Gryphon Gazette 2013-14, Issue 5

The

Gryphon Gazette

April Fools 2014

•

The Newspaper of St. George’s Independent School

•

Issue I

Drastic next step taken in parking protocol

Top

Stories

• Gum now allowed at St. George’s

• La Fleur gives make-up tips

• Our teachers in their youth

• Next step taken in parking protocol

• Classified information confirms suspicions about redheads

Juliana Wall ’15

Dagny Vaughn ’14

• Mr. Will Bladt reviews “Thump, Quack, Moo”

R

ecently, the Upper School has decided to crack down on students who refuse to follow the set procedures regarding

Eating well with Caroline Caroline Cannon ’15

W

ith the world so focused on bettering how one looks on the inside, I, Caroline A. Cannon, have decided to help you become the most beautiful you on the outside. It is important to look fantastic on the outside so that you see yourself as a confident, beautiful individual.

Sticking to a set way of eating is very important. Though some may call it a diet, I would prefer to call it a lifestyle choice. Here’s how you can keep yourself looking gorgeous.

Right when you wake up, run downstairs and pour a full bowl of mixed Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles, finishing it off with 2% milk. Complete the most important meal of the day with four packs of CapriSun. Don’t forget to brush your teeth afterwards!

As you speed down Houston

Levee attempting to get to school on time, make sure you are consuming the dozen donuts you just picked up from the small shop that saves everyone’s advisory from dying of starvation.

Now, even if a fellow advisee brought donuts, you need to come prepared for the worst. A petite, royal blue lunch box free from the air conditioning is your lifesaver.

You should be able to open up this snack pack at any time and find a lovely surprise of Goldfish, Fruit by the Foot, another CapriSun, an eight ounce Gatorade of your favorite color, Halloween candy from three years ago, and none other than the most magical Girl Scout cookies of all time, Thin Mints.

Even after all this eating in advisory or during flex time, you may be cursed with second lunch.

Cont. on April Fools Page 3

parking on campus. On February 29th, students decided to park horizontally in all parking spots across campus, catching the attention of administration, who have decided on a new parking policy.

According to Upper School Dean of Students, Mrs. Jill Reilly, the newly set policy will be effective staring on April 5th and continuing on all days ending in “y”, and will consist of what she believes is the “last resort”

to dealing with uncooperative upper school parkers.

“We were really hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but I’m afraid we have no other option to keep student parkers in their designated areas,” she said.

This new procedure will involve the towing and sinking of all incorrectly parked student vehicles in Jake Lake on campus.

These rule-breaking vehicles will be towed by maintenance into the woods and then forcefully pushed into the lake.

“I believe this is the best way to deal with this issue,” said Mrs. Reilly. “After doing everything possible to help the students learn to park short of parking their cars for them, nothing has changed.”

Areas that are considered unavailable for student parking include but are not limited to the faculty lot, the middle school lot, the Field House lot, all lots near the sports fields, the front lawn, the baseball fields, and any other areas that could be used for parking on campus.

Cont. on April Fools Page 3

Secret basement level uncovered at St. George’s Meredith Gatlin ’14

M

ost members of the St. George’s community assume that the elevator in the main hallway of the school only goes to the first and second floor of the building. However, there is a secret button that with the right key will take anyone to the basement level.

You read correctly. Underneath the main building of St. George’s Collierville Campus is a secret basement that is finally being revealed to the entire St. George’s population.

The first graduating class created the basement floor as a home away from home for an elite group of students to live in, if they chose to do so.

Each year a special committee of administrators selects a few seniors to have the special privi-

lege of using the underground lair.

These chosen students prove their worthiness through a series of trials; if they succeed, they are given the key that is used for the secret button in the elevator. This year’s chosen students are seniors Jason Crawford, John Porter, Maggie Courtney, Walt Kearney, and Kayce Hyde.

These esteemed students are allowed to venture down to the underground level whenever they choose.

Courtney said, “I was so shocked to learn about this secret level when I was given a key to it. It is such a great way to escape from school whenever I am feeling stressed.”

There is a flat screen TV, video game control system and a smoothie bar. Courtney and

the other members of this elite group are able to access all of these privileges before, during and after school.

In addition, there are many underground tunnels that lead to different areas of the school.

Cont. on April Fools Page 3

Juliana Wall ’15 Access to the basement level is denied to most students.

Class schedule changes to one class per day Regan Hewitt ’14

S

t. George’s Independent School prides itself on being a student-centered learning environment. According to the administration, a studentcentered environment means that each student’s needs are listened to and an attempt to cater to those needs is made.

However, the schedule changes that have recently occurred at St. George’s have taken that approach to a whole

new level.

In the past few months, the administration has released information that among the new classes that will be offered, there will be a new rotating schedule for the 2014-2015 school year. Now, as opposed to having seven class periods every day there will be one period per day. That’s correct: one period a day.

To address the recent student complaints that the school day is too long as well as the realization that some information cannot be processed in mere 45-minute

class periods, St. George’s will now offer a one-class-per-day option.

As explained by the students and administrators who were involved in the decision-making process, on A day, there will be a 55-minute class for Period 1 (say, English) starting at 10:00 am.

After this class, there would be an hour-long lunch period starting at 11:00 am and then, a 45 minute study-hall in which to complete English homework. Dismissal would be around 1:00. “In

keeping with the St. George’s approach, this is a very student-centered schedule and pedagogically sound,” said Ms. Kelly Majuri.

Students and administrators hope that this new schedule will encourage both school attendance and more attentive learning by the student body. “It also makes my job so easy,” said Ms. Majuri. Students have expressed appreciation over the study-halls that allow for homework time within the school day.

Teachers are also overjoyed

with this change, as it leaves them almost a full week to plan their next class period.

However, there have been some concerns expressed over the amount of pressure that a whole-school lunch period would place on the cafeteria. This concern is supposed to be addressed at the next monthly administration team meeting.

“To my suspicions, I think we’ll just build a new cafeteria,” said Ms. Majuri. “It seems like the most logical option.”

April

2

•

St. George’s Independent School

Eighth-grade curriculum replaces “Animal Farm” with “Thump, Quack, Moo”

Mr. Bladt sings the praises of Cronin and Lewin’s “Thump, Quack, Moo”

Juliana Wall ‘15

Mr. Will Bladt

D

oreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, authors of “Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky Adventure,” catapult the fledgling political discourse that began in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” into the stratosphere of complexity, symbolism, and ebullient wit.

To an even greater degree than their previous forays into the “barnyard politics” genre such as “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Typ”e (a scathing expose on bovine proletariat) and “Duck for President” (think Donald Duck meets the movie Dave), “Thump, Quack, Moo” elevates the tired, hackneyed symbolism of “Animal Farm,” setting the stage for its adop-

tion into the SGIS English literature canon.

The discussion within the English department and at the Academic Affairs Committee for this important action took several hours, with other topics such as summer reading assignments, margin-note strategies, and whether to address Margaret Robertson as Ms. or Dr. relegated to mere minutes. A new day dawns in the annals of SGIS literature.

The story opens with our protagonist (or is he?), Farmer Brown pouring over maps of his farm, imagining his dream of a Statue of Liberty corn maze for the Corn Maze Festival (the capital letters convey the im-

The Machine Dictator Grammar Nazis

Kellen Young’14

Leah Hodgkiss Virginia Whitsitt

ello, my darlings! It’s the wonderful, Pierre La Fleur, ready to grace your face with true art. Most of you know me as Kellen Young here in America, but I promise that the name Pierre La Fleur shines at the forefront of French fashion. Not to brag, but I am little bit of a célébrité, if you know what I mean. So prepare, for I have brought my wisdom to turn you from a pauper into La Reine Soleil.

It’s not enough just to frame the face, ladies. Each and every visage is a photograph of your elegance and taste, so I like to cover the essentials in cosmetics. So let’s address the elephant in the room: your eyes.

Darlings, the eyes are the windows to the soul and you do not want a dull soul, do you? Add some flare with vibrant colors in your eye shadow. Don’t be shy about it either: apply eye shadow heavily in two, three, or maybe even four colors, including metallics, neons and of course, gold.

Now that we have added passion, we need to tackle the concept of eyeliner. There is only one color that eyeliner should ever be and that is white. You want to make your eyes look bigger, and trust me, white is noticeable, ladies.

Lastly, eyelashes are the finishing touch and they add dimension. For-

Caroline Cannon Kellen Young

Paparazzi

Caroline Cannon Lindsey Cayce

Heavy Things of Weight

Lexie Marotta Dagny Vaughn

That’s What I Said

Emily Dickey

Tea-n-Yoga

Taylor Owens

Anti-Meat Squad Minions Mom

Maggie Courtney Meredith Gatlin Courtney Harshbarger Zoe Leake Anna Marie Beard Preston Vihlen Juliana Wall Dr. Margaret Robertson

Fools

Gum now allowed on campus Lindsey Cayce ’14

A

ttention students: As the Prefect of Honor, I would like to draw your attention to a recent policy change in the St. George’s Independent School handbook. No longer will the fear of bad breath haunt the halls of St. George’s, invading our classes approximately around 1:30pm and leaving everyone afraid to speak out in class for fear of letting the dreaded Ms. Vicky’s jalapeño chips and chocolate chip cookie breath escape.

After much thought and careful consideration, St. George’s has decided to allow students to chew gum during any part of the school day. Studies have shown that chewing gum in school leads to increased concentration for many students as well as memory improvement.

The biggest reason for this change was not student opinion, but rather the teachers. Faculty members could not stand going eight hours a day without chewing gum. Let’s be

honest, the students are not the only ones who have felt the wrath of the post-lunch breath.

Not only are the teachers huge supporters of this new rule, but they also encourage students to display their new freedom with loud smacking during lectures, presentations and especially chapel talks.

Mrs. Jill Reilly, formerly known as Jill “Big Bubble” Reilly, has volunteered to host and judge a bubble-blowing competition during one flex period each week. Back in the day, she dreamt of winning a gold medal at the Olympics in the large bubble category, but fell short of her dream due to the fact that they do not have a competition for bubble blowing in the Olympics.

Mrs. Reilly hopes that this new rule will encourage students to pursue the art of bubble-blowing.

The faculty sincerely hopes that all students take advantage of this new rule and fully enjoy all that gum has to offer us.

Grand opening of Gryphon Park Preston Vihlen ’15

Come one! Come all! Thanks to generous donations, the administration has just been approved to break ground on St. George’s very own theme park.

After noticing a slump in morale in the student population, the administration has decided to open the new “Gryphon Park,” which will feature fun attractions, safe for all ages.

The park will be built in the swampy wetlands of the school’s grounds.

One example of these attractions is, “The Path to Excellence,” a miniature train that follows the perimeter of the entire amusement park.

There will also be fun booths like “The Pi House,” where student can win prizes through math games and a

“Hall of Scholars,” where student witness the amazing feats of famous scholars.

Knowing that this will be a hit with the student body, the administration has decided to allow students to enter the park during breaks or study halls in order to increase attention during the school day. However, any student with low effort marks or school parking tickets will be temporarily prohibited from participating in these fun events.

When the park is finally open, students who also have referrals or work hours will spend their time maintaining the park by keeping it clean.

La Fleur gives make-up tips

Regan Hewitt

Border Patrol

The Plastics

portance of the festival in the town). Corn maze or crop circle, this reader asks!

Cronin and Lewin sow more questions than answers as Farmer Brown co-opts the help of (or exploits?) his chickens, cows, and ducks for his megalomaniacal dream of corn field domination, hoping to squeeze the town dry with $5.00 balloon rides to see the maze. But Duck has other plans. Perhaps drawn by the symbolism of Lady Liberty’s invitation to freedom for the masses, Duck bucks Farmer Brown’s requests for corn maze assistance and mounts a subversive, midnight operation to hijack the corn maze design to shine a spotlight on worker’s rights at the farm.

With a group of mice who, in the midst of taking a correspondence course on meteorology, serve as the perfect “uneducated electorate,” Duck unifies the farm animals, and terrifies Farmer Brown, in the spirit of Che Guevara, Pancho Villa, and Tupac Shakur before him.

So as not to ruin your read with any spoiler alerts, this humble reader leaves out discussion of the ending (Hint!

Roger Moore as James Bond in the 1979 classic “Moonraker”) simply saying that it is reason enough to yell “Geronimo!”

Simply put, “Thump, Quack, Moo” is an absolute game-changer, and Cronin and Lewin should stand to reap plenty of literary accolades this year, as well as the hearts of so many SGIS eighth-grade student readers.

Move over Orwell, there’s a new pig on the farm. And he’s a duck.

•

H

get fake lashes, darlings, those things are hideous. If ever possible, mold your lashes together, as clumped and triangular as possible. They should resemble spear points and intimidate all who look at you into infatuation.

If you remember anything about the eyes remember this: “Men should be afraid of how much they love your eyes and love how much they are afraid of them.”

Now, let’s take a look at the lips.

Before any make-up can be applied to those kiss-givers, you want them to be as large as possible. Of course, this can only be done with a quick bit of heat.

I suggest landing those lovely lips on a bright light bulb, scorching hair straightener or a steaming cooking pot – just enough to get a broad first degree burn. You’ll get over that quick, little, pain and I can promise you that your blisters will give those lips the voluptuous size you desire.

Adding any other make-up is simply optional, including blush, lip-gloss, lipstick and mascara. While I love seeing someone express him or herself, I hate seeing a boy or girl with too much make-up on, because they end up looking like a mime or a very gaudy clown.

