“Captain FAFSA,” introduced to the Lewiston School Committee this week, is a 9-foot-tall writing implement committed to truth, justice, the American way and helping high school students complete the critical paperwork for securing college financial aid.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is the key first step for students to qualify for college aid, such as grants and low-interest loans. Before pushing students to fill it out, Lewiston administrators were stunned to discover only a handful – 10 percent – of graduates completed the form.

A subsequent campaign raised that rate to 70 percent, but school officials feel it must go higher, especially as college enrollment increases. Hence the summoning of Captain FAFSA, a proud pencil with a pointed protuberance who wears currency as a cape and has trouble typing on keyboards.

(See the captain’s YouTube debut for more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvepNswW2YE)

The captain is a goofy character, following in footsteps of other notable cartoonish captains, such as Captain Kangaroo, Captain Crunch and Captain Planet. It’s not immediately clear whether Captain FAFSA has a ship, or is perhaps a high-ranking officer of some pencil-related military branch.

And it doesn’t matter. The comedy of this spokespencil superhero belies its important duty: giving students the tools needed to attain a higher education. Though the FAFSA is an unwieldy document, which requires parents to have detailed financial figures at their fingertips, it is the crucial step for students to secure college financing.

Still, too few students and parents understand this. Studies of college attainment in Maine, such as the recent report from the Mitchell Institute, cite failure to file the FAFSA as a key obstacle for students, yet one easily rectified.

Not completing the FAFSA is like a runner tripping over the first hurdle. So as Captain FAFSA embarks on his promised “road show” to football games and other public events, it’s worth overlooking the amusing fact it is a giant talking pencil, and focus on its point – about financial aid.