While the NHS mascot, the Railerman, took an extended break specifically during the 2020-21 school year, he is back and more ready than ever to showcase the Railer spirit. School mascots are often seen at sporting events or academic activities and are aimed at symbolizing the spirit of the school. 

Mascot identities are kept a secret from students due to the fun of the unknown, according to the current Railerman. Throughout the years, the suit has been home to numerous Railers. 

“I think it’s pretty fancy that the Railerman came back,” sophomore Margaret Bates said. “He has the best school spirit. He is honestly really swaggy and has the best dance moves.”

The Railerman is most often seen dancing or posing on the sidelines during pep rallies and sporting events. Finishing out the 2021-2022 school year, the Railerman plans on attending a few of the boys tennis games.

“My job as Railerman is to be a role model and the face of the school,” the current Railerman said. “The suit gets really hot after a while and it’s hard to breathe sometimes. It’s really fun to hang out with the cheerleaders and Railiners. It’s also really hard to put the suit on and take the head off after. I would do it again and am currently thinking about doing it for all of next year’s pep rallies and possibly basketball season.”

Since they were young, the current Railerman has wanted to inspire young students through hyping up the crowd as the school mascot. 

“Once upon a time in the Santa Fe 5/6 center the Railerman came in and ever since then it had been my dream,” the current Railerman said. “I had talked about it earlier this year to one of my clubs kind of as a joke, but recently I found the opportunity to finally do it. I was sitting in speech class and one of the cheerleaders asked about it. I quickly said that I would do it and asked Athletic Director Mr. Brian Becker about it. Being a Railerman has always been a dream of mine since I was growing up.”

During the school year of 2020-2021 there was no set person to put on the costume of the Railerman.

“You don’t see a lot of schools with a mascot anymore. I am excited to see the Railerman at football games next fall,” junior Olivia Antonowich said. “I remember coming to football games as a little kid and seeing the Railerman and thinking he was so cool, so I think it’s nice to have him back for kids now to see.”