ILPS Mascot

Posted June 22, 2018

News Flash: The new ILPS mascot is…

 We are thrilled to announce the new logo for ISLAND LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL
This animal symbolizes intelligence, resilience, agility and community.
It is … The Osprey!

Please click on the link below to see an Osprey in action!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA3LtXnNIto

Ospreys, also known as Fish Hawks, are shorebirds. They are often found near water. In fact, Island Lake Conservation Area has a resident Osprey! (You can see its nest on the tall pole)

They’re the perfect symbol to represent our school because…
They are highly intelligent – like Island Lake students.
They are agile and swift hunters – much like our students when they play sports like basketball, track, etc.

They are also an environmental success story. Farmers, homeowners and municipalities used to use a chemical called DDT to kill insects on crops, flowers, and to kill biting insects such as mosquitoes. DDT turned out to be very toxic. The Osprey were one species who were hit really hard by DDT. It ended up in the fish they eat and then in their bodies. In the 1960’s, a scientist named Rachel Carson published a book, “Silent Spring”, to tell the world about the horrible effects DDT was having on the environment. Eventually, people listened and DDT was banned in the United States in 1970 and banned in Canada in 1990. Since the ban on DDT, the Osprey has made a full recovery and its population moved from Endangered, to threatened, to now being a species of least concern with a population on the rise!

This makes the Osprey an environmental success story. With so many challenges ahead of us (global warming and climate change, microplastics in water, the rise of invasive species) the Osprey is a reminder that we can make a difference. We have the power to heal our world!
Let’s give a warm Island Lake welcome to our new logo, the Osprey!
Thank you to Ms. Bailey for facilitating the process of choosing a new mascot.

Categories: News