Staley Da Bear brings energy and excitement to Kennedy School students

Students at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy School at St. Coletta’s of Illinois got a special surprise on Feb. 27 when Staley Da Bear, the official mascot of the Chicago Bears, made a lively visit to help shake off the winter blues.

Dancing his way through a crowd of excited students and staff, Staley exchanged high-fives and spread contagious enthusiasm. As the cheers filled the room, his handler rallied the crowd: “Are you ready to have a dance party?”

The visit, organized by school administrators, was designed to energize students as they transition into the second half of the school year. Approximately 70 students from various school districts—including Thornton Township District 205, Thornton Fractional District 215, Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, Crete Monee District 201-U, Consolidated High School District 230, and Flossmoor District 161—attend the therapeutic day school.

Staley wasted no time getting everyone on their feet, leading dances to the cha-cha, the Hokey Pokey, and even some playful twerking to hits by Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé. Laughter and joy filled the room as students eagerly joined in the fun.

Beforehand, his handler engaged the crowd with Chicago Bears trivia, challenging students to answer questions like which colors are on the Bears’ jersey, what’s the name of the Bears’ home stadium, and which legendary player was known as “Sweetness.”

The excitement peaked when Staley issued a dance contest challenge—an invitation the students enthusiastically accepted. As the event wrapped up, one final question was posed to the crowd: “Did you guys have fun today?” The resounding “Yeah!” said it all.