Unusual Nicknames: Appleton West Terrors

Appleton West High School’s mascot may sound nefarious, but its origin is rooted in local geography.

The school’s mascot, the “Terror,” is a fictional animal representing a hybrid of a wolf and a fox, reflecting the school’s location between the Wolf and Fox rivers.

The Terror was first depicted in 1944 as an orange canine on a blue background. It underwent several redesigns in 1969, 1982, 1989, 1991 and 1993 before the school adopted its current minimalist logo featuring a Terror head and the letters “AW” in orange and blue.

The current AWHS school building, constructed in 1938, was originally named Appleton Senior High School before being renamed in 1967. It was the first senior high school in Appleton, which is located about 33 miles southwest of Green Bay and just north of Lake Winnebago.

Part of the Appleton Area School District, the school has an enrollment of about 1,500 students.

Jordan Morey is manager of communications and media relations at the NFHS.