For the past four years, North’s mascot, Polaris has been portrayed by a North senior, whose identity will be revealed at senior night tonight.
“Me as a person, you would probably never expect it,” said Polaris. “Me in real life vs. me in the suit, it’s like night and day, I am dramatically different.”
The student has been the sole actor of Polaris since the start of the 2022 school year and began playing Polaris publicly in the 2021 Homecoming parade.
“It was my freshman year homecoming parade,” said Polaris. “The thing about parades is, they are so much worse than doing football games. They cram you into a bus and then you have to suit up while having the least amount of people see you. Good thing was, I was in my freshman year, so nobody knew me.”
The student described Polaris as an intensely physical role, citing their background in martial arts.
“I definitely have a lot of [training in] physical arts, like Karate, [Krav] Maga, stuff like that,” said Polaris. “I’ve even taken fencing and archery, so I’m pretty well-versed in [physical] movements, and I know all the functions of the suit and how to operate it in just the right way.”
However, the student also notes the downsides of being Polaris.
“You can’t see anything, you can’t hear anything, you’re in a [sensory] deprivation chamber,” said Polaris. “[My eyes are at] the tip of my nose, there’s no holes there. It’s a very thick mesh that only lets a little bit of light in. [The nose] is basically like the styrofoam part of a microphone. Their feet are massive, you are not climbing up the stairs [to the bleachers].”
Still, the student notes the effect the character has on people, especially younger children, as his favorite part of being Polaris.
“Little do people know, I’m an uncle,” said Polaris. “And I love my niece and nephew very much. I treat them like baby siblings. It’s anytime my nephew comes up to me when I’m in the suit, it’s so wholesome, and I’m happy to do it for him, and it makes me feel good.”
Now, in his final year at North, the student has a new task: to find a successor.
“Well, I’m looking for a freshman or sophomore, maybe junior, but not senior,” said Polaris. “ I want to [select my successor myself]. I want to know who I’m putting in [my] place.”
As they leave the role of Polaris behind, the student hopes to leave a piece of advice behind for anyone who inherits the costume.
“Always look at the silver lining,” said Polaris. “The job may be a bit excruciating at times, but I like to think I’m doing this for other people. I like to think I’m enhancing the experience at football games. I like to think it’s something to [cheer for] when you’re at a parade. These pictures are going to be remembered by this family for a long time, so strike a good pose because it’s impacting people.”
