarries. Fair Haven Union not only chose to be called the Slaters thanks to the importance of slate to the town’s economy, the school’s physical Slater mascot is among the best in the nation.

4. Solons (Montpelier HS)

Montpelier, the center of democracy as the state capital, is the Solons in honor of the ancient Greek lawmaker Solon, who's often credited as setting the groundwork for the Athenian democracy that became a model for modern democracies. And the Solons' physical mascot is Screech the Owl.

5. Wasps (Woodstock HS)

Woodstock's sports teams are the Wasps and its school newspaper is The Buzz. Daphne Zuniga, aka Princess Vespa from "Spaceballs," is a former Wasp. Sting, unfortunately, is not.

—

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App

-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports