SCRANTON -- Students at a high school in Scranton say their mascot has never been specific enough.
And now they want the West Scranton Invaders to honor the American invaders, some of whom live in their community.
David Lutchko and Cassie Merrill are West Scranton High School Invaders. But, they say it's not completely clear what that mascot really means.
"This is our school, this is our life, this is where we grew up. The sign outside really motivated us to show the community what the invaders are made of and all the heroes that risked their lives for us," Merrill said.
To Merrill, Lutchko, and their other sophomore class officers, a West Scranton Invader looks like a World War II veteran. He may have stormed the beaches of Normandy, or fought in the pacific, he may be one of their grandparents or a person in their community.
But the sign outside their school doesn't display that.
"We noticed when we were first elected that the emblem on it was actually a Trojan. So we want to change it into an invader," Lutchko said.
While a Trojan is an invader, the students said they would rather honor American invaders instead. That's why they will replace the sign with another one that has a drawing of a World War II soldier on it.
The class officers are also working on a display that will go in the school's front entrance. They hope to gather World War II memorabilia from vets that will go in a trophy case.
After all, it's those American invaders who made the trophies possible in the first place.
"It just a way so we can never forget all of the sacrifices that they've gone through," Lutchko added.
The modern-day invaders plan to honor veterans at a ceremony on June 6th, the 70th anniversary of D-day. That's when they will reveal the new sign that they say better fits the way they see themselves.