So, I suggest that blush, lip-gloss and lipstick be applied to give you dimension. The best way to do that is to apply them to their correct areas on

only half the face, so that the face mimics natural lighting.

On the left, bright colored lip stick or shining gloss and no mascara. However on the right, you add a shadowy effect with mascara, dark lipstick and moody blush.

After all, if you are in high school, why not experiment with your cosmetics a little.

What do you have to lose? When you find that special look, I hope you sit down and think of me because all I want to do is have an influence on the next generation on young women.

Source: Leann Beard ’14 Make-up is applied according to La Fleur’s suggestion.

The

Gryphon Gazette

April 2014

The Newspaper of St. George’s Independent School •

Volume XII, Issue V

Deans explain policy changes

Top

Stories Opinion

• Love Is Love Entertainment • Younger students partipate in drama

Features •

•

Diverse students opinions call for changes in chapel

Sports • Basketball ends with successful season

Student Life • Popular demand dictates food selection

Virginia Whitsitt ’14

O

ver the course of the 2013-14 school year, the students have undergone what is thought of as an abundance of policy change. However, with the new administrative changes, policy change would also prove to be policy enforcement.

Mrs. Jill Reilly, the Upper School Dean of Students, and Mr. Tom Densford, the Middle School Dean of Students, have both made it clear that they are student oriented and any policy formations, changes or enforcements are made “with the students’ safety in mind.”

Mrs. Reilly and Mr. Densford elaborated on the policy making process, explaining that there is a group of people who get together to discuss the issues of safety and other concerns with the professionalism and learning environment in the school. All of the policies that are created are based on the student handbook, which has always been a part of the St. George’s community.

As feedback is submitted

Juniors crowd around the front desk waiting to sign out.

to this committee, changes and further clarifications are made concerning the policies by which the students are to abide. However, with the new electronic referral system, it will be easier to see which trends appear to be problematic amongst the students. “I can sort the referrals to see patterns,” said Mrs. Reilly,

Original gryphon logo used by schools without permission Lexie Marotta ’15

In early February, at the Ten-

nessee Swimming State Championship, St. George’s swimmers were met with a familiar sight: the Gryphon athletic logo on the banner of another competing team. This discovery was particularly disturbing because the Gryphon logo was created specifically for St. George’s.

After talking with the school’s communications director, Mrs. Sarah Cowan, it was discovered that Stem Academy in Knoxville, the school in question, did indeed take the logo, which was specifically designed and paid for by St. George’s. Since then, the logo has appeared in connection with other schools worldwide.

Before the logo was ever drawn up, the construction of the Collierville campus and the opening of the middle and upper school buildings called for a mascot. The lower school mascot was the Dragons but because Collierville High School already had the dragon as the mascot, it was deemed inconsiderate for the St. George’s upper school to

use.

A student panel was involved in the decision process and animals that are native to this area were highly considered. Mr. Rick Ferguson, Director of Special Gifts and Student Ambassador, was a strong advocate for the gryphon as it was the perfect combination of intelligence and strength, as well as having a great mythology surrounding the creature. The spelling of the gryphon was also debated briefly, before deciding on the oldEnglish style “gryphon” as opposed to the more well-known spelling, “griffin.”

After deciding on the Gry-

phon, the sketches for the logo began in 2000. St. George’s partnered with the Archer Malmo advertising company to create both the Gryphon logo and the school shield.

Initially, the Germantown and Memphis campuses had a different shield and mascot than the Collierville campus, but recently they have changed to the Gryphon to further promote the “three campus, one school” theme.

Cont. on Page 7

Aberdeen Hall and Chaminade College School have logos that closely resemble St. George’s

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Are our policies doing what I want them to do?’”

Both of these administrators explained that they do not want to create or enforce any unnecessary policies.

However, they also suggested that any expectations they hold in the academic building mimic real life scenarios. “Ev-

Juliana Wall ’15

ery job you go to has a dress code,” said Mr. Densford.

When asked why it appears as though policies are being created and enforced more thoroughly this year, Mr. Densford and Mrs. Reilly agreed and said, “There are two of us now.”

Cont. on Page 6

Disease discourages cruise traveling Kellen Young ’14

W

hen thousands of vacationers picture their extravagant cruise in tropical waters on a ship that is larger than life, few expect to spend their time imprisoned in the cabin rooms below deck. Yet, a genus of diseases, commonly known as Norovirus, manages to bring an abrupt end to aquatic vacations ever year.

While media coverage of Norovirus may depict the most recent outbreaks, such as one earlier this year on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas, as concerning, Norovirus outbreaks are actually recurring events every year, much like influenza.

There is speculation that the disease has caused a decline in approval and attendance for cruise ship traveling. Norovirus infects roughly 19 million people every year, but the chances of being infected on a cruise ship are low compared to other situations.

Records kept by the Cen-

ter for Disease Control and Prevention show that Norovirus outbreaks occur more frequently from November to April, often during the period of winter and spring cruises.

Also, cruise ship outbreaks get more attention because the ships are stuck at sea, where the disease get time to spread into more serious situations.

According to Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Michael G. Threlkeld, MD, Norovirus is in the family Caliciviridae. The disease is extremely contagious because it can be transferred through the air, direct contact, and contact with infected stool. “Norovirus is very, very contagious, because it produces millions and millions of viruses in stool, but only about twenty viruses are needed for it to infect another person,” states Dr. Threlkeld.

Cont. on Page 6

2

April

•

St. George’s Independent School

Opinion

•

The opinions expressed in this section reflect the views of individual writers and are not necessarily those of the Gryphon Gazette or its staff.

The making of “Love is love” Regan Hewitt ’14

Here

at St. George’s, the students are constantly being told to think outside of the box, to push the limits and to create conversation within the community. St. George’s students have voices and they feel that those voices should to be heard. We are encouraged to express those thoughts in any platform that we can.

The article titled “Love Is Love” alongside this is an editorial. An editorial is the collective opinion of a group of people – in this case, the editorial is the collective thoughts and ideas of those students enrolled in the Newspaper Journalism class.

An opinion article represents the opinion of one specific writer. The “Love is Love” article is not, by basis of the fact that the entire Newspaper class worked on the piece, an opinion article.

This editorial is hopefully the first of many pieces that will help our class explore the full extent of what it means to be journalists. The Gryphon Gazette provides an unprecedented voice for the students, and we wish to take full advantage of that fact.

The idea for this article was suggested by a student in the class, and although some students were initially wary, the class unanimously agreed

Love is Love Editorial

upon the ideas presented in the article before it was published.

The editorial presented on this page is an embodiment of multiple weeks of the class debating and talking about the concept of love and the concept of love in the context of samesex relationships. Those conversations included everything from sex-education classes to same-sex marriage legislation.

Even within the classroom, there were disagreements and clashing opinions. However, everyone agreed to the idea of respecting others, regardless of any differing factors. We came to the conclusion that while we would not take a stance on same-sex marriage, we as a class wanted to take a stance on same-sex love.

Several students wrote drafts of this article and the results of their labors went through many re-writes and long periods of editing.

We are very proud of this piece, as the entire class dedicated themselves to making the editorial respectful and thoughtful.

We recognize that everyone has a different opinion on this issue and we certainly are not trying to force an opinion on anyone. We also are not condemning anyone for their opinion. However, we are asking for respect.

“I

have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As Americans, we have found ourselves in the midst of an ongoing battle for the civil rights and liberties of our citizens. While other generations have called upon the government to recognize equality among races or genders, the battle cry in present day America seems to fall on an equality of a different kind.

Never before has the subject of same-sex marriage been called to the government’s attention to the degree that it has today. Many even refer to the subject of same-sex marriage as the civil rights movement of our generation.

Since the United States Constitution does not specifically reference marriage at all, the legalization of same-sex marriage varies from state to state. As the topic has received a large amount of media attention, the country has turned to watch states’ decisions on the matter unfold.

The issue is still largely debated and has served to be quite divisive, whether it be

across the country or across the dinner table. We, as a newspaper staff, would like to make a statement on the matter.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, love is always a more favorable choice than hate.

Whether one agrees with another’s beliefs or not, that does not give anyone the right to condemn someone or treat them with any less respect.

Those in opposition of legalizing same-sex marriage have often found their stance in ideologies such as procreation, the threat to marriage’s sanctity, or the well-being of children under the care of the couple. However, these same arguments could be made against a number of common day occurrences that stray far from same-sex marriage, such as the practice of divorce or orphaned children in overcrowded foster homes.

Known for spreading a message of love and compassion, the Buddha once stated, “In the end these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you love? How deeply did you let go?”

We think this quote calls

upon us all to find it in our hearts to respect others who are different from ourselves.

In the end, the only person hate hurts is you.

Regardless of any personal or ideological opinions, consider instead the individual’s constitutional right to the pursuit of happiness as an American citizen, or even as a citizen of the world. Specifically, this country is founded on the idea that all people are created equal, regardless of their differences.

We are not saying that there is a right or wrong opinion in the matter. All that we are saying is that respect for your fellow man should come above all else. While we are all entitled to our own opinion, who are we to decide which people an individual can or cannot love?

There is a difference between holding your own opinion and thinking less of others who do not agree with you. Remember that love is love. Maybe the man in line next to you is not buying those flowers for his wife, but for his life partner. Does that make him any less human?

Certainly not.

Love is love.

Newspaper Staff

Controlling birth rates causes extreme outcomes

Editor-in-Chief

Taylor Owens ’15

Regan Hewitt

Copy Editors

Leah Hodgkiss Virginia Whitsitt

Layout Editors

Caroline Cannon Kellen Young

Photo Editors

Caroline Cannon Lindsey Cayce

Features Editors

Lexie Marotta Dagny Vaughn

Opinion Editor

Emily Dickey

Sports Editor

Taylor Owens

Student Life Editors Entertainment Editors Staff Writers Advisor

Maggie Courtney Meredith Gatlin Courtney Harshbarger Zoe Leake Anna Marie Beard Preston Vihlen Juliana Wall Dr. Margaret Robertson

C

urrently, the world is housing over seven billion people and is growing by the second.

Despite this issue of an everincreasing population, many countries around the world have populations that have decreased exponentially.

This begs the question: how can the human population, as a whole, continuously grow while the populations of individual countries drop so drastically?

The answer is that the citizens of these countries have experienced different hardships that have caused the populations to decrease as well as contemplate the risk for survival of future generations in their respective countries.

These hardships are products of government initiatives, financial issues and the banning of contraceptives in some countries that have experienced dropping birth rates.

The role that each country’s government has played in controlling the native population is what has called this subject into question. Many countries have taken overly extreme measures to aid in increasing the birth rate

and the overall population. The repercussions of these initiatives have caused extreme and irreparable damage for future generations.

Forty years ago, Romania’s former dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, introduced a “forced breeding” policy, known as decree 770. This decree virtually declared abortion and family planning illegal. Contraception was banned and the government further enforced this policy to the point that gynecological exams were given at the workplace.

In order to control the population, the Romanian government took even more extreme measures that violated women and their plans for their futures, as well as the futures of their children.

Active secret police, a refocusing of sex education that promoted the benefits of motherhood and police-ensured monitoring of each detected pregnancy until the time of birth were some of these measures that decree 770 allowed Romania to instigate.

The government in Romania has gone to such extreme lengths to ensure the survival of future generations that they have com-

promised the lives of thousands in the process. The children born in Romania during this time and after became known as the Decretii, or “the children of the decree.”

Many of these children were unwanted or born severely disabled, due to results of the mothers’ failed attempts to induce abortion. An entire generation of young people with disabilities, HIV/AIDS, or Hepatitis B has been created as a result.

The involvement of individual governments in trying to monitor and expand their own country’s populations is completely unnecessary and creates more issues for future generations that could hinder the survival of the population as a whole.

When the world population is increasing by the second, individual governments cannot assume the position of decisionmaker for each country’s population. Control of the population by a specific country has led to increased medical problems, human exploitation and the denial of human rights. Controlling birth should no longer continue with the price of survival on the line.

April

•

St. George’s Independent School

Opinion

•

The opinions expressed in this section reflect the views of individual writers and are not necessarily those of the Gryphon Gazette or its staff.

Attitude is everything Dagny Vaughn ‘14

It is a Saturday afternoon and

I am casually standing behind the counter of the shop where I work. A lady walks up with a large group of her friends and, in a bossy tone, demands, “I’m returning all of these clothes – so, give me a refund.”

Not letting her wording faze me, I begin with the standard refund procedure and ask to see her receipt. “I don’t have it because I paid with cash.”

Fearing the backlash that my reply might have, I carefully let her know that we do not make cash refunds, but that she can get store credit. Unfortunately, my cautious approach is to no avail when she belligerently begins to demand for her money back.

Her friends join in, calling me “incompetent” and shouting that “surely I can figure out something so simple.” The remark stings and lingers in the

back of my mind the rest of the day.

Working in a job dealing with a constant influx of different types of customers, I have quickly had to learn to brush off rude comments. Somehow, many people seem to forget the value of being polite when speaking to an employee. Due to the fact that the employee is being paid to serve the customer, the customer often sees the employee as not deserving of their respect.

However, that is not to say that all customers behave in such a way. Occasionally, a customer will speak with a smile, a please, and a thank you. They will ask you how your day has been or express sympathy for your daylong shift. Though definitely few and far between, these customers starkly stand out from the others.

As an employee, I can attest to the magic that such politeness

works. Receiving a kind word from a customer not only boosts the mood of the employee, but also invokes them to be more helpful.

