Before Mr. Brown was the science teacher at Catharine Blaine, he went on this wild trip to Africa. Now, if you know Mr. Brown at all, you know two things about him: first, he’s crazy about science—like, he can talk for hours about ants, plants, or basically anything that moves or grows. Second, he talks a lot. Seriously, sometimes we have to tell him, “Okay, Mr.Brown!”
Anyway, one really hot day, Mr. Brown was hiking through the jungle with his backpack full of trail mix and notebooks. And, of course, he was talking to himself about how ants communicate or something like that. Suddenly, out of the tall grass, he saw this big, orange-and-black striped thing moving.
“That’s gotta be a tiger!” he said, kind of surprised. “But wait, tigers live in Asia, not Africa. Huh. Weird.”
Just then, the tiger stopped and looked right at him. And that’s when things got even weirder.
Out of nowhere, this guy named Marcus shows up, riding the tiger like it’s no big deal. Marcus has the most amazing, long, silky hair you’ve ever seen, like he just walked out of a shampoo commercial. And get this he’s wearing a bright, colorful bikini…. In the jungle.
“Hey, Mr. Brown!” Marcus called out, waving his hair like a flag. “Tony and I are just cruising the jungle!”
Mr. Brown blinked a few times, not sure if he was dreaming. Before he could say anything else, a monkey dropped out of a tree, grabbed his backpack, and took off running!
Tony—the tiger, who Mr. Brown had already decided to name because he seemed like a Tony—let out a huge roar and chased after the monkey. Marcus held on tight, laughing the whole time.
And Mr. Brown? He was chasing after them yelling, “Hey! That’s my lunch and my science notes!”
They ran through bushes, splashed through a shallow river, and jumped over fallen logs. Mr. Brown kept yelling random facts about monkeys and tigers while trying to keep up. Marcus was cheering and having the time of his life. The monkey was screeching like crazy.
Finally, the monkey dropped the backpack and scrambled up a tree. Tony picked up the backpack in his mouth and trotted back over to Mr. Brown like a giant, fluffy dog.
From that day on, Mr. Brown Marcus, and Tony became a team.
Marcus rode Tony everywhere, hair flowing in the wind, bikini and all, while Mr. Brown talked science (and probably wouldn’t stop). When it was time to come home, Mr. Brown somehow managed to get Tony trained to behave on the airplane. He also filled out what he called “the least fun science experiment ever”—a mountain of paperwork.
When they got back to Catharine Blaine, the students totally freaked out.
“There’s a TIGER in the hallway!”
Principal Mr. Gray nearly fainted. But Mr. Brown just adjusted his glasses and said, “Relax. Tony and Marcus are part of the science program.”
And just like that, Catharine Blaine had its new mascot: the Tigers.
Now the school has tiger posters, t-shirts, and even a big statue of Tony with Marcus riding on his back, hair blowing in the wind, bikini and all.
Mr. Brown still teaches science and still talks a ton—especially about the time he accidentally became friends with a tiger and a guy in a bikini.
Nobody knows exactly where Tony is now. Some say he’s back in the jungle with Marcus, still cruising around in style. Others joke he might be hiding under the school stage.
But one thing’s for sure:
Only at Catharine Blaine do you get a talkative science teacher, a tiger-riding guy with amazing hair in a bikini, and a monkey that steals backpacks. P.S. the coolest mascot EVER!!!!
