Why "Cardinals"?

The "Cardinal" mascot was chosen entirely by the future students of the school as part of a democratic voting process.

First, the school solicited recommendations from all 5th through 8th graders in the Baldwin County Catholic parishes and schools. An archdiocesan committee reviewed the hundreds of recommendations and chose two finalists: the "Sharks," and the "Cardinals," both chosen because they are indigenous to Baldwin County, its bay and beaches, and because they represented the two colors of the school, gray and red. 

On September 29, 2015, the feast day of St. Michael, students filled out ballot cards just as if they were voting for president of the United States, and entered their votes into voting machines on loan from the Baldwin County Courthouse. The ballots were counted, and Archbishop Rodi, in the presence of representative student groups from Christ the King, St. Patrick and St. Benedict, cheerleaders, TV cameras and a big crowd of parents, made the historic announcement,  captured here:

Seventeen students made the winning nomination of  "Cardinals" and will forever be linked to the "founding" of the school. Those students are: Timothy Mullek, Mary Grace McKeough, Rebekah LaConsay, Hannah Gay, Fairby Caldwell, James Koons, Claire Hayes, Jeb Taylor, Emily Corbett, Edward Cowles, Patrick Andrews, Jonah Calvery, Andrew Corbett, Margaux Duchesne, Ally Maver, Emma Claire Lee and Campbell Brown.

For more on the announcement, read the Al.com story here.