MOOSE JAW — The first day of school is always a mixture of excitement, nerves, and eager anticipation, but Westmount Elementary students were seen off to classes with a special welcome on the morning of Sept. 3.
“Jetty the Yeti,” a cheerful school mascot at Westmount Elementary, was on hand and willing to help guide the young learners safely across the street for their first day back to classes.
Jetty has been around at Westmount for a few years now, but this is the first time the school’s vice principal, Shayne Hogeboom tried on the outfit.
“Jetty the Yeti is our mascot that we use to get the kids motivated about being at school and at events,” he said. “We bring him out every time we’re doing a kind of main event.”
This event was suitable, he said, because it’s the first day back to classes for the upcoming academic year. Also, with the upcoming planned transition to the Coteau Hills Elementary School — which is expected to be completed in 2025 — this occasion may very well be “the last first day (of school) at Westmount.”
Jetty the Yeti isn’t specifically affiliated with the school’s safety or other programs, and he represents Westmount Elementary in a broader sense. His name, Hogeboom explained, does comes from the Jets, which is the school’s sports team, however.
“We have the Jets symbol on all our sporting jerseys and everything,” he began. “So, we needed something to rhyme with ‘Jets.’ So, ‘Jetty the Yeti’ kind of went together.”
Jetty has been around for a while, and some of his past inspirational work has been through attendance at events ranging from the school’s previous Wellness Day in 2023 to a wide range of additional programs typically focused on students’ mental wellness. Much of his work comes in the form of a teaching tool to help students develop interest in certain areas of instruction.
Jetty doesn’t typically help students cross the streets, but many were delighted to have him present for their first day back to classes this week.
“Some (students) were really happy about it,” Hogeboom recalled. “And (he scared) some of the little ones at times too because he’s kind of a big creature.”
The reaction of a few young students, he said, was more along the lines of “I won’t give Jetty a high five today; I’m just heading to class.” Still, the overwhelming reaction was positive and nobody was permanently set back by the friendly character.
Normally the mascot would be donned by either a teacher or student volunteer based on who’s available. When Hogeboom donned the yeti costume for the first time this week, he described the experience as “good” and said he definitely wasn’t expecting to get a call from the media.
“I should have done this a long time ago,” he said with a laugh.
He also expressed his gratitude for donning the costume during the morning commute, rather than at the end of classes when the mercury read just shy of 30 degrees Celsius.
As students from all of Moose Jaw’s schools head back to classes for the fall, Jetty the Yeti wished them off with a message: “Have fun, enjoy learning, and listen to your teachers!”
Westmount Elementary School is part of the Prairie South School Division at 1100 Currie Crescent and can be reached at 306-694-5999.
