When students and parents attend Leonardtown Elementary Schoolโ€™s Open House on Aug. 19, not only will they experience the newly renovated and expanded school site, but they will also be greeted by the new school mascot โ€“ the Osprey.

After numerous episodes of bad weather in Southern Maryland and across the nation, a school-wide contest was conducted at the end of last school year to replace the schoolโ€™s long standing mascot โ€“ the Tornado. Leonardtown Elementaryโ€™s staff, students, and parents felt that the timing was perfect to make a change from a mascot that carried some negative associations. The Osprey, who was victorious in the mascot competition, will be accompanied by the motto, โ€œLearning, Experiencing, Succeeding.โ€

โ€œThe Osprey is a bird familiar to Southern Maryland and lives near area waterways,โ€ said Ms. Denise Eichel, principal of Leonardtown Elementary. โ€œThe spirit of Leonardtown Elementary School is one of soaring to new heights and achieving great things, just like an Osprey.โ€