> > I'm pretty sure geckos are reptiles.
> > Still, I had some trouble with this; schools around here don't really have mascots. I'd have chosen "building" or "phrase" if I could.

>
> They're reptiles. And there should be a "We didn't have a mascot" option.
>
> winter"We didn't have a mascot"mute

Likewise. Perhaps it's strictly an American thing. If so, my question for the American readers relates to what these school mascots *do*. Are we talking about giant costumes at your sports games, or a picture on the school logo, or what? Since American schools don't usually have school uniforms, I'm ruling out the idea that it's the picture on the badge, which (if it incorporates an animal or plant) is the closest thing schools get to a mascot here.

The badges which enlivened my school jersey, over the course of my life, were as follows. Didn't have a uniform in primary school, except for the sports uniform, which was an unholy abomination consisting of baggy red kiddy-shorts with elastic around the leg holes, and a white t-shirt, and I can't remember if there was a badge on that.

In intermediate school (age 11 and 12) the badge featured a strange white blob with a pointy bit sticking out one end, and it took all of my first year before somebody told me it was a dove, climbing a mountain -- er, flying up a mountain. Machine embroidery on a small sew-on badge is not a precise art.

In college, or high school to US readers, we had a Scottish heraldic crest showing a castle-type thingy. No flora or fauna there.

Perhaps house symbols are more what we're looking for here. At my intermediate school, the four school houses were named after native trees, and I was in Miro. At my high school they were named after famous New Zealanders, and I was in Mansfield, after the 19th century writer Jane Mansfield.

Yes, and geckos are reptiles. I recognise geckos extremely well, both entire and moving quickly, or in handy kitset form with several pieces missing. This is what you get for having a cat.

Brunnen-"would not recognise either a miro tree or Jane Mansfield, however"G