The Lincoln School Project will officially introduce mascot WOO, the Wise Old Owl, today during a special launch program at His Place Christian Academy in West Plains.
More than an ordinary mascot, WOO is a storyteller, ambassador and symbol of the enduring lessons of Lincoln School. Although WOO is nonverbal, his presence, actions and experiences are designed to communicate important messages about kindness, respect, education, belonging and community unity.
The public may watch WOO’s origin story video, available at LincolnSchoolProject.com. The creative work was designed to be both informative and inspirational. While fictional, historical themes are thoughtfully intertwined throughout the production, helping connect WOO’s character to the legacy of Lincoln School and broader lessons about education, perseverance, dignity and community.
The Lincoln School Project extends special recognition to Mason Cockrum of Cockrum Media for producing the video and bringing WOO’s story to life.
“We are tremendously pleased with what Mason created,” said Crockett W. Oaks III, co-founder of the Lincoln School Project. “The quality of the production is exceptional, but even more important is the way the story blends imagination with meaningful historical themes. WOO may be a fictional character, but the values and lessons he represents are very real.”
Through appearances at schools, community programs and special events, WOO will help bring the story and values of Lincoln School to younger generations.
“WOO gives us another way to reach children — and adults — with messages that can sometimes be communicated more powerfully through an experience than through words,” said Tonya Oaks, co-founder of the Lincoln School Project. “When young people see WOO, we want them to see a friend who reminds them that kindness matters, respect matters, and how we treat one another matters.”
WOO’s story is rooted in the educational legacy of Lincoln School, the historic one-room school that served Black children in West Plains during segregation. Today, the restored school serves as a place where history is preserved while conversations about education, community and shared humanity continue.
“Lincoln School has always been about more than preserving a building — it is about preserving the lessons that came from the people who walked through its doors,” Crockett Oaks said. “WOO allows those lessons to travel. He may never speak a word, but through his interactions we hope he will say a great deal about kindness, respect, learning and the responsibility we all have to help build stronger communities.”
Financial support for the project was provided by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks–West Plains Impact Circle, the Paula Kaye Speraneo Memorial Fund for Community and Culture, and United Way of the Greater Ozarks.
For additional information about WOO or to view upcoming appearance schedules, visit LincolnSchoolProject.com or email lincolnschool65775@gmail.com.
SIDEBAR / BREAKOUT BOX
Lincoln School to host book launch
The launch of the third edition of “Missouri’s Black Heritage,” authored by Lorenzo Greene, Gary Kremer, and Antonio Holland, will be celebrated from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 3 at the Lincoln School Project, 1400 Pony Thomas St. in West Plains.
The book is a revised and expanded re-issue of an edition released in 1980, and its cover features a photo of Lincoln School students. Kremer will be there for a discussion and to sign copies of the third-edition book, available for sale onsite.
Kremer is a noted historian, former state archivist and the State Historical Society of Missouri’s executive director from 2004 to 2025.
Lincoln School is celebrating its 100th year; the building was formerly the local segregation-era school for Blacks, until federal desegregation in 1954 under the Brown versus Board of Education ruling.
The restoration of the school began in 2023, and has since been host to educational programs highlighting civil rights, social causes, community-building and the history of Black Americans and nationally and locally.
For more information about the program or other Lincoln School Project events, visit LincolnSchoolProject.com.
