Students may have noticed a new face making an appearance in the Oct. 18 Teacher of the Week video.
Who was this new face? Well the panther mascot normally resides at Parkview Heights Elementary School and is known as PAWS; however, the Fight’n Titan nicknamed him Papio South Panther during his stay at the high school.
Assistant Principal Matt Hager, who may or may not have been behind the mask, secured the mascot after a Para Conference at the high school hosted by the Papillion La Vista Community Schools HR office.
“We decided to put it to good use and go visit some classrooms,” Hager said.
Meanwhile, Parkview Heights’ Principal Randy Guthmiller described a search that had begun for the panther.
“We first realized our Panther … was missing when his parents came to pick him up from school that day,” Guthmiller said. “It is not like PAWS to be late, as he is very routine-oriented and likes to stick to his schedule.”
However, the videos of The Fightin’ Titan and Papio South Panther visiting Mr. Hayden Bahl’s classroom and Mrs. Renee Couture in the attendance office quickly drew attention to the panther’s location.
“We were in the process of working with PAWS parents and contacting any other family members who might have known his whereabouts when we saw the video of him and the PLSHS mascot,” Guthmiller said.
With the location exposed, head of classified HR, Dr. Andrew Bell returned the panther to his rightful owners.
“We did not want to return the panther back home, … they came and stole him back,” Hager bemoaned. “We were hoping to keep him.”
Back at his home elementary school, PAWS has become a bit of a celebrity following his appearance on social media, Guthmiller said .
“He spends most of his days avoiding the paparazzi, signing autographs for students, and scheduling public appearances at events. He’s living his best life!” the Parkview principal said.
