You’ll see it throughout the school after game days.  An Indiana Jones-esque cowboy hat atop of one of the members of the Boys Hockey team.  The player smiles as he walks down the hall and receives all the praise, or criticism, associated with the hat.  Battling teachers, students, and the Student Handbook, the recipient of the cowbay hat has nothing to fear for they earned the hat because they were the hardest worker in the previous hockey game.

Introduced at the beginning of the season, the cowboy hat has received almost celebrity status at Walpole High.  Worn the day after a game by the hockey player who gave the most for their team, the cowboy hat was initially supposed to be a joke.  “We’d give it to the player who worked the hardest in the past game,” said junior assistant Captain Alex Carde, “it was supposed to be a small inside joke, but it’s grown out of that.”

In chatting with past winners, their reactions to wearing the hat in school are mixed.  “It was cool,” said sophomore Tommy MacNamara, “everyone stared, but it was beacause they knew I did well in the last game.”  Fellow sophomore Sean Donnelly didn’t share the same sympathies.  “I was not a fan,” Donnelly laughed, “I got abused throughout the day and but it was fun because it meant I did work in the game.”  Not only does the player have to wear the hat during school, but they also have to wear it to the next game as well, leading to more embarrassment.

“The hat has been something to play for all year,” said junior Captain John White, “everyone wants to be the kid who gets to wear the hat.”  While the players love the hat, their season has not be so entertaining; however, the hat symbolizes some hope from a sub-par season hockey season.  All of the recipients of the hat so far have been underclassmen, a great sign for next year’s team.  If the Rebels can keep this tradition of hard work going and carry it into next winter, then students and teachers can expect to see the cowboy hat a lot more in the future.