“Sqqrreeeaak!” English teacher Ashley Snider stopped abruptly in her tracks, slowly turning towards her left to glance at the provocative bulletin board woven between two history classrooms on the third floor of Davie’s tower. There it was—the mighty mascot of Davie County High School, the War Eagle… in a dress and sequins.
“Why is the eagle sexy?” Snider proclaimed to no one in particular. Laughter could be heard booming out of the second-floor English workroom as Snider later recounted her discovery. But really, why is the eagle sexy?
The answer lies with “History’s Swifties,” a group of Davie High history teachers whose annual Taylor Swift-themed bulletin boards have become part of the culture of the history hallway. This year, the group’s fandom has inspired a bedazzled bulletin board depicting Davie’s War Eagle as a Swift-inspired showgirl.
A group of dedicated Taylor Swift fans, including Laura Doub, Meranda Shoemaker, Megan Baker, and Kamryn Harris, these academics coincidentally teach the same subject in the same part of the school building. Their Swiftie status is on full display for anyone who steps into their classrooms or simply passes through the History hallway.
On August 13, when Swift announced her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” History’s Swifties were—to the surprise of no one—buzzing with excitement. They had to do something to commemorate this event and the upcoming album release… but what?
The Swift squad couldn’t answer this question until they decided to merge two things they love: good ol’ Davie County and their Pennsylvanian princess. And just like that, the “Life of a War Eagle” was born, a sequined hybrid of Swift and Davie’s mascot.
This idea was brought to life with a blend of AI, Photoshop, colored paper, lamination, and a Rolls-Royce full of rhinestones. It’d be easy to mistake the striking, elegant eagle they created for the “Speak Now” star herself—if it weren’t for the feathers.
Of course, this endearing replica came with a few quotes and questions from students and staff returning from a hot summer break—especially teachers like Snider who didn’t know much about Taylor Swift.
“I had no clue it was a reference to Taylor Swift. I just saw ‘Sexy Eagle,’” Snider said. “‘The Life of a War Eagle’—it didn’t even click at first. I went and asked Mrs. Harris, who was standing out by her door. I said, ‘Why is the eagle sexy?’ It finally made sense to me… I felt a little embarrassed.”
Laura Doub, AP U.S. History teacher and collaborator on the bulletin board, had an answer for Snider’s first question. “The eagle is not sexy. It is perfectly school-appropriate,” Doub said. “But the eagle is Taylor, and Taylor is gorgeous.”
Like most, Snider “[isn’t] used to seeing an eagle in sequins,” and she wasn’t the only one surprised. When senior Bryson Lantz first saw the board, he questioned the image, exclaiming, “It’s from a movie right? So it’s either the bird from Rio or Edward the Eagle’s Wife!”
Others caught the reference immediately. Sophomore Meghan Russo, an avid Taylor Swift fan, said the design was “a good representation of what Taylor Swift meant for the album.”
“It’s one of those things where you look at it and laugh a bit,” Russo added. “It brings a smile to your face.”
But for History’s Swifties, the image is both a combination of two invaluable aspects of life and a representation of creativity. The tradition began in 2023 with a board themed around the ‘Eras Tour’ featuring historical figures paired with matching lyrics and quotes. 2024 saw the trend continue with a new board featuring lyrics from “So High School,” a track from Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” that included “throwback” pictures of the history department in high school.
When asked about the tradition, Harris stated that they were bored and overanalyzing Taylor Swift lyrics and history too much. They got the idea, and “it just sort of happened.” These boards combine the passions of various teachers and serve as a fun outlet for positivity and imagination.
Doub has loved Taylor Swift since high school, but it wasn’t until she found out that Harris was going to the Eras Tour that she and others decided to “make everything about Taylor Swift all the time,” something she believes will continue “for a while.”
“I really refrain from putting Taylor activities in class, but I try to just keep the decor in my classroom,” Doub said. “The flags, the CD, the posters… and of course we have all the cardigans we wear.”
From an artistic standpoint, Snider and many others believe that the various Swift-adjacent projects undergone by the Swifties in the history department are nothing short of inspirational.
“Their creativity in being Swifties knows no bounds,” Snider said.
There’s no denying the welcoming ambiance on the third-floor history hallway. From bulletin boards to laminated posters and vinyls, this shared interest of various faculty members and students alike serves as a testament to the strong bonds that are built every day at Davie.
For History’s Swifties, it’s that same spirit of curiosity and creativity that keeps their classrooms—and their boards—alive. A once-small nod to Taylor Swift has become so much more than a display of their fandom. Every day, as students walk past the glittering eagle bedecked in sequins, they too can enjoy a little bit of sparkle and feathers in their life… even if they’re still asking the question Snider posed not too long ago.
Recalling her confusion from her first encounter with Swift-Eagle, Snider shared a deeper message. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Even if you feel embarrassed by them, it’s better to know than not know.”
As Swift herself would say, “sequins are forever”—and so is the unwavering Swiftiness in History’s Swifties Department.
