OGDEN, Utah — Ben Lomond High School may have you second-guessing if you're in Utah as students don kilts and bagpipes to tune into their school spirit.
The mascot of the school with over 1,000 students is the Scots and students embrace that spirit to the fullest.
Every Friday, during what is supposed to be an early-release day, the students gather to remember their history.
"The hymn is a tradition here at school, we do it every Friday after school, we do it at football games," explained Maria Reyes, a student at the school. "We do it at any other game and it's just so fun to bring the spirit to our students."
On Wednesday, a special performance was done to show FOX 13 News just how cool Ben Lomond High School is with a pipe band, kilts and an appearance from the school's mascot, a Scotty Dog.
"We all love him," Reyes said, speaking about the beloved mascot.
The weekly tradition is a nod to the school's Scottish roots.
"Our school hymn represents our history," Reyes reflected. "Settlers thought that our Ben Lomond Peak looked like the Mount Ben Lomond in Scotland."
Besides embracing the school's history, students also get to explore their own individual identities and interests through various clubs.
Rowan, president of BSU, is focused on giving back to the community overall.
"BSU is a number of Black students, not only Black students but a varied group of diverse people," he explained. "We work on giving back to the community, giving the best opportunity to the students, really just giving back."
The club is currently working to provide free Thanksgiving dinners to families in need. Soon, some students will travel to different Utah colleges with the club to learn about scholarship opportunities.
Desmond represents another club on campus, LIA.
"We get to represent our Latin backgrounds at Ben Lomond and we get to draw our community a lot closer," Desmond explained.
Cadet Captain Ruiz helps lead the Junior ROTC program as a student while also already serving in the military.
"Junior ROTC is an extra cirricular that just helps young individuals become better citizens, it just gives them somewhere to be, be better leaders and to just develop the students," he said. Ruiz plans on joining the ROTC once he's done with high school.
Taking a page from the past while looking ahead to the many diverse interests and backgrounds of students is what makes Ben Lomond High School so cool!
To nominate your school to be FOX 13's Cool School of the Week, just email the information to news@fox13now.com