Often when I handle a phone call from a friendly customer, I will take time to personally search for answers to their questions, rather than simply telling them that I do not have the information. When a person is kind, I want to go out of my way to return their kindness.

Having the opportunity to see the view from behind the counter has opened my eyes to the power and importance of being polite. No matter if a person is being paid to help you, they still deserve the respect that all people deserve.

So next time you find yourself speaking with an employee, remember to smile, speak with them, and thank them- your politeness will go farther than you know.

Is ADHD overdiagnosed?

Maggie Courtney ’14

A

ttention deficit hyperactivity disorder, most commonly referred to as ADHD, has become an increasingly prominent diagnosis among teenagers in recent years. This high rate of diagnosis raises the question: are medications such as Vyvanse, Adderall, and Provigil overprescribed?

According to the American Psychological Association, ADHD is characterized by a combination of inattentiveness, distractibility, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.

These symptoms make it challenging for people to focus on everyday activities and routines.

According to a 2013 article in the New York Times, there has been a 41% increase in ADHD Juliana Wall ’15 diagnoses in children ages 4 An increase in ADHD diagnoses results in posthrough 17 in the past decade. sible overprescription amoung teens By the end of 2013, an estimated 6.4 million children in this fore they are fully developed the best for their children and age range had an ADHD diagphysically and mentally. Is it understand the demands of nosis. really true that over 6.4 mil- today’s academic world. It Generally children are more lion American children have seems as if some parents and active than adults, darting ADHD, or is there something children may mistake natural from one topic to another in orelse that has been fueling the childish and teenage tendander to gain knowledge and create a sense of where he or she frenzy for ADHD medica- cies for ADHD symptoms. tion?

The new technological age belongs within the world. As It almost seems like a trend we now live in has made a children mature, they will bein this increasingly com- generation of multi-taskers, come less hyperactive. Howpetitive academic world. As whose minds have been ever, if their inattentiveness school systems become more taught to focus on multiple persists, it is thought that he or challenging, it is important things at once. Having experishe most likely has ADHD. for children, even at a young enced the frustration personIt is interesting that young age, to stay focused on their ally, I can honestly say that children are being prescribed studies. Most parents want technology is both a curse such medications, even be-

3

Political Ponderings with Emily Dickey ’14:

Foreign policy becomes less foreign

“A

ll classes in proportion to their lack of travel and familiarity with foreign literature are bellicose, prejudiced against foreigners, fond of fighting as a cruel sport -- in short, dog-like in their notions of foreign policy.” – George Shaw Maybe George Shaw wasn’t the kindest of writers. Or maybe this quote is all too true. One’s opinions on foreign policy tend to be closely related to their worldly exposure. This makes sense, of course, because if you have never heard anything about China’s economy, why would you know that is has any effect whatsoever on the American economy?

However, as I tend to pride myself in being aware of the world around me, I refuse to be confined by any lack of travel or contacts. In this technological era in which we have found ourselves, there is no reason not to be aware.

Foreign policy is defined as “a government’s strategy in dealing with other nations.” As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In foreign affairs we must make up our minds that, whether we wish it or not, we are a great people and must play a great part in the world. It is not open to us to choose whether we will play that great part or not. We have to play it. All we can decide is whether we shall play it well or ill.”

This quote is just as applicable to our nation as a whole as it is to the individuals. As an American, it is our duty to be aware of the foreign policy that our elected officials pursue.

Recently, upon reading a biography of the life and presidency of John F. Kennedy, I was reminded of the great opportunities of the 21st century in the way of foreign relations. Kennedy, coming from a wealthy family, was presented with the chance to travel and meet with overseas officials that someone of a lower income bracket would never get the opportunity to see. This overseas experience

and a blessing when it comes to academia.

The possibility of the world at our fingertips has undeniably enhanced learning, but I believe that some children are experiencing a sort of information overload that is causing ADHD-like symptoms.

As information from all these different portals enters a child’s hemisphere, it is no wonder many children’s minds are having trouble focusing on daily tasks. Before prescribing ADHD medica-

is something that set his bid for the House, Senate, and then Presidency aside – his ability to self-inform.

It is rather unfortunate realizing that he could have been less influential without that incredibly privileged foreign policy exposure at a young age. However, no matter your foreign travel capacity, you must remember what an advantage this world can be.

We may not be members of one of the richest families in Boston, but in today’s world, no matter your income, the world is a much more accessible place than it used to be.

Today, we have the ability to watch live interviews or broadcasts from on the ground in Syria or the Ukraine. Press conferences from world leaders across the globe and presidential addresses can be found on our iPhones.

You can learn as much as you are willing to search for. It is just as easy to choose to be informed as it is to not.

This generation has such an unparalleled technological advantage in the way of information, that there is no reason not to try to make foreign relations, in a way, less-foreign. Even at St. George’s, there are many ways to get to take part in the world around you.

Maybe you are not exposed to the connections that the Kennedy family provided for young John, but you have to take advantage of what you have in front of you. Even as high school students, the Citizenship class at St. George’s takes you to Atlanta, New York and Washington DC to meet prominent businessmen, senators, congressmen as well as former presidents.

If you want to thrust yourself into the world, the resources are always at your fingertips.

Foreign policy does not have to be so foreign. Make the policies and politicians familiar and take advantage of what our generation has been given.

tion to children with such symptoms, maybe doctors should try treatments that do not involve drugs, such as yoga and meditation, special diets, supplements or neurofeedback training.

It is important to understand that children are childish and until they are fully developed, it may be a risky decision to put them on medications such as Vyvanse, Adderall and Provigil in order to “cure” their ADHD.

4

April

•

St. George’s Independent School •

Entertainment

Foreign films offer a different Younger students participate in drama kind of movie experience Lucas Williamson ’18

H

ere at St. George’s, we value the fine arts just as much as our academics and athletics. Theatre is just one type of these arts, and this year we have done very well with our school plays. The elementary, middle, and upper school divisions have each had outstanding performances this year. The most recent production, the Germantown campus’ “Aristocats” was no different.

Just like any middle or high school play, the elementary student actors must spend weeks vigorously practicing and memorizing lines in order to perform on stage for an audience. It must be a great challenge for the young actors, especially those in the early-childhood division, not to freeze-up in a practice or performance.

Nonetheless, it is simple to see that many of the kids will be stars in future middle and upper school plays, characterized by their courage, dedication, and amazing acting.

They make performing in a play look so easy.

However, the heart and soul of any performance, theatrical or otherwise, is the director. The directors for any St. George’s play are nothing but the best.

Mrs. Gia Broadway just assumed her role as Germantown Campus play director this year. So far, she has conducted two major productions, “Annie Jr.” and “Aristocats,” both of which were big successes.

This adaptation of “Aristocats” was short and sweet, perfectly altered so that the younger children could perform the play. However, you would never have known that

Regan Hewitt ’14 the original adaptation’s script and plot were not well written at all.

According to Mrs. Broadway, “the characters [in the original script] were very undeveloped, so [she] wrote it and melded it with the movie script” to perfect the play.

Well, the changes worked.

“Aristocats” was an excellent play. Mrs. Broadway also loves working with the younger children and delights in making her students stars.

The middle school play, “The Pied Piper,” will not be performed for another two months. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, the original Pied Piper ends with the deaths of many children. Thankfully, Mr. Marques Brown, the director for the middle school plays, says that this adaptation will have a much happier ending.

Similar to Mrs. Broadway, Mr. Brown loves overseeing theatrical productions so that he can work with the students.

According to him, “working with middle school students is always great. We have so much talent at St. George’s, especially in the middle school this year.”

Mr. Brown also enjoys the moral each of his plays tries to teach. He said that “The Pied Piper” teaches both economic responsibility and the importance of keeping one’s word.

“I know it seems like [taxes] might be over people’s heads, but I think it is presented in a way in the story in a way that it’s not over people’s heads.”

In all, I am looking forward to “The Pied Piper,” and will definitely be attending. It debuts Thursday, May 1st, and the last performance is Saturday, May 3rd.

The Daily Grind

by Preston Vihlen ‘15 & Kellen Young ’14

T

he top-grossing United States film of 2013 was “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”

In the United Kingdom, it was “Despicable Me 2,” where as in France, it was “Frozen,” and in Spain and Germany, it was “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” The highest grossing film across the globe was “Iron Man 3.”

Each of these films was directed and produced by large American companies for the American big screen, or at the very least, English-speaking audiences. It was only after some basic success that these films received releases in other languages and countries.

Only in Russia, India, and China did the top-grossing film of 2013 belong to native film-makers and production companies.

However, the over-utilization of American cinema around the world can be misleading; it makes a statement that no other countries have film. There were plenty of high-earning “foreign” films in both the 2013 cinematic year as well as in years past. The top-grossing foreign film of 2013 was the Mexican comedy-drama called “Instructions Not Needed (No se aceptan devoluciones),” which earned over $44 million.

Since 1929, the Academy Awards (as well as other societies and festivals, such as the Emmy Awards and Cannes Film Festival) have recognized many foreign films for their success in world-markets as well as their story-telling ability through a singular language. In the past ten years, nominees included films such as “Amour,” “A Royal Affair,” “Dogtooth,” and “Amélie (Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain).” Awards are presented to the film’s director, who generally accepts the award and speaks for the nation as a whole.

Foreign films are generally told through first person narration and can be perceived as long-winded by those who pre-

Source: Weinsteinco.com

fer fast-paced action films. However, there are some differences between certain countries. French films often have more fantastical elements, often using sharp colors or dream-like images to further the story.

On the other hand, Spanish films have more realistic elements, especially when it comes to camera angles and point of views. Countries such as Germany and Denmark get the majority of their inspiration for film from historical or literary events.

For most Americans, exposure to foreign films occurs during college or throughout one’s adult life, as opposed to the film-watching youth. Many foreign films are considered inappropriate for American teenage audiences, as they often deal with more sexual elements than violent ones.

These films often also deal with social, mental and physical illness, bringing about a more emotional side than many American or even British films attempt.

At St. George’s, however, foreign films are appropriately introduced as early as freshman or sophomore year, depending on which classes a student is taking.

Language classes, such as French or Spanish, often use films to explain the culture of the country.

Listening to films also helps a student to develop conversation-

al skills and understand the gist of a story without knowing every single word of the language.

Foreign films can additionally be helpful for history classes, despite the fact that these films might not always be historically accurate. Movies such as “Life is Beautiful,” an Italian film about the Holocaust, or “Promises,” a 2001 documentary on Palestine-Israel relations as told by children, help the student gain insight into world events from different points of view than their own.

There are hundreds of foreign films in each genre, from horror flicks such as the Japanese film “Oldboy,” which focused on the business of revenge to dramas such as “17 filles,” a French film based on the real life story of a pregnant teenage girl to wellloved flicks, such as “The Artist,” a film about silent-movie-era movie stars.

When it comes to foreign films, there is certainly one for everyone. Watching foreign films may seem a bit out of the comfort zone, but it is good for encouraging a broader mind and point of view on the world. As soon as someone finds a film that they like, they will be hooked on foreign films for the rest of their life.

April

•

St. George’s Independent School •

The Monuments Men

Top 16 Workout Songs

T

Lexie Marotta ’15 Leah Hodgkiss ’15 1.“Survival” by Eminem 2.“Feel Good Drag” by Anberlin 3.“Odyssey” by The Wyld 4.“I Can’t Stop” by Flux Pavilion 5.“Timestretch” by Bassnectar 6.“Let the Groove in” by Justin Timberlake 7.“Send it Up” by Kanye West 8.“January” by Disclosure 9.“Bow Down” by Beyonce 10.“Millions” by Pusha T 11.“Black Skinhead” by Kanye West 12.“Furthest Thing” by Drake 13.“Closure” by The Story So Far 14.“Back in Black” by AC/DC 15.“Figure 8” by Elle Goulding 16.“Ways to Go” by Grouplove

his true story of “The Monuments Men” is based around an unlikely World War II platoon. The team is given the task of rescuing art that has been stolen by the Nazi’s during the war.

Then, the soldiers must return that art to the rightful owners.

Typically, I never expect movies that are released right after the Oscars to be high quality films. However, I was really very excited to see this movie. This film features some of my favorite actors and actresses, such as George Clooney, Bill Murray, and Cate Blanchett.

Although I did love the actors’ performances, I think that the film focused on the wrong parts of the overall story. The director and lead actor of this movie, George Clooney, mainly focused on the art pieces themselves. I think that Clooney should have touched more on the fact that the platoon was completing this mission because they wanted to save a generation of people’s culture.

Preston Vihlen ’15

D

Grimm’s story but only after the step-sisters actually cut off parts of their feet to fit into the slipper.

Another happy film is the movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” This Disney adaptation of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale is very loosely accurate. In the book, the evil queen actually tries to kill Snow White before giving her the apple. Once asleep due to the spell, the prince takes Snow White away. While carrying the coffin, the carriers slip, which allows the apple bite to dislodge from her throat.

You would think the story ends there, but Snow White and the prince actually get married. They then proceed to invite the evil queen to their wedding and force her to dance in burning iron shoes until she dies. It’s a more gruesome tale than that of riding off into the sunset on a white horse.

Another well-known adaptation of a story that Disney made into a film was actually from the famous playwright, Shakespeare. This film was “The Lion King,” based loosely on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The show does a good job following the plot of Hamlet where the uncle kills the king and his son returns for revenge. However, in the end

Lucchesi’s pastas are the best in town

What I am trying to convey is instead of saying, “We are trying to save this amazing artwork,” the film should have said, “We are trying to save the culture of Sussan Harshbarger a generation,” instead.

