When a Mascot Comes Full Circle

By TAMMY HOEGER

�hat is a Rambler, anyway??”

This very question can be heard at nearly every athletic competition, campus visit or open house on Cotter Schools’ campus in Winona. And for every time that it's asked, a different variation of the answer might be given. Yes, Cotter’s “Rowdy” might look like a Ram, but this school’s mascot has a very different backstory than that easily recognizable, mountain-dwelling animal with the big horns.

As tradition or legend has it, the concept of a “Rambler” first came into existence over 150 years ago. At that time, in the growing city of Winona, the lack of available priests made going to Sunday Mass difficult for Catholic residents. To address this challenge, men of cloth would act as missionaries and travel from area cities to Winona at least once a month to celebrate Mass with the settlers. These men were nicknamed “Ramblers” for the way that they traveled from town to town, bringing the word of God to those who did not have available access to it. Years later, early administrators of a budding Catholic school in Winona wanted to pay homage to those priests and chose the Rambler for Cotter’s school mascot.

In an ironic move, over a century later, Cotter

Schools has recently restructured their long-standing boarding program to include an additional focus on Domestic Residential Boarding students. Their primary target market? Students and families across the nation, but specifically in the tri-state area, who wish their children could attend Catholic high school but do not have an obvious, available parochial secondary institution in their hometown.

Did you catch that plot twist? No longer are those “Rambling” priests seeking to bring the word of God to Winona residents. Instead, like a beacon of light, Cotter’s Domestic Boarding Program is attempting to bring a faith-based education to those who are without one. Cotter offers a new choice in Catholic education for those who, like the townspeople of Winona 150 years ago, do not have it readily available. Instead of rambling from town to town to offer Catholic education, Cotter has figuratively and literally swung its doors open to invite all who seek the opportunity to attend a Catholic high school, to call this space “home.” It turns out, the spirit of those Rambler priests is still alive and well at Cotter Schools.

Residence halls and boarding students are not necessarily new on Cotter’s campus. Cotter has a long and established history with over two decades of offering boarding services to mostly international students from dozens of countries in Asia, Europe,

Africa and South America. Thousands of students have traveled from near and far to study, live, learn and grow with the Cotter community.

Recently Cotter was able to build an entirely brand new residence hall to house the boarding students. Opening in the fall of 2021, this four-story, air-conditioned hall can hold 72 students and 7 staff members. The hall, which offers lounges, a wellness room, a laundry room and a full kitchen for student use, is directly connected to the Cotter cafeteria and high school building. A staff of 8, including a Director of Residence Life, makes sure that students are safe, healthy and enjoying their experience in the residence hall.

Students who live in the residence hall enjoy waking up, grabbing breakfast in the cafeteria and dashing off to their classes without ever having to step foot outside. Hall monitors offer regular study sessions and residence students frequently make use of the campus workout facilities as well as participating in countless sports, clubs, arts and activities. Residence life staff ensures that boarding students have an active social life, frequently planning trips to the Mall of America, attending an NBA game, overnights at waterparks and visits to Chicago. Local activities such as boat rides on the