Won from a convention booth at the JEA/NSPA Journalism convention in Philadelphia, a stuffed bear was adopted by three seniors last November. Today, it’s become the informal and beloved mascot of the senior class.
Standing at 13 inches tall, the brown stuffed bear, named Bobbi by its “mums” seniors Charlotte S., Josie B., and Vivienne L., has spent much of its life migrating around the green couches near the front of the Upper School where seniors often gather.
There, Bobbi serves as a reminder of the key values its mums have assigned for it to embody: gratitude and socialization.
“He represents a lot more than a bear, it’s more about being a personified token of the time we spend with our friends and our community,” Charlotte said.
Members of the senior class, colloquially referred to as Bobbi’s aunts and uncles, believe that the stuffed bear is a nostalgic reminder of their childhoods as they near the end of their adolescence and high school years.
“Putting a personality on a stuffed animal is the best way for us to reclaim the best parts of our childhood,” said Lara M. ’25.
Anjuli M. ’25 echoed Lara, saying, “Bobbi is a way for us to remember what it’s like to be a kid, and the spirit of doing and upholding something just for the joy of it.”
Talinn H. ’25 added that by being something everyone can share ownership of, the stuffed bear has brought the grade closer together.
“Bobbi is a symbol of how close knit our grade is and it’s something we can all rally around,” Talinn said.
Along with the graduation cap it was born with (it was sewed on during production), Bobbi sports fashionable attire such as vintage Build-A-Bear clothes by Stewart and undergarments hand-knit by Brenna Au Miller.
“I gave him clothes so he could look like everyone else and be a bear who blended in with his family,” Charlotte said.
The same day it was adopted, Bobbi’s mums also created an Instagram account (@blessed.bobbi) to document the stuffed bear’s life experiences. On the account, which now has 99 followers and dozens of posts and story highlights, there is a story highlight titled “FAMILY” that features students and teachers posing with the bear, including Logan X. ’25 after the Upper School steel drums performance, Camilla Y. ’25 writing an essay in English class, and Upper School computer science teacher Matthew Hesby leading his advisory.
The wildest of Bobbi’s adventures was when Director of College Counseling Gavin Bradley took it in January after it was repeatedly left overnight at school in only its knitted undergarments.
Bradley kept Bobbi in his office and hung a ransom poster at the Upper School addressed to the seniors that wrote: “I’m not sure why you all left me on the couches […] where are my aunties and uncles, now, when I need them most?!?”
Although some seniors accuse Bradley of “kidnapping” the stuffed bear, Bradley retorted that his actions were out of concern.
“Look, ‘kidnap’ is a relative term. If by ‘kidnap’ you mean protecting a lonely, half-naked bear from the unknown perils of the school after everyone leaves […] then sure, go ahead and call me a ‘kidnapper’,” said Bradley.
In response, the seniors made a poster the next day with a photo of the bear and the words: “Please return to the green couches. Not a joke.” Bobbi was safely returned that afternoon.