Courtney enjoys the Lucchesi’s marke place with the welDespite this piece of criti- coming statue of a chef. cism, I really did enjoy the film. If you have nothing Courtney Harshbarger ’15 better to do, I advise you to see “The Monuments Men.” I have never before tasted ucchesi’s Ravioli and 3 out of 5 stars such a rich and tasty sauce.

The origins of Disney movies may surprise you uring our childhood, we have all enjoyed, at least once, watching a classic animated Disney film. Looking back at those memories now, we remember them as funny, adorable, and happy films that end in the ever-socliché “happily ever after.”

However, many people do not know that these seemingly innocent Disney films are actually based off of the older and much more horrifying Brothers Grimm fairy tales, and other works from well-known authors such as Shakespeare and Giambattista Basile, who wrote “Sleeping Beauty.”

Some of us might know who the Brothers Grimm are but probably do not know that the classic Disney films such as “Cinderella,” “Tangled,” and “Snow White” are based off of their stories – stories that were quite gruesome and disturbing.

Disney Studios depicted one of the most well known adaptations of their stories, “Cinderella,” as a wonderful film where a poor servant girl, with the help of magic, became a princess after slipping into a glass slipper that did not fit her evil step-sisters feet. This same scene happens in the Brothers

Entertainment 5

Courtney Harshbarger ’15

of “Hamlet,” the cast of main characters die in the final battle, quite unlike Disney’s happy ending where Simba returns, becomes the king of Pride Rock and a musical number ensues.

In the end, a lot of cute and sentimental childhood stories actually turned out to hold many dark and horrific turns. Next time you see a Disney movie, make sure to remember that it is probably based on another story that is not so innocent.

L

Pasta Co. is a great place to

go for a quick bite at lunchtime or, later in the day, to pick up a delicious meal for dinner. All of the food is made fresh each morning and packaged into takeout containers. These meals can be taken home or heated up on location in under five minutes.

The restaurant is laid out like a small Italian market.

Different pastas, olive oils, and cheeses are available for purchase. It is a combination of a restaurant and a market, so everything that can be eaten, can also be bought and made at home on a later date.

During my visit, I tried the cheese tortellini with Alfredo sauce as well as the cheese ravioli with marinara. The ravioli was filled with a very creamy cheese and the homemade marinara sauce reminded me of my travels in Italy.

The tortellini was absolutely divine. The cheese was sharper than that of the ravioli, and it was complimented perfectly by the smooth, buttery Alfredo sauce. Alfredo sauce tends to be rather bland or boring, but the Lucchesi’s chef managed to make the sauce the star of this dish.

A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top increased the boldness of the tortellini cheese and added sharpness to the sauce that really tied the whole meal together.

After eating, I walked around the little market and was amazed to find such a variety of pastas and other foods. There were large shelves filled with all imaginable pasta shapes, and delicious looking olive oils to match.

The freezers were filled with different types of stuffed pasta, so that customers could take home the delicious food and prepare it themselves for dinner. Pizzas could be eaten in-store or taken home uncooked, just like the other food options. There were also many spices and sauces available to add more flavor to homemade dishes.

Finally, there was a case of desserts, filled with all sorts of cakes and pastries that looked delectable. The chocolate cake smelled rich and delicious, and the other pastries looked mouthwatering.

Before leaving, I could not help but buy some frozen pasta and cake to eat later and continue my wonderful culinary experience at home.

6

April

•

St. George’s Independent School

•

Features

High school relationships can Science department copes impact student performance with sudden change Dagny Vaughn ’14

D

uring high school, it is common for students to develop relationships that may take the form of casual dating or mutually decided upon commitments.

However, because of their commonality, their effect on a student’s performance at school is rarely considered. Depending on a variety of factors, relationships in high school can either benefit a student’s school life or harm it drastically.

For some, a high school relationship can prove to be a distraction from a student’s academic life and bring negative effects.

According to high school counselor Mrs. Elizabeth Bran, the effects of a relationship on grades depends whether or not the relationship is healthy. “It can be good or bad for grades,” she said. “It depends on who you are in a relationship with.”

But what exactly constitutes a healthy high school relationship? Most experts and students alike agree that it depends on several factors, including the exclusivity of the relationship and the dynamic between the people involved.

“For some, a high school relationship can become exclusive and out of balance,” said middle school counselor Mrs. Amy Michalak. “While it is normal to be excited about a new relationship and want to spend time with the new friend, it should not isolate you from all of the factors that made you an attractive partner in the first place.”

Isolation from a student’s normal life can include spending an excess amount of time with a boyfriend or girlfriend instead of other friends, too much time spent texting or Skyping and pressure to partake in activities the student would not otherwise participate in.

“If you feel isolated from all other close friends, overly obsessed with what the other person is doing and jealous about anything that does not involve you, the power is unequally distributed between partners,” said Mrs. Michalak. “You need to consider whether this is a healthy relationship.”

For many students, such stress from a relationship can cause a distraction from other important focuses, such as grades.

According to junior Taylor Owens, “My grades dropped [while in an unhealthy

relationship]. I became consumed with thinking about what he was going to say or what my friends would say at school.”

However, if a student is able to find a healthy balance in a relationship, it can prove to be beneficial towards the student’s academic life and overall wellbeing.

“If students are involved in healthy relationships (romantic or close friendships), they can definitely lead to positive benefits,” said Mrs. Bran.

Due to the fact that a healthy relationship increases a student’s happiness, they are likely to feel more motivated towards doing well in school. According to Mrs. Bran, it can help a student approach things positively and increase efficiency.

Owens agreed, stating that this usually only applies to relationships occurring between two people at the same school. “When I was in an out-of-school relationship, I was always looking at my phone because we were connected all of the time. In an in-school relationship, you don’t think about what they’re doing or who they’re with. It doesn’t consume your mind as much and you have the same friends.”

In addition to providing greater motivation and less stress, a high school relationship can help a student learn more about dating seriously in the future.

“I guess it helps you figure out what you’re looking for,” said senior Kayce Hyde. “You know what you like in a person when you get to know them.”

Mrs. Bran agreed, describing a high school relationship as “practice” for a healthy romantic relationship in the future. “You learn about yourself and what you want from a relationship,” she said.

Having a relationship in high school can be widely beneficial to a student academically and socially, but only as long as the relationship remains healthy.

“You should not have to sacrifice you own academic, social, extracurricular, or athletic goals to be in a relationship,” said Mrs. Michalak. “You should truly want the best for each other and support individual dreams and goals.”

Deans explain policies Continued from Page 1 When Mr. Densford was the only dean and his office was located in the Upper School, he was able to monitor the high school students more closely, but when his office was moved to the middle school, he was unable to monitor what was happening in the upper school as well.

So what is the purpose for the seemingly “pointless” policies? The dress code and gum policies have been put in place to prevent distractions amongst the students and the learning environment.

The parking policies have been put into place to know who should and should not be on campus. “If something was to happen, it is easier to narrow down thirty foreign cars as opposed to 300 foreign cars,” said Mr. Densford. When asked why the teach-

ers are not required to have a sticker for their cars, Mrs. Reilly responded, “I’m still trying to get students to put on their stickers… I didn’t tackle the teachers’ cars this year, but I do have stickers for them.”

Finally, both administrators explained that the purpose for the sign in and sign out sheets are to keep students accountable, including juniors with seemingly “free” periods. “If we were to have a fire and we didn’t know where you were, who would go in to save you?” asked Mr. Densford.

“We have to send someone in to find you,” said Mrs. Reilly.

Thus, by requiring students to sign out at the beginning and end of the day, the school puts forth a greater effort to keep the students safe as well as keep them accountable.

Ms. Underwood has stepped in to teach extra classes .

Juliana Wall ’15

Anna Marie Beard ’15

R

ecent shifts in staff have left the high school science department without a permanent teacher for the subjects of Biology, AP Biology, and AP Chemistry. As it is the latter half of the school year, it has been difficult to find a replacement.

In the meantime, however, St. George’s has been able to bridge that gap. Mrs. Kalyn Underwood, the current Biology and Anatomy teacher, and Mr. Bill McClain, the teacher for Environmental Science and leader of St. George’s sustainability initiative, have opted to shoulder these extra classes.

Mr. McClain took on AP Chemistry and AP Biology, while Mrs. Underwood adopted the Biology classes. Both teachers intend to retain those positions until the end of the school year.

Administration has already launched a nation-wide search for a new teacher. “I think one of the most challenging aspects of this is that the AP secondary teaching level, most people are professionally educated in either chemistry or biology. That really restricts the number of candidates,” said Mr. Will Bladt, the Associate Head of School.

“I would say, from what I’ve seen, the best candidates are the people who’ve done pre-med programs in their undergraduate

work,” admitted Mr. Bladt. However, he is confident that someone will be found.

St. George’s has cultivated national reputation over the past few years. Therefore, it has been easier to attract potential applicants, despite the relative urgency of the position and its intense requirements.

In the meantime, students and teachers are adjusting to the change.

“It was a little daunting at first,” said Mrs. Underwood of her increased workload, “but I’m happy to do it.” Despite the considerable number of classes she has taken on, Mrs. Underwood feels that this has been a good opportunity to get to know more students, and she has enjoyed teaching them.

She enjoys how this has allowed her to get to know the junior class in its entirety. Mrs. Underwood says that she chose to hold onto the classes, despite the extra stress, because she did not want to subject the students to yet another change. Mr. McClain expressed similar sentiments.

As for next year, Mr. Bladt is confident that the school will be able to find a new teacher that meets these high standards.

“This is a really unique school in the entire country. I think that people will continue to see that, and will continue to be attracted here.”

Disease discourages cruise traveling Continued from Page 1

This infectious characteristic of the disease, the fact that it thrives in compact and tropical environments like most viruses and that it often infects seafood, explains why Norovirus is so devastating to cruise ships. It is also often found in similar “tight-knit communities” such as hospitals, because of the large ill population.

Once infected, “the disease magnifies itself with each cycle” states Dr. Threlkeld, and it has a rapid gestation period of about two to three days. As a result, symptoms of the disease arise very quickly.

Norovirus causes acute gastroenteritis or inflammation of the lining in the gastro-intestinal tract. One of the disease’s nicknames is the “winter vomiting bug,” which accurately describes one of its major symptoms. Norovirus can cause involuntary vomiting or projectile vomiting, fever, dehydration, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, and body aches.

Unfortunately, victims of the disease must endure their sickness, because there is not an effective antibiotic for the disease and washing one’s hands seldom eliminates the small number of viruses that are required to infect a person.

Additionally, due to international laws on disease management, victims of an outbreak on a cruise may be quarantined on the ship to avoid transmission between countries.

On a positive note, the disease only lasts for a few days and is only fatal in rare cases, involving the elderly or infants. “[Norovirus] is not a fatal disease, just a miserable one,” remarked Dr. Threlkeld. While underestimating the effects of Norovirus is unwise, the disease is a normal occurrence and there is only a five percent chance of being infected on a cruise ship.

April

•

St. George’s Independent School

Logo appears world-wide Continued from Page 1

The graphic artist that designed the logo is Greg Hastings, who works at Archer Malmo. Many renditions of the logo were reviewed before the final unveiling. The main issue that Hastings faced when creating this logo was designing one simple enough to be replicated on uniforms, but one that still fully embodied the Gryphon mascot. The final logo was unveiled in the spring of 2001 and is the one still in use today. It depicts a full gryphon with spread out wings and all four claws.

Mrs. Cowan recalled that when she first researched gryphons on the internet back in 2000, very few results came up. According to her, the gryphon being used as a mascot has become more common recently. The situation with Stem Academy is not the first case of another institution taking the school’s logo.

Other instances of the Gryphon logo being used were at school in California, a hockey team in Canada and a school in Southeast Asia.

All of these have been contacted with a request about ceasing use of the logo. However, because it is not trademarked, there is no legal course of action that St. George’s can take to prevent use of the logo.

Efforts have been made to keep the school’s specific logo from showing up on Google images, which will make it harder for any other potential situations like Stem Academy to occur. The School President, Mr. William Taylor, weighed in on the suggestion that the school should trademark the custom logo, saying, “The school is exploring this option. We are weighing the cost-benefit equation of this…the one that is being copied by other schools is one specifically designed for us.”

Mrs. Cowan has contacted Stem Academy, the school that has most recently adopted the Gryphon logo, three separate times but they have yet to respond about their use of the logo.

An original logo sketch for St. George’s.

Source: Sarah Cowan

Fracking causes danger Zoe Leake ’14

T

he once small, sleepy farming towns of western North Dakota’s frozen frontier have officially been transformed. City lights gleam 24-7, “Help Wanted” signs litter restaurants and hotels, and the numbers of crime cases related to domestic violence and alcohol have skyrocketed.

This spike of life in North Dakota has one source, and it is being referred to as the “Black Gold Boom.”

North Dakota miners struck oil on a large scale in the western section of the state. The boom has brought thousands of workers to mine, drive trucks, and other jobs associated with mining oil.

The boom has resulted in a hustle and bustle of local life, creating a greater demand for hands needed on deck. Prices for housing have almost tripled, making it difficult to find affordable housing, and roads have been destroyed by the constant pounding of giant oilrigs. The culture of these once small towns has been completely transformed, and with it, the landscape.

“Fracking,” or hydraulic fracturing, is a method of oil and gas exchange employed in the harvesting of oil and natural gas. Fracking is “the forcing open of fissures in subterranean rocks by introducing liquid at high pressure to extract oil or gas,” according to Webster’s dictionary.

