By Marwan Arafa

Following the announcement of the Imp being given the name “Guy” after Guy Mendenhall, a famous athlete and long-time supporter of Cary High, the name stirred controversy for multiple reasons. Some like it, some are indifferent, and others believe that the name gives the imp a gender rather than remaining ambiguous and being able to justly represent both the men’s and women’s teams of Cary. After interviewing various folk from Cary High, these are what some students and staff responded with: 

Arwin Roberson: “I love it because it sums up the Imp’s personality.”

Mr. Mann: “I think that it is a very genuine and wholesome storyline behind naming it for someone with such deep ties to Cary High School. I think that it will be a name that a lot of people will remember easily.” 

Luci Auguston: “I like the story behind it and I think that it is really meaningful to Cary, especially to people that knew him.”

Sonny Gajijianis: “I think that he’s an awesome mascot and I like the name because it is different from all the other school’s mascots.”

Anonymous teacher: “The name doesn’t fit for an imp.”

Mouad Jabal: “I do like it because it serves a purpose towards Guy Mendenhall.” 

Luca Almaguer: “It’s just the epitome of basic”

Tylon Thompson- “ I’m not a fan of the name ‘Guy’, but I respect him.” 

Some members of Cary High dislike the name of the imp due to it giving a gender to the imp, as mentioned previously, but some see it as being alienating to Cary High’s female athletes, which is a large percentage of Cary’s athletes. While the name seems exclusionary to women, the naming of the imp is based on a famous Cary High athlete from the 1950s. This would only give a chance for a white man but not a woman or an African-American, let alone anyone from any other minority, a shot at being named going off of the rationale of a famous historical athlete from Cary High. The name of Cary High’s iconic mascot has indeed caused some quarrel among the populace, but it is left to be seen if minds may change in the long run.