Lola Roars Spirit

Through pompoms, poses, chants, and dances, school mascot Lola the Bobcat spreads school spirit to the community. She is a pivotal character who creates enthusiasm for current and potential students.

The mascot position began in 1994, and the identity of the mascot is never revealed. This year’s mascot is new to the position and it is her first year as the new Lola. This position is open to any school student from the time of acceptance to senior year. Last year, this particular student decided to become the mascot due to her friend’s suggestions.

“One day I was at lunch, when my friends thought it would be a fun idea for me to be Lola the Bobcat, so I emailed Ms. Martinez,” Lola said. “Then, Ms. Martinez asked me to do an audition, and that was exhilarating for me.”

Lola is so glad that her friends made this recommendation because she loves the benefits of her new role, such as how it allows her to go beyond her comfort zones.

“I am a shy person, but since not a lot of people know who I am, I can be as extroverted as I want without being judged,” Lola said.

In order to get this position, this student reached out to Dean of Enrollment and Engagement Ms. Olga Martinez.

“This particular student approached me last year about her interest in being the mascot, and I told her to come in and audition,” Ms. Martinez said. “Already from the pep rally, you can see that it was a very different and fresh approach to the role.”

During the student’s first interview, Ms. Martinez made sure that she had all the proper qualities to be the perfect fit for Lola.

“You need to be spirited,” Ms. Martinez said. “This particular student has raised the bar of what we expect for the mascot, so you need creativity.”

These qualities help Lola when she participates in school events, so that she can spread positivity to all the girls at school and embody true school spirit. With this, she attends events that benefit the school.

“As we go, if we think that it is fun, we use her as a visual representation of our brand,” Ms. Martinez said. “She does not have a calendar of events that she is required to attend, but if I think her presence will add to the event, I have conversations with her about her availability.”

Lola attends many events, such as OLLAfest and open houses, to help improve the liveliness of the school.

“The first event I ever did was OLLAfest for the 2021-2022 school year, and I liked how people would ask me who I was because it made me feel hidden,” Lola said. “I like to do the open houses because I like to make the stressful experience of choosing a high school easier for the prospective students.”

To prepare for open houses, Ms. Victoria Goudie, cheerleading coach and physical education teacher, has taken a mentor role for Lola. She teaches Lola how to show school spirit, and she helps her work alongside the cheerleaders.

“I showed her what places it would be nice to perform during pep rallies and showed her what to do while the cheerleaders were performing,” Ms. Goudie said. “We also try to get Lola to get the crowd more involved.”

In addition to Lola’s efforts to spread enthusiasm during school spirit events, she also makes a positive impact on students’ school experiences since many students love Lola.

“I love how Lola is very symbolic of our school because she represents our school pride and the support we have for our OLLA sisters,” junior Emma Crosa said.

Lola helps create a sisterhood throughout the school hallways since she highlights the significance of each student’s individuality to the overall community. In fact, she takes her own approach and develops her own character for her new role.

“When I auditioned her last year, she was excellent,” Ms. Martinez said. “She had her own personality that she brought to the role, and I wanted to make sure that she was true to herself. I liked her spin on the role.”

Lola has gone above and beyond her responsibilities to help the school as best as she can. This overachievement has been crucial to her success in her role.

“I think she’s the best mascot that we’ve had,” Ms. Martinez said. “She really has fearlessly approached her role, and I think that it is fun to watch.”