More than 500,000 natural gas wells are active in the US, all of which use hydraulic fracturing. Naturally, North Dakota oil miners are practicing this technique freely.

With an in detail look at this whole situation, it is really no wonder that people in North Dakota are tired of the constant sound of big-wheelers. It takes 400 tanker trucks to carry water along with other supplies to and from the site, and anywhere from one to eight million gallons of water is needed to complete each fracturing job.

Still not sold on the woes of fracking? Tanker trucks bring more than

water. They also carry massive loads of sand and chemicals to the sites.

“Approximately 40,000 gallons of chemicals are used per fracturing,” according to the Marcellus Shale Coalition. There are 600 chemicals used in fracking fluid, including lead, uranium, mercury, ethylene glycol, radium, methanol, hydrochloric acid, and formaldehyde.

Here is the math: 72 trillion gallons of water and 360 billion gallons of chemicals are needed to run the current gas wells in the United States.

When all of this water and chemicals reaches the end of the well, the shale rock is cracked and the natural gas flows into the well.

This would not be a big deal, seeing as most people need natural gas to run the technologies of the time, but methane gas and toxic chemicals leak out during the process and contaminate groundwater nearby.

This makes the methane concentration 17 times higher in drinkingwater wells near fracturing sites.

Drinking contaminated water causes sensory, neurological, and repertory damage that is not reversible.

Luckily, 30 to 50 percent of the fracturing fluid is recoverable, and can be used again in the next fracturing.

However, the other 50 to 70 percent cannot be recovered and is not biodegradable, so it is simply left in openair pits so that it can evaporate into the atmosphere, releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs create contaminated air, acid rain, and even ground-level ozone.

The “Black Gold Boom” in western North Dakota may be bringing job opportunities into once tired towns and turning cowboys into millionaires, but with the coming of those jobs is the changing of an entire western culture. Roads are racked, real estate prices have skyrocketed, and the environment is taking a beating.

Is it worth it?

•

Features 7

Diverse student opinions call for changes in chapel Meredith Gatlin ‘14 Dagny Vaughn ‘14

E

very year with the coming of Ash Wednesday, students begin to question the current structure of chapel at St. George’s. As a result of varying beliefs, some wonder if the delicate balance St. George’s strives to uphold is being met. While most students desire change in chapel, they differ in their vision of what the ideal chapel should be.

Twice during each six-day rotation, students participate in a chapel service that includes either several grades or the entire school. These chapels are led by visiting speakers, the chaplain, Mr. Brendan Gorham, or student speakers, all of whom aim to cover a variety of topics.

Chapels usually center on a moral lesson that encourages students to partake in self-reflection. According to St. George’s school president, Mr. William Taylor, “The purpose of chapel is to provide spiritual reflection and share what we value.”

Though the purpose of chapel is clearly with good intent, students vary in their opinion regarding the productivity of chapel within a St. George’s school day.

Some students believe chapel does not place a heavy enough focus on Christian tradition, straying to vague talks on life experience. According to sophomore Emma Kathryn Carpenter, “All of the talks are about striving to do your best and not religion. I don’t think we should call it chapel.”

Specifically, students who wish for a more religiously focused chapel do not like the handling of Christian scripture. Junior Allie Buckmaster stated, “I think that reflections shouldn’t be just lectures on how to be a good student, but instead diving into scripture and applying it to our lives. Instead of interpreting scripture through our lives, we should interpret our lives through scripture.”

Senior Casey Schneider agreed saying, “I would like to have speakers that talk about God and the Bible, not just make a reference to a passage and then not speak of it again.”

Many of these complaints stem from the school’s accommodation of the variety of beliefs present at St. George’s. While founded in Episcopal tradition, many attending students come from different backgrounds with differing views. These differences present a delicate balance to be met within chapel.

Other students agree that chapel should be more religiously based, yet also believe an alternative service should be available. Senior Marshall Humphrey said, “I would change requiring non-Christians to go [to chapel]. They should be allowed to have an alternative chapel.”

Senior Kate Sweat agreed, yet was content with the current condition of chapel. “I think there should be alternative chapels offered,” said Sweat.

“But they have done a better job of making the message less religiously fueled and more morally fueled.”

In recent years, alternative chapels have been held on Ash Wednesday as an option for students who do not wish to partake in the traditional receiving of ashes. Usually, these alternative services take the form of student led discussion about variety among beliefs.

Buckmaster agreed, yet provides a different view. “I think an alternative chapel would be perfectly fine as long as it were held anywhere but the Agape Chapel,” she said. “It was specifically built for Christian worship and is considered holy ground.”

Even though varying beliefs among the student body have led to tension regarding chapel, most students are quick to say that they have never felt their beliefs being threatened. Rather, they are slightly uncomfortable within the current chapel environment.

Senior Andrew Grissom said, “I feel uncomfortable when the services get crazy broad and the kids in the crowd start talking and are not paying attention. That is when it gets uncomfortable for everyone.”

Despite some negative opinions,

many students believe chapel benefits the school environment.

“I believe that chapel is always a great part of school life and can help the overall well-being and morals of students and faculty. Chapel brings a good message and good reinforcements to the human psyche,” said Schneider.

Buckmaster agreed, saying, “I think it does help the overall school environment because even though some people don’t listen, a lot do and take the words to heart. It’s uplifting, most of the time, and put things in perspective for the rest of the day.”

During some chapel services, students have had the chance to lead the lesson. Having students give personal reflections during chapel offers a more relatable perspective on life values to the students. Seniors Kayce Hyde, Andrew Grissom, Robert Schutt, and Casey Schneider have all been recent speakers at chapels.

Occasionally, St. George’s faculty members also choose to share their views. Over this past year, teachers such as Mr. Kyle Slatery, Mrs. Kalyn Underwood, and Mr. Wilson Taylor have volunteered to share reflections at chapels.

Though much of the dispute surrounding chapel deals with the intensity of religious tradition, students often forget that another purpose of chapel is to serve as a meeting time for students to come together as a community.

As Mr. Gorham said, “A purpose of chapel is to come together and engage in a traditional service as a common activity. It’s to have a common ritual that we can all participate in that brings us together and fosters community.”

Because of this important aspect of chapel, splitting chapel into a variety of different meetings, such as an optional alternative chapel, may divide the student body. As Carpenter said, “I think it’s important to have community and have people meet together.”

Students save lives with blood drives Meredith Gatlin ’14

S

t. George’s and the Life Blood organization have teamed together over the past few years to form blood drives each trimester for the St. George’s students and faculty.

Ms. Crista Smothers and Mrs. Kristi Schulz volunteer their time and effort in order to run the school’s blood drives. Each trimester many students and faculty are able to donate a pint of blood each, which could go on to save up to three lives.

In order for a St. George’s student to donate blood, he or she must be at least sixteen years old, weigh 115 pounds and have parental consent. The overall process of donating blood is fairly short.

Students and faculty must first sit through a short interview with the Life Blood nurses to process their medical history. Then, a mini physical is given to test heart rate, blood pressure and blood type as well as other medical information.

Once all of that is finished, the fun part happens: donating blood.

Senior Ethan Cohen plays an important role in the school’s blood drives. For his Senior Independent Study, he coordinated the 2013-2014 fall trimester blood drive. It was the biggest blood drive in St. George’s history with fifty successful donors that all attempted to donate a pint of blood.

Cohen is also committed to volunteering at the Life Blood facility in Memphis, which he does every day after school and on Saturday mornings. Cohen said, “I like meeting different donors and it is a lot of fun.”

Earlier this year, he was given the “Volunteer of the Year” award.

It is the highest achievement given through Life Blood, and it was a great achievement for Cohen to be granted.

Yet as predicted, these blood drives do not occur problem-free.

A few of St. George’s upper classmen have had interesting experi-

ences after donating blood. When current senior Alexandra Smith was a junior, she donated blood for the first time. During her AP English class, she became ghostly white and soon fainted.

Smith is not the only student who has passed out at school as a result of donating blood; seniors Andrew Grissom, Brittany Correia and Calla Michalak have all had the same experience, or have come close to it, but this can generally be avoided by eating a hearty breakfast and taking it easy both immediately after the donation and for the next several hours.

Although several brave students have fainted due to their donation, this does not mean students should not donate their blood during the next blood drive, which will occur on April 16th.

Students who are sixteen or older should sign up for the blood drive with parental consent. If they are eligible to donate blood, their blood could save lives.

8

April

•

St. George’s Independent School

•

Sports

Young water polo team Athletic Director follows new steps up its game opportunities to Alabama Lindsey Cayce ’14

F

Regan Hewitt ’14

The water polo team fights for a win against SBA.

Caroline Cannon ’15

C

ontrary to popular belief, water polo actually does not involve horses, or horse-play. This challenging sport involves highly skilled athletes that must fight for the ball, block shots and throw, all while treading water for the duration of a game or practice.

St. George’s has decided to make this sport of both endurance and speed a part of its varsity athletic community. The 2014 spring season is the first for the varsity water polo team.

Last year was a good year for the first water polo team, though it was not yet recognized as a varsity sport at St. George’s. Memphis University School was the only school that the team lost to during the regular season.

Though everyone attempted to

play fair, the Gryphons had a few incidences, such as senior Brynna Bartlett getting knocked in the mouth and starting to bleed during one of the matches against Christian Brothers High School.

Despite this, she is eager for the new season. “It definitely just got real,” Bartlett said. “It’s intense.

And it’s vasity now.”

St. George’s was not only the victims of foul play. Junior Caroline Cannon gave a St. Benedict’s Academy player a bloody nose.

Hopefully this year there will be fewer injuries, since the same teams are returning this year each with last year’s experiences.

Coach Eddie Walsh and Coach Rob Snowberger are confident that this season will offer new victories for the Gryphons.

or being such a young school, St. George’s has proven to be an athletic powerhouse. Now home to 70 different sports teams between the middle and upper school, as well as 30 state championships, it is clear that the Gryphons have wasted no time working hard in order to reach and succeed in the TSSAA Division 2A state competitions.

Coach Brent Hill first began working at St. George’s in 2006 as both Athletic Director and assistant football coach. He has been at St. George’s for nearly every varsity team year and has been instrumental in helping to develop our athletic department, specifically the Gryphon football program.

Throughout his time here, Coach Hill has worked as the offensive coordinator as well as the head coach of the football team, all while continuing to serve as the Athletic Director.

Coach Hill recently got an offer to become the varsity football coach at Opp High School in Opp, Alabama. It was a hard offer to turn down. “I have always wanted to go to that area [Alabama/Georgia], both to live and to coach,” Coach Hill stated.

South Alabama and south Georgia are notorious for very competitive high school football teams, and in many small towns, the local football team is a crucial part of the town’s culture.

Both students and families of the school, as well as locals who

have no physical connection to the school, clear their calendars on fall Friday nights to pack into the football stadium and cheer their team to victory. The town of Opp is no different.

Coach Hill said that he is, “looking forward to facing the new challenges that will come with being at a school like Opp High School.

There are so many variations among the kids there, whether it is socioeconomic or racial, so it is an opportunity to do something I haven’t done.”

However, with all the excitement of beginning a new journey, Coach Hill noted that it has given him a chance to reflect on his time here at St. George’s. “You think about how much you are going

to miss the relationships, with the students, faculty, and coaches.

Our department especially is a very close-knit group. I also know that I would not have this opportunity if it weren’t for the years I’ve had here.”

Coach Hill also admitted that, “St. George’s will always be special, not just to me, but to my whole family. We will always look at St. George’s and have nothing but good memories.”

Likewise, St. George’s will always appreciate all that Coach Hill has done for the football program as well as the athletic department.

The impact he made will continue to be built upon and treasured for years to come.

Source: Coach Hill Hill coaches during a football game.

Spring athletes hit ground running

Student explains college recruiting process

Taylor Owens ’15

Roxanna Wood ’15

S

oftball: “There are so many great things about softball, but my favorite thing is catching the ball you think you are going to miss, or hitting the ball you think is too low or too high but you took the chance anyway. This team has some of the best team spirit I have ever seen, and the girls are all simply hilarious... it is impossible to not have a good time!” - Junior Kate Stoddard Women’s Lacrosse: “I think this is easily the most athletic and most skilled lacrosse team we have ever had. Everyone from the attack to the defense improves by the day and because of that, I think we have got a pretty good chance at state this year.” - Senior Emily Dickey Men’s Lacrosse: “The lacrosse team this year is looking forward to a great season. We’ve got some boisterous freshman out there to add some depth to the lineup and team chemistry is at an all time high. Our main goal moving forward is to win ball games and this looks like a team that will let nothing get in their way.” - Junior James Cloutier Women’s Tennis: “I think that this year we have a lot of new freshmen on our team but we are all very close and working hard to be a better team. We are excited for our upcoming tournament in Buckhead, Atlanta and to see how the rest of our season plays out!” - Senior Bailey Pinckernell Men’s Tennis: “Me and Worth are looking forward to a strong season in doubles play. With strong play from Carshy, Tribble, and great doubles play from Lard and I, we could be bringing home some hardware.” - Senior Scott Mullahey Track & Field: “I’m looking forward to improving my times this season. What’s awesome about the sport is that you don’t have to be coordinated to run, you just have to be in shape.... it’s so satisfying to drop time in a race and run your personal best.” - Junior Julia Spinolo Baseball: “We’ve started off playing pretty well, and I hope we can continue it into regional play. I look forward to big regional games at home and hope we can get some fans out to support us.” - Junior Curt Bennett Men’s Soccer: “The soccer team has a good chance at defending our State Championship trophy from last year. We combined veteran players with fresh talent on the pitch, so the greatest problems we have to overcome are creating team chemistry and injuries. The good thing about soccer is nothing is done alone. As a goal-keeper, I love playing with this team... when we play at our best, the game almost becomes an art.” - Senior Kellen Young

A

student athlete may dream of the day that their favorite school offers them a full-ride scholarship to play on their team, but sadly, most athletes lack the knowledge to make their dream into a reality.

