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What Does it Mean to be a Mustang?

Updated: May 24, 2020


Mustangs, at first glance, is the name for students who go to Minarets. A mustang is our mascot- and as such, we have always been referred to as “Mustangs”. The question is, however, what does this actually mean? There has never been an established definition beyond that of “one who goes to Minarets”.


In order to fully understand the essence of this symbol, one must define what a mustang is. By definition, the answer to this is simple; a wild horse. As with every symbol, however, it’s more complicated than that. Horses, and by product- mustangs- were not native to America. They were brought across the ocean by Spanish settlers in the fifteen and sixteen hundreds, and spread quickly due to their ability to survive in the wild and their utility for humans. Mustangs, then, were those horses that escaped human capture, and stayed wild; unable to be broken. This means that, while most horses can be acclimated to being saddled and ridden, mustangs could not.

So what does this mean for the people at Minarets? In one short sentence, as is seen written on the fence by the football field, the school has “A spirit that cannot be broken”. This phrase immediately has a double meaning. The overarching, obvious theme of an unbreakable school spirit; something that Minarets prides itself on. A good school culture of unity, friendliness, and community. The other, underlying meaning, is a more literal one. As mustangs, the spirit cannot be broken; just as real mustangs in the wild couldn’t be broken.


This is the core of what a mustang truly is. As mustang horses are different, mustang students are different. From the very beginning of its foundation, they strived for excellence- through a peculiar set of ideas- mainly that of project and technology based learning. A method of accelerating forward, galloping forward, towards prosperity. As mustang horses frolic in the wild, mustang students are prepared for being wild in the real world. As mustang horses work together in herds, travelling onward, mustang students collaborate with their communities and fellow peers to progress onward. As mustang horses take divergent and wild paths, mustang students take wild and divergent paths of intellectual pursuit. And, finally, as the quote suggests; As mustang horses cannot be broken, mustang students cannot be broken from their spirit.​


Being a mustang is not about being a horse. Because mustangs at this school aren’t just mustangs.

They are Minarets Mustangs. An unbreakable spirit atop the loftiest tower or peak. That isn’t to say that the school is perfect. Valid complaints are levied, and issues are brought up that must be dealt with. Conversely, however, the status of a mustang is even more important during times of contention or doubt. Minarets has a culture more healthy than the majority of high schools. A smaller student body allows for more frequent whole school events, with large attendance rates to said events. A smaller student body allows for more individualized teaching, and higher satisfaction

And, most importantly, a smaller student body allows for a much more unified feeling of school identity- which takes the form of the Minarets Mustang.

In finality, however, this true identity is veiled behind personal perspective. Every student, every teacher, every administrator, every member of the faculty, will have their individual understanding of what being a mustang means. Ponder it. Think about it. Consider it. And most of all, strive to understand. What is the meaning of the Minarets Mustang to you?


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