Senior class is fundraising to create a statue of the college mascot.

Castleton’s favorite mascot will soon be immortalized on campus. 

The senior class of 2025 knew they wanted to give a class gift that was both meaningful and would leave a lasting impact, not only on the school itself but on the Castleton community as a whole. 

“We knew we wanted something big, something memorable. We wanted to do something that would be off the charts,” said Zack Durr, the 2025 Senior Class President.

So, after months of planning, collaboration and hard work by all involved, the idea of a statue of the beloved Sparty mascot was born. 

“It started as a brainstorming session in here (Castleton Student Government Association office), and me laying out this crazy vision, and they were like ‘alright let’s do it,’” Durr said.

Initially, the idea was for the statue to be made of bronze, but the expected cost was substantially above what the budget would allow. 

Instead, the iconic Castleton Spartan will be carved out of wood by artist Cody Stosz of Kodiak Carving and permanently displayed outside of Dave Wolk Stadium on the Castleton campus. 

So, why Sparty?

“It’s something that means a lot to us. I think that logo means a lot to our campus and to our alumni. When thinking about making something that could be impactful for us and other alumni to come back to, we decided that Sparty was going to be the best bet,” Durr said with a smile. 

It was designed to serve as a symbol of strength and unity for a tight-knit community, while also serving as an important reminder of the Castleton identity. 

VTSU Castleton art professor Oliver Schemm, who helped the class get in contact with the artist, shared similar thoughts.

“I think it really fits with who and what Vermont is and what the Castleton campus is,” he said.

The class is currently in the process of fundraising to pay for the statue. They have created a GiveCampus page, with a goal to raise $8,500. The campaign has already gained the support of more than 60 donors and they are over halfway to reaching the goal.

The statue will be ready and on display prior to the class of 2025 commencement, which was a top priority with the sculpture being their class gift. 

When speaking with those involved with the project, there was a theme that was continuously brought up; the importance of community outreach. 

“This statue will be so much more than just a wooden statue. We are engaging a bunch of alumni, faculty, staff and students in this fundraising campaign, and everyone is getting excited about seeing something that will mean so much to this community,” said Durr.

Another of the senior class officers, Thomas Kehoe, shared similar a similar perspective.

“Alumni will be able to come back to it, but at the end of the day this is really about giving back to the campus, and trying to improve it for the better,” he said.

It was also extremely important to this group that this class gift would be something meaningful to the identity of Castleton and something that everyone would want to come back to. 

“We’ve heard a lot of people who have been upset when it comes to taking away some aspects of the Castleton identity, this is how we can bring all the different groups together and engage in this fundraising campaign and show how much it means to be a Castleton Spartan,” Durr said.