(Wright’s Cutest Pet Winner: Ravioli the Pigeon)
“Do you have any pets?” One of the most common questions to getting to know a peer is asking whether that person has a pet. Pets can be a familial companion to a best friend, and there are no restrictions to which animals are designated as pets. At Wright, pets are no stranger to being in the limelight. Wright’s 4th Annual Cutest Pet Contest brings together a collection of students’ pets to determine which pet is voted as the cutest.
Mary Kincaid, Student Activities Coordinator, along with the Student Government Association are the ones responsible for making the contest a school staple. First created during the pandemic period, the contest was designed to be an engaging activity for students to connect with each other during a time when students could only interact with their peers virtually. Even after classes resumed to be taken in person, the contest drew so much traction among students that it eventually became an annual tradition.
The contest had so many submissions that a few pets were put immediately in round two, skipping round one so as to not overwhelm voters. Even with the unexpected surge of participants, the contest has concluded without issue. Kincaid attributes the contest’s success to the bountiful student participation. “This contest isn’t a competitive sport- just a fun little activity for students to enjoy. It [the contest] was meant to bring a little stress relief, to give students something to talk about besides school work. Students talk in the hallways about their favorite pet- and subsequently build a bond within a school activity.”
The winner of this year’s pet contest is a pigeon named Ravioli. Ravioli, referred to by its owner as Ravi, was adopted as squab when a middle school classmate posted about finding him on social media. Ravi’s owner, Caitlin Torres, a student at Wright studying biology, initially tried to surrender Ravi to a bird rescue; however, the rescue was closed and Torres was left to care for the bird herself. Multiple attempts were made to release Ravi, but he continuously chose to stay with Torres and her family. “He grew into an adult in about a month. We [Torres’s family] would take him outside but he wouldn't fly away. He would stay perched on my knee or hand until we went back inside,” said Torres. Soon after, Ravi officially became a beloved family pet.
Caitlin Torres and Ravi (Photo courtesy of Caitlin Torres)
As winners of the pet contest, both Ravi and Torres received a prize. Ravi received a pet toy and Torres received a $50 Amazon gift card, which she said she will most likely use to buy Ravi more sweaters. When asked why she submitted Ravi into the contest, Torres said “I looked at the past pet winners and thought it would be funny to enter a pigeon… I didn’t think he would win at all, but getting the announcement that he did made me pleasantly happy.” With rice crispy cereal and rocking colorful sweaters, Ravi is voted as Wright’s 4th Annual Cutest Pet.
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