My personal recruiting experience started with an online recruiting profile in eighth grade. This led Elon University, a Division I school in North Carolina, to recruit me to play volleyball.

An explanation of my personal recruiting process, along with the experience of senior Mia Bargiacchi, who was recruited for gymnastics by the University of Arkansas, may shed some light on how to go about being recruited for college sports.

No matter the sport, it is important to be proactive. Whether you know your dream school from the start, or still are uncertain about being a collegiate athlete, you should put yourself in the position to succeed.

The top schools look at players starting as early as seventh and eighth grade, so stay ahead of the game and begin your process now — it is truly never too early. Meeting a coach does not have to be the first step. Instead, you can research different schools, make an online recruiting profile or email coaches with links to your online profile, game footage and student athlete information.

If you’re ready to take the next step, you can email a college coach to ask for summer camp information. Attending a summer camp

will allow you to play in their facilities,with the college players and under the direction of the college coaches.

These opportunities will allow you to learn more about the school, but also demonstrate your level of interest to the coaches. Bargiacchi went to the University of Arkansas camps during the summers and was able to build strong relationships with her coaches and future teammates. These interactions gave her an advantage over the university’s other prospects.

Coaches are extremely busy people and they are searching through hundreds of athletes to find ones that have athletic ability, interest in their college, and fit into the student-athlete mold of the school.

For these coaches, you are just another name, until you make an effort to introduce yourself as more.

In order to stand out, it is essential to send emails with introductions, game footage and other updates as well as make those nerve-racking phone calls. Let the coaches know about your tournament schedules, how the last game went, what camps you will be attending, or just check in to see how the college team is doing.

Bargiacchi said, “Don’t be shy!

Coaches will be more interested in you if you seem interested in them.”

A word of advice for the first call to a college coach: start with a practice call. The first call should

be to a school that is completely different from what you want and did not show interest in you — a no-pressure situation. This gives you a chance to see what types of questions the coaches would ask, as well as help you figure out the types of questions you would want to ask them.

Making lists of what you want to know about the schools is also very helpful. Having topics and questions on hand during phone conversations is beneficial and gives you something to say during any of those dreaded awkward pauses. It really helps to make sure you cover all your bases.

My most important piece of advice is to be open-minded. As student athletes, we are young, ambitious and strong-minded, but we do not always take the time to step back and decide what is truly important.

Ultimately, you want to pick a college for the college, not for the athletics. It is important to not consume yourself with being a “Division I recruit” or going to a specific school. Rather, learn about a variety of schools and athletic programs until you can find the one that meets everything on your wish list.

One day, a school will feel right and you will know that it is the one for you. Do not give yourself limits and do not worry too much.

Dream big, know yourself and enjoy it.

April

•

St. George’s Independent School

•

Sports

9

Gender equality gradually Nations prepare for Brazil’s World Cup achieved in sports Brittany Correia ’14

taylor Owens ‘15

The evolution of gender roles

in this day and age has caused a great shift in the world of sports.

It is obvious that certain sports are still dominated by the male gender and are seen as somewhat sexist sports.

The common argument still remains: women do not have the physical strength to play in the male-dominated sports and should not take part in them.

However, these age-old opinions are gradually being overtaken by the great strides that have been made in the field of sports for women.

As of late, female athletes have been gaining equal representation both on the field and in terms of media coverage, in comparison to the past, when very little was done in terms of coverage for female athletics.

The world of high school sports was completely overturned after the introduction of Title IX. Title IX is the federal law that “prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in schools that receive federal funding—including in their athletics programs,” according to the National Women’s Law Center.

This law opened the door for female athletes and expanded new opportunities for women that had not been available to them before.

Sports teams were created for women in leagues that were male dominated in high schools, and these additions have extended past high schools as well.

Sports such as Mixed Martial

Arts, hockey, and football have previously been viewed as “manly” sports. Many have felt that women should not participate in such sports because of the sport’s physically demanding nature.

These stereotypes and cultural barriers are being broken down every day with large amounts of women competing and succeeding in sports that were previously thought too challenging. For example, the women’s hockey team placing silver in the Olympics whereas the men’s hockey team did not win a medal at all.

Ice hockey has become increasingly popular amongst female athletes, challenged previous gender roles in sports, and many of the players have become positive role models for women that showcase strength and power.

In an article by the “Journal of Sports Behavior,” female hockey players explained that they saw themselves as “different from other women, in a positive way.

They do not want to be like ultrafeminine, unpractical women with long nails, high heels and sensitive to criticism.”

Women have made great strides in the field of sports and the growth of women’s sports has been shown by the creation of several professional leagues in previously male dominated leagues.

More female athletes have come to take part in sports that were unavailable to them in the past due to the steps taken by a few brave and strong female athletes.

With

the Winter Olympics now at a close, it is time for the sporting world to shift its eyes away from Sochi and toward the tropical country of Brazil, the host nation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup this summer.

The tournament should be as exciting as ever, with the Brazilian squad hoping to reestablish dominance in the soccer world behind tricky forward, Neymar, after a somewhat disappointing finish in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup. The defending champions and top ranked team, Spain, hope to defend their title, but may come across some trouble in the later stages of the tournament. Their signature style of play, centered on fluid ball possession and movement off the pass, which revolutionized the game of soccer at the 2008 European Championships, may no longer be as effective.

Colombia, after their disastrous 1994 campaign, has finally returned to the world stage with a number of tricky offensive players after rebuilding for several years due to the virtual collapse of their domestic league.

The United States, under the guidance of former German National team player Jürgen Klinsmann, played especially well in qualifying. The U.S team was projected to make it farther than ever before in the World Cup, until the groups were drawn.

Every World Cup, one of the eight four-team groups is always dubbed the “Group of Death” and, as it so happens, the United States has the task of playing in the toughest opening three games in the tournament.

Grouped with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana, the Americans are not projected to make it out of the initial stage.

To advance into the Round of Sixteen, all the U.S has to do is finish in the top half of the group, a feat the Americans have accomplished in three of the last five World Cups. Our opening match is against Ghana, the country that eliminated us from the last two tournaments.

In both instances, the matches were close, and according to many, this match against Ghana is the most “winnable” game for the American side. The team looks for quick attacking players, such as Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, for goals. If the United States is to advance, a win against Ghana is essential.

Next, the U.S would take on Ballon d’Or winner Cris-

tiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team. If the American defense, including star goalie Tim Howard, can contain the speed, skill, and firepower of the Portuguese attackers (Ronaldo, Nani, João Moutinho and Hélder Postiga), the game could very well end up in our favor.

Our greatest chance of scoring against Portugal will likely come from a header thanks to midfielder Michael Bradley or forward Jozy Altidore, who can expose the Portuguese defense by converting on a set piece or long cross.

Our final game in league play will be against one of the World Cup favorites, Germany.

They are excellently coached by the one of the game’s best strategists, Joachim Löw, and lack no real weak areas to be exploited by the American players.

Like the Spanish, Germany passes extremely well and their movement off the ball is superb. In addition to this, the Germans play with significantly more physicality than their Spanish counterparts, and have strong center forward play that is among the best in the world.

Regardless of if the United States makes it out of group play, the 2014 World Cup is sure to feature some of the strongest teams and individual players ever seen in the game.

Sochi Olympics surprise all Basketball completes successful season with success

Taylor Owens ‘15

T

he 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia ended with a grand total of two hundred and ninety-five medals dispensed over the two-week period. The United States finished second with twenty-eight overall medals. In terms of gold medals, Russia led with thirteen, followed

by Norway with eleven and Canada with ten However, some of the best moments did not involve a gold medal, or even any sort of medal at all. Russia’s own Anton Gafarov crashed and broke his ski during the men’s cross-country sprint semifinal. Despite this heartbreaking setback, Gafarov was determined to cross the finish line but fell again coming down the hill, due to his broken ski.

The most memorable moment during this event was when Canadian coach, Justin Wadsworth, raced onto the hill to give Gafarov a new ski to assist him across the finish line. In this instance, sportsmanship really did conquer all and helped Gafarov complete the race with dignity.

Another stand-out moment was the Netherlands’ dominance during the speed-skating event at Adler Arena. The Netherlands pulled in a total of twenty-four

medals, twenty-three of which came from the speed-skating event. They really showed off their strength in this event during the 2014 Olympics and finished with not only confidence, but also multiple gold medals.

The most undeniably memorable and dramatic finish from Sochi came during the men’s ski cross event when Switzerland’s Armin Niederer, Russia’s Egor Korotkov, Sweden’s Victor Oehling Norberg, and Finland’s Jouni Pellinen were headed for the finish line. Only two were able to advance to the semifinals, but all four of the men were dead even heading down the last length of the race.

However, at the last moment, there was a crash and Niederer was able to get out of the way and skate across the finish line. This left the other three to fight, crawl, dive, or scrape their way to the end.

The Olympics in Sochi, Russia were full of great victories, terrible losses and even greater moments that will be burned into the memories of those who watched.

The Winter Olympics of 2014 truly embodied the original spirit of the Olympics and left their mark on Sochi.

pionships in previous years.

After suffering an unlucky loss to the St. Mary’s team by one point, the Lady Gryphons stepped up to defeat the St. Benedict Academy Eagles’, 5043. This was the first time that the varsity girls defeated the Eagles at the SBA gym, giving the Lady Gryphons a boost of confidence for the regional tournament.

Although the Lady Gryphons struggled against Fayette Academy early in the season, they defeated the Vikings, 60-49, giving the girls a home-court advantage in the first tournament game Noah Pope ‘17 takes a shot Susie Cowan against Harding Acadduring a game. emy. However, the Lady Gryphons fell to Harding Academy Lions, which unfortunately ended their season.

Madeline East ‘15 Despite the heartbreaking finish, many records were set this year. Junior Olivia Roberts set the singlelthough most students dread scoring record with 382 points, junior the cold and long winters, the sun beMadeline East tied the three-point regins to shine when basketball season cord per game with 6 three-pointers, begins. and senior Shelby Sims completed her The Lady Gryphons started their season as the career leader with a total season off strong by defeating Milof 373 points. lington High School, 60-27. This game To further the success this winter was a big win for the girls as Millingtrimester, the varsity boys’ team had ton is not only in a higher division, an outstanding season. Not only did but has also won several state cham-

A

they go 26-3 in terms of games, but they also set a school record for regular season wins of 24.

Some of these exceptional successes included victories over Millington, Briarcrest, MUS, CBHS, Harding, FACS, ECS, and USJ. The Gryphons went a perfect 10-0 in district play, and finished the regional tournament as runner-ups, losing by only one point to ECS, with a final of 3738. Coach Jeff Ruffin said that he is “extremely proud of the time and effort that our players put into our having a successful season and their ability to execute under pressure. Keys to our success this year centered around the energy we were able to bring defensively, the ability to utilize a variety of defenses in different situations, and a balanced offense featuring a good mixture of inside and outside scoring.”

The Gryphons unfortunately met the end of the road this year in sub-state, where Franklin Road Academy defeated the Gryphons when they hit a three-pointer in the last seconds of the game, making the final score, 52-55.

Although the four male seniors will be missed, in addition to the four female senior players, the Gryphons are looking forward to having a strong group back next year that will be motivated to make another good run at the state championships.

10

April

•

St. George’s Independent School •

Library offers more than just a quiet place for learning Anna Marie Beard ’15

When was the last time you

went to the school library?

The McClain Library is at the center of the Collierville campus, and is indeed central to a St. George’s student’s life. It is hard for a student not to be involved with it on one way or another, whether it is classes in the conference rooms, study halls or a meeting with tutors in the study rooms. However, for all its varied uses, the McClain Library seems to rarely be used as just that: a library.

When compared to the relative ease with which one can find information online, visiting the library seems like an unnecessary, almost tedious, option. However, research is not simply a matter of content.

The library provides an open, quiet environment in which students can research, surrounded by all sorts of information just steps away. The St. George’s library provides a startlingly large amount of content: roughly 12,000 physical books and 13,000 eBooks. It also has a large database for student use.

The library also has a knowledgeable staff that is happy to help students find resources or suggest new ones. Furthermore, you can be sure of these sources’ credibility.

Unlike websites, books have to undergo an editing and review process before being published, which makes them fantastic sources for research papers and projects alike.

Not only that, but the library hosts

Student Life

Teens seek to change appearance surgically Maggie Courtney ‘14

S

elf-esteem, or a lack there of, can severely affect a person’s teenage experience. As hormones rage and changes in our looks are apparent, some teens are deeply unsatisfied with their appearance and choose to change features of their bodies permanently.

Our heavily materialistic society encourages our youth to uphold an almost perfect appearJuliana Wall ’15 ance. According to The American Ms, Allison mans the desk in the Library.

Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), there were 130,502 the peer tutoring centers, for those ested in obtaining for the library. of us who find it easier to work One of the ways a book is select- cosmetic procedures performed with our peers. ed for purchasing is through stu- on people under the age of 18 at The library does not have to be a dent request and suggestion. Mrs. the end of 2012.

