![Reaching out. Christopher Lesh, student at Central Catholic High School, serves ice cream during the event on March 2, 2025, at the Portland waterfront. Central Catholic was just one of the schools that sent student volunteers out to cook, prepare, dish, and serve food. Interact club’s co-president Rachel Gerber, junior, plated the food during the event. “I like how direct the contact is,” Gerber said. “You’re there [and] you’re just doing something good. It’s simple, it’s easy, you can feel good about it.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/interact-1-edited-1200x744.jpg)
![At the bottom of the third inning, the Lions are still scoreless. Rowe stands at home plate, preparing to bat, while Vandenbrink stands off to the side as the next batter up. Despite having the bases loaded, the team was unable to score any runs. “It’s just the beginning of the season. We’re just going to be playing out best by June, [and] that’s where champions are,” Rowe said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3077-1200x900.jpg)
On Feb. 11, a post on the social media platform “X” stated that Duo, the mascot of language-learning app Duolingo, was dead. This announcement marked the beginning of a series of events that included proof, investigations, funerals, and revivals, sending hundreds of language learners back to their lessons.
Following the first announcement, Duolingo was careful not to disclose too many details of the crime at once. They stated that “authorities” were investigating the cause of death, and later asked their followers to help identify the driver of a Tesla Cybertruck who reportedly ran over the owl in a parking lot.
Duolingo users were shocked by the announcement, and many were unsure of what information shared online was trustworthy due to the many social media creators who began to speculate and add their own additions to the story.
Kaitlyn McCord, junior, follows Duo on TikTok and Instagram.
“It’s sad, honestly,” McCord said. “He was really funny.”
McCord has been learning French on Duolingo for five years and recently had a streak of 1,847 days. After first hearing of Duo’s passing, she considered that the death may have been the beginning of Duolingo’s April Fool’s Day trick because the company did something similar last year. However, Amelia Caspar, junior, quickly recognized the company’s intention.
“It was a good marketing strategy to encourage people to learn,” Caspar said. “It reminded people to be grateful [for the app].”
For several weeks, Duolingo socials released frequent updates and even footage from the “funeral.” Some of the app’s users reported that they had the opportunity to revive Duo if they earned 50 billion learning points, but not all users had access to the update. However, on Feb. 24, the saga ended with a final post stating “Legends Never Die” and “Duo is Back.”
Caspar has been learning Spanish on Duolingo for over 2 years and recently had an 830-day streak. She was relieved by the news of Duo’s return.
“I was taken aback at first,” Caspar said. “I don’t understand how it happened, but I’m happy he’s back.”
Duo’s time off the grid, although short-lived, resulted in a significant increase in daily downloads that brought hundreds of thousands of language learners to the app. Duolingo’s social media team has been praised for their beloved and unhinged characters for many years, but Duo’s faked death can be considered one of his most memorable performances.
