LHS tattoos- Madeleine Kemper

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by Madeleine Kemper 2

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LHS TATTOOS LHS TATTOOS

When I think of self-expression, I think about the tangible aspects of a person such as clothing, shoes, accessories, etc. As people age and mature, these forms of expression typically change to fit a new demographic or style. However, there is one form of expression that never changes, and that is a tattoo. Getting inked is a serious commitment because it requires you to pick a piece of art that you want to live with for the rest of your life. I was surprised to find out that many students and faculty members at LHS have not just one, but multiple tattoos, each with their own story. by Madeleine Kemper

Where on the body: Lower side of back Why they got this tattoo/meaning behind it: When she was 18, Van Den Top got six numbers tattooed on her lower side, representing the last two digits of each of her three siblings’ birth years. For a long time, Van Den Top and her siblings could not decide on what they wanted their tattoos to be of. Originally, they all planned on getting each other’s initials, but they eventually decided on birth years. “We always wanted to get a sibling tattoo, and one of my brothers didn’t like the idea of initials, so he had to find something that he liked too and we went with the numbers instead,” said Van Den Top.

Logan Needles, grade 11 Where on the body: Wrist and back of neck Why they got this tattoo/meaning behind it: On his forearm, Needles has two roses intertwined with a cross lying beside them. To him, they are a reminder to always have love, hope and God in his life. On the same forearm, he has his favorite Bible verse with an image of hands held together in prayer. On the back of Needles’s neck, he has the image of a tree. “The tree has a really personal meaning. It reminds me to keep all the bad stuff behind me and to always grow as a person, like the way a tree grows,” said Needles. Roxy Harte, History teacher Where on the body: Multiple places Why they got this tattoo/ meaning behind it: Harte has gotten multiple tattoos in her lifetime, eight to be exact. Her most meaningful one is on the inside of her wrist. It’s a line from a card her dad wrote to her. In his handwriting, it says “There is nothing you can’t do, Love dad.” “My tattoo is kind of a pep talk/reminder from my father, who passed away unexpectedly my senior year of high school,” said Harte. Xavier Pastrano, English teacher Summer Stoll, grade 11 Where on the body: (All over) both arms and legs Why they got this tattoo/meaning behind it: Xavier Pastrano might win the award for the most tattoos at LHS. One that stands out to him, in particular, is his half-leg sleeve for the strong women in his life because he was raised by a single mom. The tattoo is nautical themed. One piece of it represents his wife, another represents his mom and the third is for his aunt. Along with this piece, there is a compass to represent the guidance they have given him throughout his life. The sleeve on his arm is literary-themed with symbols from his favorite books. Pastrano has many other tattoos, including one of the Tenenbaum kids, honoring his favorite movie “The Royal Tenenbaums.” “Every single tattoo I have is like a chapter in my book. My first tattoo was representative of being 18 and making hasty decisions. That’s who I was at the time,” said Pastrano. Where on the body: Above elbow, left shoulder Why they got this tattoo/ meaning behind it: The tattoo on the back of Stoll’s arm is her sister’s birthdate in Roman numerals. This was her and her sister’s first tattoos, which they got together when Stoll was 16. On her 17th birthday, Stoll got her second tattoo on her shoulder. This tattoo includes three state flowers, one for South Dakota and the others for Ohio and Minnesota, where her parents grew up. The lettering arranged around the flowers says “Home is wherever I am with you,” in Arabic because Stoll’s grandma is from Syria. “[The tattoos] are really personal to me and my life so it feels really cool to have personalized art on my body that no one else will ever have,” said Stoll. 2 3 4 5