Ella Wachtel

Benny the Bengal appears at many school events such as sports games and works towards getting everyone in the audience excited.

Benny the Bengal is FVHS’s iconic mascot who makes appearances at different sporting events in support of FVHS. Except for swimming, obviously. Cats are scared of water. You can, however, see him performing with the cheer team at the football and basketball games.

Now the question is, who is Benny the Bengal? Who’s the man behind the mask? Some students believe he’s a fellow student, some believe he’s Principal Mike James.

Junior Owen Hoye stated, “Benny the Bengal is a fun guy, I love seeing him at all the games. I was on the football team last year, and Benny was always hyping up JV. The only guy we knew to have those acrobatics was Ralph. Ralph and Benny just have the same energy. I believe Ralph Philips may be Benny the Bengal.”

Philips is a senior and an outfielder for FVHS’s baseball team. He’s been described as extremely nice, energetic, and a chill dude.

Philips stated, “Accusations go around high school, rumor central. Nothing to be worried about. I have no clue who Benny the Bengal is, and I don’t really go to basketball games like that. So I don’t know who he is or what he does, but he seems really cool. So it could really be anyone. I know it’s a student for sure. That’s about all I know. I think it’s cool we got a mascot. I know a lot of high schools don’t have a mascot that shows school pride and has fun.”

There’s been some speculation that Benny is a bad driver and also very attractive. Another student caught in this web of accusations is junior Tommy Lemmers.

Lemmers stated, “I mean It’s possible, but you know honestly Grant Swayngim. Grant Swagy. He’s my suspect. I think that he’s possibly Benny the Bengal. I personally think Benny the Bengal is kinda hot, and he always entertains me at the games.”

Swayngim is a junior at FVHS who runs for the cross-country team. With Benny not making appearances at cross-country events, it leaves him with plenty of opportunities to run for cross-country and cheer as Benny.

Swayngim stated, “Whenever I see Benny at a game, he puts a smile on my face. It’s definitely Robert Thomas Lemmers. It’s 100 percent him. Benny’s a pretty bad driver and crashes a lot. He also can’t do a backflip which is kinda lame. Those two reasons lead me to believe Tommy is Benny.”

With our student suspects being Philips, Swayngim, and Lemmers, it’s time to turn to our principal. James joined FVHS in 2022, and has been a long-time supporter of all school events, similar to Benny. James mentioned that the students of FVHS could decide whether to keep Benny’s identity a mystery like it is, or to have a process where people run an election to become Benny for the next year.

James stated, “Benny’s a mystery; he’s sort of like Batman. You don’t know him but he comes to support the school. He upholds good, justice, and righteousness, like the man in black. He means a lot to our school and school spirit. Every good school has a good mascot. I believe the mystery of Benny is very valuable. There’s no student body process for voting on who should be Benny for the year, so it’s really up to the students.”

When James was made aware he was a prime suspect, he had this to say.

“Benny the Bengal is a mystery person, and I sort of am too. So I guess I can embrace that and keep people guessing if I’m Benny the Bengal or not. Benny represents the school; he’s like Mr. Fuquay. I’ll take that any day,” said James.

With all the suspects giving their side and perspective, there’s only one person left to interview: Benny the Bengal.

Keeping in mind that mascots can’t talk, when asked how he felt about being Benny, he did the Superman pose expressing how super he feels being such an important figure at FVHS. Benny made it very clear that he is a strong supporter and loves all the sports and activities that FVHS runs.

FVHS’s feline friend is the purrfect fit. Thank you Benny for always supporting FVHS and giving our school something to be proud of. Roll Bengals!