Eagles, Bulldogs, Vikings, are just a few of the popular mascots for high schools. But our school decided to go with Porter. Most people just associate it with the I&M Canal and move on with their day.
Most people assume that a Porter is somebody who works in a port. A port is a location near water where ships come to park. In reality, these people are called “dockworkers” or “longshoremen,” not Porters.
When you Google the definition of a porter, there are two definitions that come up. “A person employed to carry luggage and other loads, especially in a railroad station, airport, or hotel,” or “Dark brown bitter beer brewed from malt partly charred or browned by drying at a high temperature.” Neither of which sound like they should be the mascot of a high school.
Also, most school logos are pretty self explanatory toward the school mascot. Ours is a boat, and a Porter is not a boat. Are boats supposed to be intimidating?
So really, why Porter? Theory: When the school was first established, our school district just chose an iconic location near our school, and added “-er” to it. It’s the same logic as if a high school was near the Bermuda Triangle, and their mascot was “The Trianglers.”
Unless our school plans on rebranding our mascot to, “The Luggage Carriers,” the name “Porter doesn’t exactly add up. But maybe that’s what makes it memorable. How many times have you seen multiple schools with the same mascot? I bet you’ve never seen another school called the “Porters.” It’s just too iconic to change, and Lockport High School will probably be known as “The Porters” forever.