The most popular procedure place for just work, however. Over Allison said, “We try to get our the past year or so, the library has suggestions for what we’re putting among teens is an Otoplasty, or been working to expand its plea- on our shelves from professional ear surgery, followed by a rhinosure reading program. This has reviews, but also, we try to listen to plasy, or nose reshaping, and fitaken many forms, for instance, the what [the students] are asking for.” nally, breast augmentations. An introduction of a monthly newsMrs. Hillery Efkeman has also underlying reason why many letter, focusing on suggestions for started a middle school book club, children reach out to their parpleasure reading. where students meet at lunch to ents about having surgery done The library website has under- discuss any books they are cur- is because of bullying. gone a makeover as well. They rently reading. She said that it is A nonprofit called The Little have adopted an online catalog interesting to see how books pass Baby Face Foundation in NYC called “Destiny Quest,” which has between students and listen to has recently been receiving much lists of featured books in a variety their opinions. She hopes to see media attention because it gives of genres. Another such addition more student interest in the library free plastic surgery to bullied is a “suggestions” button, which as time goes on. teens. The media controversy is can be found on the library’s home The library provides a selection about the reasons why teens are website. of magazines in the back for any applying for procedures by this The school librarians, Mrs. Leah student looking to pass the time. foundation.

Allison and Mrs. Hillery Efkeman, These, too, are subject to the deWhile it is clear that bullying said that they want to have a col- mand of the students; if you are should not be tolerated, another lection that appeals to the student interested in a certain magazine, question arises: should a child’s body. Students are encouraged to talk to one of the librarians about opinion about changing their apspeak with the librarians about any subscribing! pearance be appropriated by a books they have read or are intersurgical procedure?

If so, this viewpoint supports an idea that it is up to the individual who is bullied to change their appearance rather than directly addressing the bullying.

Sometimes, however, the psychological damage of bullying can take an unbelievable toll on a child. Whenever a child proceeds with a plastic surgery procedure, there are some fundamental points that need to be addressed.

According to the ASAPS, doctors must take into careful consideration the development of the feature that a teen would like to alter, as well as his or her maturity. Altering a feature that is not fully developed can have heavy consequences, including deformity as it finishes growing.

Furthermore, teens must understand that this kind of surgical procedure is permanent and there is no problem in waiting.

As teens are emotionally maturing, waiting to get a procedure may lead to a realization that their initial reasons for wanting a procedure were not the right reasons. Teenagers often look to conform to norms, while adults often seek to stand out from the crowd.

Based on the high number of teens receiving plastic surgeries, the reasons of why need to be addressed. Why do so many teens feel as if society conveys to them that they must be perfect and that who they are is not enough?

Seniors face changes to Global Challenge project Regan Hewitt ’14

T

he majority of the senior class is crowded into the senior dining room, sharing chairs and plopping on top of tables. Teachers are scattered along the walls, chatting with students about the upcoming weeks. The projector screen is pulled down against the wall furthest from the cafeteria, an unusual sight, and across the screen are the words of the title slide: Global Challenge 2014. There is an anxious buzz of conversation, as every senior mumbles about the possibility of group members and the anticipation of world problems.

Finally, the teachers begin to hush everyone and the presentation begins, as does the last project of senior year: Global Challenge.

Global Challenge is a staple of a St. George’s student’s senior year. Following the completion of Senior Independent Study, this project, also a graduation requirement, involves a group of seniors working together to solve a world issue, focusing on one portion of the world. For example, instead of tackling children’s health issues for the entire world, a group of seniors would tackle the water deficits in Ecuador, creating out a solution for that particular area.

However, just because Glob-

al Challenge is a fixture of St. George’s education, does not mean that teachers (and students) are not constantly working to improve upon the activity. For the 2014 graduating seniors, there have been several changes implimented this year in order to improve the Global Challenge project.

According to School President Bill Taylor, the Global Challenge project started with the first graduating class of the high school.

It was created because the administration realized that Senior Independent Study did not last a full year and wanted to have a balance to student’s final year at St. George’s. Mr. Taylor said, “Because SIS was independent, we started brainstorming for a collaborative and problem solving experience.” Those brainstorming sessions were aided by the publication of “High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them.”

Although the original idea was to take seniors outdoors to solve problems, in what Mr. Taylor referred to as a “kooky, Survivor-esque way,” the project was eventually formed into a presentation-style task, much like how

Global Challenge works today.

In the spring of 2011, Mrs. Rhonda Charnes-Martin took over the program. She wanted the project to have a more realistic feel, in terms of post-high school education and employment. Through her involvement, with the help of administrators such as the former Associate Head of the Upper School, Mr. J.P. Culley, several changes were made to the project.

The initial design of the project revolved around PechaKuchas, where the project was presented via 20 PowerPoint slides that each appeared on screen for 20 seconds.

Mrs. Charnes-Martin cited that the first change took place during the spring of 2013. “We decided the first major change was to videotape [the presentations]” said Mrs. Charnes Martin.

However, the 2014 Global Challenge underwent the most change in its design. “I transitioned the program to make it more ‘design’ thinking,” said Mrs. Charnes-Martin. “These students would have to create a more viable solution based on research and talking to experts.

It’s a more hands-on experience.”

Although groups of students were assigned the same way as they have been in previous years,

a large portion of the change came from the revamping of the “guide” structure. “Before [this year] half the class went to me and the other half went to Mr. Culley,” said Mrs. Charnes-Martin.

Now, while Mrs. Charnes-Martin runs and oversees the entire Global Challenge program, there are subsets of guides (usually teachers) assigned to each Global Challenge class period to advise and ensure the success of the students. Mrs. Charnes-Martin admits that “[The guides] provide more hands-on access and allow for an accountability element before the end.”

The administration hoped that these changes would make the project relatable to the real world where large collaborative projects are often demanded in both work and educational environments. In terms of this year’s senior class, Mrs. Charnes Martin hopes to see more relevant problems crop up in both problems and solutions. She also wants the senior’s opinions to feel valued, because as she said, “understand that you can make a difference even at eighteen… and that your ideas are honestly just as valid as many of the so-called experts.”

On the other end of the Global

Challenge project, stand the Citizenship students, who have a different but equally difficult task ahead. Their project involves creating a business plan that is a citizen-based business and gives back to the community. Senior Maggie Courtney said, “We create a business plan and an overall project that each group must present to a start-up company downtown.”

This is not too different from last year’s project, as 2013 graduate Emma Sisson said, “We focused on entrepreneurial citizenship by creating a business plan for a St. George’s coffee shop.” Her advice to seniors currently completing both the Citizenship project and the Global Challenge assignment is to anticipate questions that will be asked when presenting. “Research broadly! And make sure you find the holes in your presentation before people start asking the difficult questions,” said Sisson.

Mrs. Charnes-Martin agreed.

She said, “Hopefully, this project will encourage more thoughtful analysis of information and better presenting skills. And these [guides] and other changes will help the process along.”

April

•

St. George’s Independent School

•

Student Life

Educational trips allow for learning beyond the classroom

11

Juliana Wall ‘15

A

feeling of exhilaration overwhelmed me as I stood in the Coliseum, surrounded by architecture that was thousands of years old.

Looking down into the arena, I imagined what it would have been like to be among fifty thousand other cheering Roman as the gladiators battled in the pit below. I had read all about Rome and the Coliseum in school, but to actually be there was more incredible than I had ever imagined.

In reality, students can only learn so much about the world by sitting in a classroom. Yes, it is beneficial to know all of that book-smart information, but having the liberty to apply that knowledge to experience in the real world is incredible.

Now with St. George’s International Travel Opportunities program, any young aspiring world traveler in the school community can have a chance to see those dreams turned into a reality.

Traveling is a gateway to discovering who students are as individuals. Ms. Traci Erlandson, an eighthgrade United States history teacher, said that, “It gets people out of their

comfort zone.” Being in a new and strange place is the epitome of discovering who people are at their core, because the adolescent years are a time of figuring out who you are and who you want to be.

Sophomore Jane Shelby Bragg, who traveled to Italy with Ms. Erlandson, shared some insight on the fact that she came back home more confident and independent than when she had departed from Memphis.

Recently, Ms. Erlandson led a group of over forty students, facult, and staff to Paris, London and Normandy over this spring break.

“The real life experience makes it relevant for the kids. They can see what it is all about as far as culture, history, and language,” said Ms. Erlandson. “It allows them to see how other people live in history enriched places.”

Anna Marie Beard, a junior, felt like she experienced a new depth of learning when she traveled to Costa Rica in the spring of 2013 for the Global Student Leaders Summit.

She knew there were different cultures in the world, but she did not

truly understand the significance of the impact of those cultures she made until she found herself surrounded by rainforests and the extremely welcoming Costa Ricans.

The best part of actively involving young people into the world they are unfamiliar with is the fact that this involvement opens their eyes to the realization that other countries are so very different from their own, yet everything is still intertwined.

Mr. Luther Mercer is most definitely not new to traveling, having led five international trips, including the trip to China during spring break of 2014 for the annual Global Student Leaders Summit.

As the teacher of Citizenship, a class where the very core is learning how to be an active citizen of the world, Mr. Mercer has the opportunity to teach this lesson to students first hand. He agrees that we are all interconnected and traveling allows students to gain an understanding of the world and how to be an active part of it.

Mr. Mercer went on to say, “That is why I believe that it is important to have some sort of active program

or service project on every trip in order to truly find your place in the world.”

The international trips that the school offers are an extraordinary opportunity for students, teachers and parents alike. It is for those who love to travel, those who love to learn about history and culture as

well as those who are not afraid of a little adventure.

Whether it is zip lining through the rainforest canopy in Costa Rica, looking out over Paris at the top of the Eiffel Tower, hiking in Peru or visiting famous historical sites, it is an adventure you don’t want to miss.

Mr. Mercer traveled with a group of students to Shanhai, China.

Anna Marie Beard ‘15

Second graders perform Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Message Today “Children’s History of Memphis” Freedom Writing Essay Contest Winner Cary Robbins ’20

What

Students wait behind the scenes in costume.

Ms. Lucie Calvin

Regan hewitt ‘14

E

ach spring, the second graders at St. George’s Germantown and Memphis study a unit on the history of Memphis. “A Children’s History of Memphis” by Perre Magness inspires this unit. The students watch a slide show about famous Memphis locations and design “welcome center” posters to promote those locations.

The unit also covers the yellow fever epidemic that struck Memphis in the late 1870s, famous people from Memphis and the explosion and sinking of the Sultana in the wake of the Civil War.

The unit culminates with a musical performance held on the Germantown campus, where both the Memphis and Germantown campus students work together to put on the show.

The performance features classic songs, such as “Old Man River” and “Love Me Tender,” as well as original songs such as “The ABC’s of Memphis.”

Each child also has a speaking part during the performance in order to inform the audience about the history of Memphis.

does freedom mean? In the Oxford Dictionary, it means “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”

However, freedom can have various meanings. It could refer to physical freedom such as escaping from jail.

There is also emotional freedom. For example, telling someone how you feel about something without the feeling of being judged.

Or even intellectual freedom, like if a person had different religious beliefs or personal thoughts. Freedom means being able to do whatever your heart desires, living how you want to, or just being allowed to be yourself with others.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood in front of millions of faces, keenly waiting to hear from him, because even though he was an AfricanAmerican, he had the freedom and right to say what he wanted to say. The ability to have friends from another race has changed because Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

promoted the freedom of all people, regardless of his or her race.

As Dr. King said in his speech, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character...

One day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” I am tremendously grateful to King because one of my best friends is AfricanAmerican.

Due to Dr. King’s courage to stand up and voice his opinions on the matter of interracial relations, I can love her and have her as my close confidante.

Dr. King’s speech and devout courage allowed me to have the opportunity to choose my friends.

I can tell my friend anything and know that she will never tell a soul. She is very funny and has been

there for me from the start.

She does not go to school with me, but I still see her on the weekends and sometimes after school. She can tell me about her family for hours at a time, and I love to listen.

My favorite time with her is when she talks about her life and family. She tells me funny and scary stories about her brothers and sisters. We cannot watch movies or make movies together without laughing every five seconds.

Thank goodness that Dr. King gave his freedom speech because now I have the most amazing best friend, who happens to be African-American. My dream is that nobody will judge anyone for his or her beliefs or passions. I pray we will all be friends even in hard times, for what do we have to judge?

“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.”

12

April

•

St. George’s Independent School • Student Life

Popular demand dictates food selection

Zoe Leake ’14

T

We’re not ignoring you; we just can’t hear you.

Sarah Moon ‘15

D

o you blast your music from your ear buds loud enough? Do you play music to the point where you cannot hear the person talking right next to you? Do people sometimes ask you about the song flowing through your headphones?

If so, your ear buds are playing music louder than all doctors recommend. People at almost every age are using the popular and convenient use of headphones to permanently damage their hearing by listening to music too loudly. Doctors recommend everyone to limit the use of ear buds to an hour per day with the proper loudness.

Imagine a lawnmower. A lawnmower has a decibel at about a rate of 90 (and recall that the sound of the lawnmower is not right in your ear like you ear buds are). However, at only 95 dB, hearing damage will occur after four hours of exposure per day.

Roughly one in five teens suffers from hearing loss. The total numbers of hearing loss have jumped 33% since 1994 according to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

How does the hearing loss process work?

The ear is made up of three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. A part of the inner ear consists of very small hairs that contain cells to help send sound messages to the brain. However, loud noises in your ear will damage these hairs. As this happens, the cochlea in your inner ear cannot send sound messages to your brain.

