– OCP photo
Wildcat News is a presentation of Walkerville Public Schools in partnership with Oceana County Press.
By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
WALKERVILLE — A new Wildcat mascot costume replaces its decades-old predecessor and is igniting school spirit at Walkerville Public Schools.
The retired mascot has now become an artifact and was donated to the Walkerville Pioneer House museum, said Walkerville Public Schools Superintendent/Principal Joe Conkle.
– OCP photo
“The athletic boosters were kind enough to put in half (of the funds) and meet us halfway,” said Conkle. “They recognized the importance of having it, too.” The mascot, which cost approximately $2,000, is expected to be used for decades to come. “We hope to get as much life out of this one as we did the last one.”
The mascot cheers on the Wildcats at home basketball games and other events and also visits elementary classrooms for story time with the young students. “The Wildcat reads to our younger kids.”
– OCP photo
Sophomore Izy Ashbrook dons the costume most often, said Conkle. “She does a great job with it.” However, other students take their turn wearing it. “It kind of helps keep the mystique and mystery going of who’s in it, because people like to guess who’s in it,” said Conkle. Sophomore Larry Martinez wore the costume for the photos for this article.
“We’d like to give a shout out to the boosters and the support they’ve given to the school to keep the culture and spirit going.”
________________________
Please Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.
Alternative methods:
We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress).
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2025, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.
fb.com/stars
.jpg)
