Sgt. Pepper steals the show at The Mirage

First-grade class suggested name after studying The Beatles

Jim Miller/ViewSgt. Pepper, The Mirage?s new baby dolphin, swims with Sage, one of the two female dolphins placed in the pool to help the mother, July 12. Advertisement

Sgt. Pepper has come to Las Vegas -- in the form of a baby dolphin.

The 40-pound Atlantic bottlenose dolphin was born on June 8 at The Mirage's Dolphin Habitat to proud mama Duchess. The baby has quickly become the exhibit's main attraction.

Students from around the Clark County School District were asked to participate in a competition to name the baby during June.

After more than 200 submissions from schools valleywide, The Mirage announced that the winning name came from a first-grade class at Hayden Elementary School in North Las Vegas.

Children in Brandi Mora's first-grade class had two weeks of Beatles immersion in April, when they studied the group's influence on popular culture.

"We were doing a section on European heroes, and I chose the Beatles because I thought it would stimulate their minds the most," Mora said. "And they really took to the history, the music. The kids really loved the album cover for 'Sgt. Pepper,' and when we started brainstorming for names for the baby, they remembered talking about the 'Love' show at The Mirage. Before I knew it, we were spitting out Beatles-themed names."

Executives at the resort chose to label the dolphin with the Beatle-centric "Sgt. Pepper."

"In the end, that's what we came up with," Mora said. "And the kids were so excited. We all got to go see the habitat, and we had an ice cream party in the baby's honor. It was great."

The Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage has become more popular than ever with the arrival of the one-month-old mammal.

"There's a real feeling of excitement here at the property," said curator and dolphin caregiver Jim Hudson. "Everyone is so happy that this little guy is here."

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album, which many fans believe changed the landscape of rock music forever.

"The name really suits him," Hudson said. "And it suits this property. We have all of these Beatles references with the show and Fest for Beatles Fans that was held here earlier this year. So the name suits him and the hotel. The kids were very creative to come up with that."