As a continuing segment from the second issue of the 2024-2025 school year, The Accolade finds out more about new faces on campus. Assistant news editor and social media team member Emily Lee interviews mascot Winston the Lancer on his background, his current school experience as the mascot and his possible impacts for the future. Some of the questions have been answered with the help of Associated Student Body adviser David Fenstermaker.

Question 1: How long has it been since Sunny Hills last had a mascot, or is it the first time?

Answer (Winston): “[We] never had a mascot like me. Years ago, we had a guy on a horse — his name was Winston. In other places at other times, Winstons have roamed the Earth helping people and making things better. But we haven’t had that since like 2009.”

Question 2: What was it like making your grand debut at the first assembly of the school year and officially becoming the first SH mascot in 17 years?

A (Winston): “I was psyched. I was Lanced Up [and] seeing the crowd made me super hyped.”

A (Fenstermaker): “I think [Winston] would say something about how fun it is that people smile when they see him. I know people are smiling when he takes their pictures; there’s a picture of him with the current principal, a previous principal and an assistant principal all together at open house, and those dopes all look like they have big grins on their faces, so it seems like he brings at least a little bit of a smile to people’s faces. During the last game of the season, I was standing there, and a bunch of little kids were taking pictures, and then a bunch of their moms jumped in, and they wanted to take [Winston’s] picture. So those are the types of things that I think that he gets the most excited about.”

Question 3: How would you describe your personality?

A (Winston): “Energetic. Fun. Intense, but I love to get everyone involved. There’s no one else like me. I ride or die for my Lancers. I bleed black and gold.”

Question 4: How did the school decide to create an in-person mascot?

A (Fenstermaker): “[The mascot] is a gift from the Parent Teacher Student Association [PTSA]; they’re the ones that sort of donated it. They’re the ones who brought him to us. Mrs. Murietta got here, I think, in 2017, so I’d say we’ve been talking about getting a mascot for eight years. We just got lucky that Winston was available this year and that the PTSA was able to help.”

Question 5: What is your origin story, and how did you become the proud SH mascot?

A (Winston): “Well, I wasn’t bitten by a radioactive Lancer if that’s what you mean. I am just a Winston in a long series of Winstons…I am lucky to be a part of such a great place.”

Question 6: What moment so far has made you feel most connected to the students and the school spirit?

A (Winston): “My first Friday Night Lights. It was electric. The students, the fans, the community.” 

A (Fenstermaker): “Definitely that first night [Winston] came out on the field. If you were at that game, they brought him out on the field, he went through the tunnel and then he went into the crowd. I think that’s what he wants people to feel, like being a little happier.”

Question 7: What do you hope students feel when they see you at games and events?

A (Winston): “At home. Like they are a part of something great that we all share in. I am a Lancer just like them — it’s in my name.”

Question 8:How do you feel you contribute to building school spirit and unity?

A (Winston): “I just love Sunny Hills. I love the family atmosphere that we have here. I want to help promote that, be a part of that.”

Question 9: Looking ahead, what do you hope your legacy will be in the future?

A (Winston): “I want my legacy to be the same as everyone else who comes through this place — I want to make a difference, leave the place better than I found it and bring some joy along the way. If I can do that, then I know the other Winstons will be proud.”

Question 10:Will Winston’s identity ever be revealed?

A (Fenstermaker): “There’s some incentive to find out who [Winston] is. It’s just a specific set of circumstances, and as we get closer to that set of circumstances, I will let you know if you can cover that. I think so, at least part of [his identity], will be revealed this year. There’ll always be a rotating group, so it’s not ever just like one person; it’s not a permanent role. So we kind of have to constantly be having those conversations about who best embodies that, who could do that and then that way, when the current Winston graduates, a new Winston steps in.”