A New Lakeridge Cow? Crisis Continued

When the death of the fiberglass Lakeridge cow occurred on Wednesday, January 14 due to a forceful act of vandalism, the terrible tragedy left everyone in shock, many without words to describe not only their disgust with the murder of the school cow, but also their feeling of loss and sadness. At approximately six p.m., the cow was tossed aggressively from a critical height, and as it shattered on the concrete, so did the hearts of the students.

The Lakeridge cow was one of nine finalists in The Lucerne Art of Dairy’s nationwide contest in 2010. The cow was painted by Lakeridge Alum Anne Feeny. After thousands of students throughout the country submitted their artistic ideas, and Feeny was a finalist. She and other Pacers worked hard to make the cow beautiful, and to think that someone would disregard her work and destroy her art is downright appalling.

Now that the cow is dead, and nothing can be done to fuse the sad broken bits of it back together, what will Lakeridge do? Will we get a new cow to replace it? Or will we maintain an everlasting funeral and grieve our cow forevermore?

Senior Grayson Mullen shared her opinion on the death of the cow,

“When I heard about the cow I was shocked that someone would do that for no reason. I don’t think we should get a new cow because it just wouldn’t be the same,” Mullen said.

Many students feel that nothing can replace the cow. Remember, this cow was not just the quirky artsy piece of decor that it appeared to be. It was a lifelong friend, an inspiration, a glorious masterpiece to the students and administration at Lakeridge. It was part of the Lakeridge family.

Although some say a new cow is not the answer, junior Owen Kessel says otherwise. He shared his deepest, innermost thoughts on the death of the cow,

“The cow will always have a spot in my heart. When it died, it left me heart broken. I hope we can let the cow live another life through reincarnation. If so, it’s name shall be Bjorn and it will bless the students of Lakeridge. The cow died for the sins of mankind. RIP,” Kessel said.

Not only does Kessel’s words show the overwhelming sadness that this death has caused, but also a solution to the grief. Lakeridge could bring life to another cow. It is possible.

I researched fiberglass animals and found a company ironically called “CowPainters,” who specialize in “the design and fabrication of fiberglass animals for public art projects.” They have an assortment of white fiberglass animals that can be custom painted! This could be an opportunity to bring a new cow into this world. CowPainters even provide the same exact fiberglass cow that Lakeridge owned. Why not make it an school art project? Who knows what bringing a new cow to life could mean for Lakeridge? The possibilities are endless.

Junior Riley Anderson had a sad yet accepting approach to the issue,

“RIP to my day one A1. Rest in paradise fam. A new cow wouldn’t even come close to what the old cow was,” Anderson said.

Many are devastated and things may never be the same without the Lakeridge Cow. Lakeridge can use this tragedy as an opportunity to bring a new cow into the world, or we can forever grieve the shattered cow. Either way, the Cow lives on in the hearts of those who attend Lakeridge and will forever be a part of the family.