Hearing loss and damage can be seen every day, including here at St. George’s. Junior Justin Wertner complained in Mrs. Kalyn Underwood’s Biology class after taking off his ear buds, “My ears hurt; they’re kind of ringing.”

Immediately following his comment about his ears the question became, “How loud do you listen to your music?”

So what should I do to prevent hearing loss?

• Get headphones that go over your ears, instead of in your ears.

• Lower the volume to where you can hear your surroundings, even if the level is not to your desire. Some iPods even offer a “sound lock” to determine a maximum for volume.

• If you can’t hear the person next to you, the music is too loud!

Citizenship Institute qualifications revealed Leah Hodgkiss ’15

As attendees of St. George’s Indepen-

dent School, we all know the faculty member that is Mr. Luther Mercer. Whether we know the name, the face or share an inside joke with him – all members of the St. George’s community know him. He is the elusive, incredibly well-connected, dreadlocked teacher of the elite Citizenship Institute offered to students at St. George’s during their junior year of high-school.

Each year, in the spring, a handful of sophomore students apply to be a part of the Citizenship Institute. The application is a simple one. It is composed of your name and basic information about you, as well as an estimated high-school grade average and two teacher references.

Each applicant is also asked to write an essay responding to a prompt of Mr. Mercer’s choice. This year the prompt was a quote about citizenship. These applications are read and reviewed by a panel of faculty members of the school. Each year, some students are accepted, while others are denied admission.

This always raises the questions: what makes a student shine enough in order to be accepted into the Citizenship Institute of St. George’s? Is it natural leadership abilities, an outgoing personality or simply a standard set of good grades? Mr. Mercer was questioned about the topic of admission

into the institute.

In order for a student to be a part of the Institute for Citizenship, Mr. Mercer, as well as the board of administrators who help go through the applications and decide on who receives acceptances, are looking for a variety of things within their members.

“We look for… leadership, commitment to service, the essay, strengths that cannot be categorized or that are intangible, which show the committee that this student aspires to reach the ideals of the program,” Mr. Mercer commented.

Not everyone can be accepted, as there is only a limited number of spots available within the program. Students may be rejected if “there are any things that may be questionable about a student’s commitment to the program or issues concerning the ability of the student to live up to the ideals of the program.”

However, for the rising junior class, meaning those students who applied to Citizenship recently, there is talk about expanding the Institute to hold twice as many students, which two blocks of classes as opposed to the usual.

The Citizenship Institute is one that is held to a high prestige within the curriculum at St. George’s Independent School as well as one that many students hope to be a part of year after year.

he essential element behind any business endeavor is to provide for the consumer and appeal to the consumer’s desires. The same is true for our very own lunchroom here at St. George’s Collierville campus.

Students, such as seniors Adam Lochemes and Colton Morgan, believe that the quality of our food has declined in the past few years. Many of us are recognizing that our hot lunches are more closely related to our fast food favorites than what might be recommended by our nutritionists.

The surprisingly positive response from our Green Day lunch during the Green Cup Challenge brought many to wonder why we could not have lunches similar to that more frequently. The answer is in the student responses: what the students positively respond to, the lunch ladies will order and prepare.

Students traditionally flock to the hot lunch line for hamburgers and fries, but rarely show much enthusiasm for baked chicken. Mrs. Sue said, “The menu is pretty tried and true, as to what they will buy and when they will buy it.”

As for dietary supplements such as tofu, it would be unreasonable to purchase tofu when only ten students will eat it; similar to purchasing whole-wheat bagels when most students would turn up their noses.

“I can’t buy things and throw them away,” Mrs. Sue said.

Supply and demand, that bit is easy enough to understand. But what about where our food comes from? “Our food is made under Sodexo brand,” says Mrs. Sue, “We have a list of what we can get,

from our order guy, through Sysco of Memphis.”

We are all familiar with the Sysco truck, pleasantly labeled with “Good things come from Sysco,” as it rolls into the fire lane, bringing, as the website claims, “The industry’s best available quality products, produced in prime growing regions and packed [with] exceedingly-high specifications.”

Sysco’s website also claims that they are, “actively involved in programs that support local farmers and provide them with an avenue to market their products more widely,” but fails to give examples of local farmers in our region, or in any region, to which they supply.

When it comes down to questioning the quality of the food on our plates in the dinning hall, the lunch ladies are not to blame. “We don’t have enough students or people, like a university, for us to get some [foods],” says Mrs. Sue, which explains the mysterious chicken patties.

The real quality-check question should be directed at our provider, Sysco.

“We surpass the quality check levels in schools,” says Mrs. Sue. No one can deny the tremendous time and effort our lunch ladies put into our meals everyday. The next time you sit down to a mouth-watering mystery chicken sandwich, do not question our cooks; question Sysco.

Mrs. Sue is now accepting specific requests for healthier options in the hot lunch line. Depending on whether or not the student body responds positively by purchasing that healthier option, those healthier requests may begin to appear more frequently.

Ali’s Way Club makes changes to annual 5k run Lindsey Cayce ’14

S

t. George’s is home to many different clubs and student-led organizations that have been a part of our community for many years. One of these is the Ali’s Way Club, a non-profit group dedicated to helping kids with cancer and their families.

This club is in memory of Ali Mills, a beloved friend and student who lost her battle with cancer in 2005. For the past 10 years, the Ali’s Way Club has put on the Ali’s Way 5K, a race held at St. George’s Collierville Campus, where all funds go toward the Ali’s Way Club and their efforts. However, throughout this past year leadership in the Ali’s Way Club as well as other clubs across campus have changed drastically.

“This year, with the guidance of adults, students are taking the initiative and the responsibility for getting things done,” stated senior Shelby Sims, president of the Ali’s Way Club.

Sims has appointed leadership roles to other students for specific divisions in order to spread out the work and insure that everything gets done by specific deadlines. This, in turn, allows for the planning of the race as well as the race itself to run very smoothly and alleviates a lot of unnecessary stress.

Sims said that she has “learned a lot about delegating responsibility. If you are running something, you cannot do everything by yourself, so you have to be able to trust other people to get it done. This in turn teaches you

that you have to check in and hold people responsible and make sure they are motivated to get their responsibilities done.”

There are also a lot of changes being made to the actual race this year. The race will have a new and exciting course this year and the Ali’s Way Club will also be offering a one-mile race for those who are not interested in the 3.2-mile race. As always, biking is an option as well as pushing strollers.

Runners will also get the opportunity to meet with some of the children from the Ronald McDonald House. This provides an opportunity for people to interact with and socialize with those who they are directly helping by running for and donating to Ali’s Way.

April

•

St. George’s Independent School

•

Classified information confirms suspicions about redheads

Some of St. George’s redheads strut their stuff on campus.

Juliana Wall ‘15

Juliana Wall ‘15

M

yths about gingers have circulated the world for thousands of years. The Greeks believed that they became vampires in the afterlife and the Egyptians regarded redheads as unlucky. Those tall tales have continued even today, including the common notion that red-heads exist without souls. However, these beliefs are all wrong.

In fact, gingers secretly run the world. After extensive research and dangerous undercover operations, I was able to discover the truth about the strange redheaded population. In fact,

Basement level Cont. from April Fools Page 1 Courtney said, “I was so shocked to learn about this secret lair when I was given a key to it. It is such a great way to escape from school whenever I am feeling stressed.”

There is a flat screen TV, video game system and a smoothie bar.

Courtney and the other members of this elite group are able to access all of these privileges before, during and after school.

Another interesting fact about this floor is that there are many underground tunnels that lead to different areas of the school. Some of these tunnels can take students to the Agape Chapel, gym, pool, practice areas, the fields and certain parts of the woods.

These tunnels allows quick and easy ways to travel to different points around the Collierville Campus.

Another cool aspect of the basement, although generally not useful to seniors, is a daycare for the faculty’s children. For example, the McClains and the Smothers are able to drop off their adorable babies to the daycare before school and then pick them up after school without interruption.

Some consider the fact that only a few members of St. George’s are aware of the secret basement level an outrage. Although the story needed to be reported, I fear that now the secret is out, there will be a riot at St. George’s. Personally, I feel that more students should have knowledge and access to this amazing underground lair.

the most shocking discovery was that their freckles give them superpowers.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, it’s ridiculous right? I thought the same. That is, until I discovered a top-secret office in the school that contained files on all of the red-heads at St. George’s.

Unfortunately, I was only able to see some of the files before I heard Mrs. Jill Reilly’s unmistakable voice from down the hall. However, here is the truth, exposed and unnerving. The names listed below are the gingers in the high school, accompanied by their super powers. You are forewarned.

Senior Davis Selburg: Telekinesis Senior Anna Alford: Can absorb other gingers’ powers Senior Scott Mullahey: Can imitate voices Junior Caroline Cannon: Teleportation Junior Alex East: Invisibility Junior Jay Luckett: Can control air and water Junior Jake Epperson: Can use extreme sunburns to get free sunscreen from sympathetic people Junior Joel Porter: Can learn the entire history of an object by touching it Freshman Megan Umanksi: Power to draw people to YouTube and make them watch videos incessantly Freshman Caroline Farrell: Can control time Freshman Anne Garland Kelsey: Super strength Dr. Margaret Robertson: Able to control what people write So now you know. This is the truth about gingers. They are not like us. They have powers like we’ve never imagined, and they have deceived us all. They are the ones who are behind everything.

I suppose that we owe them so much, because if it weren’t for them, the world might be in utter chaos. These are just a handful of the redheads in the world, but I can assure you that once this information is leaked, our world as we know it will change forever.

Eating well with Caroline Cont. from April Fools Page 1 Since you enjoy treating yourself, you have packed a party pack of York peppermint patties in your backpack. Ever so carefully, you inhale all 42 of the surprising mint and dark chocolate fusion throughout the class period leading up to lunch.

You frantically grab all of those shiny wrappers of love and scurry off to the dining hall.

The hall of dining is a place of love, happiness, sartorial splendor, and of course, food! Today, you decide to not get a tray in order to test your balancing abilities because your lifestyle choices are not only food-related.

You go through the line and decide to get an entire bowl of mac and cheese.

After spending about half of the lunch period contemplating on what chips to get, you finally just grab two bags of Chex Mix. The last items on your list are three packs of Gushers, two chocolate chip cookies, and one of those bubbly drinks with more sugar than anyone ever needed to consume.

After school but before you get home, you generally stop at Sonic and order one of everything, except for the peanut butter and bacon shake. You consume all of this within the hour.

When you get home, your mom has three freshly popped bags of popcorn sitting in your room, due to your lack of food throughout the day. Soon enough it is time for dinner. The New York strip steak just did not fill you up all the way, so you also whip out some cheesy mashed potatoes, four cheese filled bread rolls, and an extra garlic sirloin.

After a long day of fasting, you decide it is time to head to bed, but first a small snack. You grab the new doublestuffed Oreo pack and eat all three rows after dipping them in milk. You head upstairs to brush your teeth with the delicious bacon-flavored toothpaste before your eight-hour slumber.

This is how to keep yourself in utmost condition.

New steps for parking Cont. from April Fools Page 1 “I’m really scared of my car getting towed into the lake,” said Senior Caitlin Johnson. “I’m not a very good swimmer so I don’t think I could get it back.”

Many students along with Johnson worry about getting their vehicles out of the lake once they are submerged below the surface.

An anonymous student recalls walking to the parking lot where he had previous-

ly parked his car only to find it missing.

“I was very perplexed as to how my car disappeared in the middle of the day,” he said.

Apparently, the student’s car had been parked in the courtyard, which was deemed inappropriate by Mrs. Reilly. The car was immediately towed into the lake where it will remain for the rest of eternity.

Fools

3

Little-known facts about SGIS teachers Leah Hodgkiss ‘15 1. Ms. Amy Beatty is a parttime teacher because she is a lion-tamer in a traveling circus.

2. Ms. Kelly Majuri likes to spend all of her free time on the couch watching sitcoms.

3.Ms. Leah Allison has the ability to quickly flip through entire books in under five seconds, memorizing every word she sees for even the slightest portion of a second.

4.Mr. Wilson Taylor is an avid tye-dyer.

5.Mr. Tom Morris is actually a hologram being operated from his home in Bovina, New York.

6.Ms. Lisa Ayerst skydives every other weekend.

7.Mr. Zack Adcock puts on his wolverine costume every night and fights crime until dawn.

8.Ms. Jamie James is a timetraveler, born in the 13th century, which is why she is such a good historian.

9. Dr. Marianne Leung has a clone living in Sweden.

10. Mr. Jefferson Brant does hot yoga every Wednesday, twice a day.

11. Mr. Kyle Slatery was actually the man who tightroped walked across the Grand Canyon.

12. Mrs. Bina Young is an undercover agent for the FBI. 13. Most people are made up of 70% water – however, Ms. Traci Erlandson is made up of 70% diet Dr. Pepper!

14. Mr. Pat McGraw has an immense dislike for puns.

15. Dr. Margaret Robertson will be going to the Olympics for water polo in 2016.

April

•

St. George’s Independent School

•

Fools

4

2

4

1

5

6

7

3

9

12

8

10

11

1. Mr. Bill Taylor 2. Mr. Kyle Slattery 3. Ms. Kalyn Underwood 4. Ms. Genevieve Hoppe 5. Mr. Smith Ferguson 6. Ms. Beverly Brooks 7. Mr. Will Bladt 8. Mr. Tom Morris 9. Mr. Bill McClain and Mrs. Emmy McClain 10. Ms. Rhonda Charnes Martin 11. Dr. Marianne Leung 12. Mrs. Heidi Rubin de la Borbolla