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Van Steenberg
Ask a Teacher
What can we learn from the social studies department?
By Kirklyn Moore
Students are used to learning from teachers in class, but from more years of experience, teachers also hold much wider knowledge and wisdom about life. Most social studies department teachers wear a lot of hats. They teach many classes and see much of the St. George’s student body.
I did not interview the entire department. Some were too focused on their classes, and for the sake of brevity, I chose to focus on a few members. However, it opens an opportunity for you as a reader to ask the questions and have the conversations that reveal teachers’ advice to you.
Included are four teachers’ insights: Social Studies Department Chair Ms. Traci Erlandson, Mr. Jason Hills and Mr. Seth Johnson, who teach a variety of upper school social studies classes, and Ms. Mary Huddleston, who teaches geography and modern world history.
With their knowledge of history and life experiences, the social studies department has much wisdom that can enrich students’ lives. Here is some of the social studies department’s life advice to students.
The first question was: What should high schoolers know more about?
Ms. Huddleston feels that high schoolers should seek education in what doesn’t show up in school classes and learn skills that will show up in day-to-day adult life.
“High school students should know more about home skills, like financial literacy . . . and how to
maintain a good credit score,” she said.
Mr. Hills and Ms. Erlandson agree that students should become more aware of what is outside their bubbles, even when it’s difficult or overwhelming or out of their comfort zone.
“Especially when you’re a teenager, it’s hard to look beyond your own personal world, to look at their community when they see things that get them down,” Ms. Erlandson said.
In citizenship, Mr. Hills teaches concentric circles of empathy.
“We don’t take the time to branch out and see what else is outside of our city, what else is outside of our country. . . It’s impossible to tackle all of it. So I think students get discouraged from even trying . . . but not starting at all is a bad option,” Mr. Hills said.
Learning about news and events outside of your city and country leads to an understanding and appreciation of different cultures and countries.
“Teaching yourself how to fish almost in terms of getting to know what’s happening and understanding ‘How do I talk to people from other cultures that aren’t like me?’... Yes, it’s altruistic, but it benefits you when you develop those connections,” Mr. Hills said.
He also believes that being in touch with the world allows you to predict things to set yourself up for success.
“The more you open up to look at the world, the more likely you are to be able to become a weather person, which means that you can
forecast things that are coming,” Mr. Hills said.
Even as you understand the benefits, taking the time to keep up with current events and becoming in touch with the world outside of our bubble can be menacing because of the difficult news that is always a part of the news cycle.
However, according to Ms. Erlandson, the actions of one person can launch “the ripple effect [which] can end up impacting so many people.”
That idea can be comforting when facing negativity in the
that are here and if you just blow through [school], like ‘Oh, this thing I have to go to,’ you’re missing out on so much great stuff that is actually worth learning,” Mr. Johnson said.
Likewise, Ms. Erlandson believes that students here should make use of the resources St. George’s provides.
“Actually look at the next four years of high school and start considering what [you] might want to do in college as a career… because I didn’t have the same
“Fitting in doesn’t matter as much as worrying about you and your future.”
- Ms. Mary Huddleston
news. as you can have an impact that you aren’t even aware of in spreading positivity or awareness.
To the freshmen out there, the social studies department has advice especially for you.
Mr. Johnson thought back to his time as a freshman where he focused on growing his pool and ping pong skills over a strong prioritization of school work.
“Short-term gratification is not the way,” he said.
Mr. Johnson believes that this is even more pertinent for St. George’s students.
“[At St. George’s,] there’s elite teaching and facilities and peers
kind of guidance that students get here from our college guidance,” she explained.
She did clarify that this planning for the future doesn’t advocate for a lack of being in the present.
“Don’t wish it away too fast, but also look ahead and plan better,” Ms. Erlandson said.
Ms. Huddleston’s advice is for freshmen to ask themselves the question, “what would you want to look back on after high school: all the people you tried to make happy by conforming or pride in yourself?”
“Fitting in doesn’t matter as
much as worrying about you and your future,” Ms. Huddleston added.
She also highlights advice pertaining beyond just the 9th grade experience.
“The biggest thing that I learned coming out of high school is that grades matter a lot more than you think, earlier on than you think,” Ms. Huddleston said.
Ignoring your grades until your senior year is not a good option.
Thinking more socially, Mr. Hills’ advice to his high school self is rather simple.
“Trust your gut because your gut is almost always right, especially when it comes to developing relationships with other people. Both friendships and otherwise,” Mr. Hills said.
These teachers have been around the block a lot more than students, and their shared wisdom may end up applying to freshmen as it would have for them.
Wisdom that two teachers each wanted to share was finding the difference between your resume and eulogy self.
While talking about the human core or most inward and elemental part of a person, Mr. Johnson names that eulogies are not equivalent to resumes.
“They describe the person’s care, wisdom, truthfulness and courage. They describe the million little moral judgements that emanate from that inner region,” Mr. Johnson said.
Mr. Hills also teaches these ideas to his students.
“The resume self is the ‘go out there and conquer the world and climb the ladder and get as far as you can,’ and then the eulogy self is ‘how do you want to be remembered after you die?’” Mr.
Hills said.
So what do these definitions mean to high schoolers?
“The pressure’s on young kids is to build their resume self…Try to make your decisions with both of those things in mind at the same time,” said Mr. Hills.
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Hills urge students to not lose sight of their eulogy self as they pursue building an excellent academic record.
Similarly, we should not forget our social lives. Human nature is to desire connection.
“Whenever you can pursue human interaction… that’s where
you… sometimes they’ll be educated about what they’re talking about, sometimes they won’t be, but… still maintain the respect, maintain the open dialogue because you’re limiting yourself if you don’t,” Ms. Erlandson said.
To seniors and juniors: What is their advice for choosing a career? There’s a common opinion between many of them.
“Now more than ever, there’s a really big emphasis on just making money… and while that’s great… your future career is what you are going to be doing for the rest of your life every single day. Don’t
“It’s not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”
- Mr. Seth Johnson
if we believe that at least what I believe we are all made in the image of God, that’s pretty epic. There’s some amazing things to discover about just people around you,” Mr. Johnson said.
When you’re able to reach out to people you don’t already know, it lets you discover even more.
“Don’t be afraid to expand and look at trying to learn about people that you don’t normally hang out with and mix and mingle a bit. I don’t stay within your own social bubble. Expand, look at meeting and greeting different people,” Ms. Erlandson said.
With differences comes disagreements, and she asks students to lean into that.
“Understand that people are going to have different opinions than
Mr. Johnson wished to share what he continues to learn in all phases of his life.
“The two virtues that constantly stick out [are] things that I’ve found that I need to pursue more and more, which I talk about in class all the time, humility and gratitude,” Mr. Johnson said.
What does he mean by this? His answer is very tied to his faith in Christianity.
“[It’s] humility that comes with appreciating grace… I am weak, I’m messed up. I need someone to actually come in and be my champion here, [to] satisfy cosmic karma’s perfect justice,” Mr. Johnson said.
Humility is not to be confused with self hatred, according to Mr. Johnson’s definition.
“It’s not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less,” he said.
do something that’s going to make you miserable,” said Ms. Huddleston.
Ms. Erlandson agreed.
“Maybe you pick a job that doesn’t pay as much as the one you’re doing, but you get more joy out of it. You get more fulfillment, or you get the benefit of feeling like you’re actually giving back in some way,” she said.
She also clarified that that feeling fulfilled doesn’t mean being a policeman or nurse but following something that sparks your interests. Mr. Hills agrees, urging students to do what they feel they must do, not simply choosing with income in mind.
“I also know people that have pursued careers that have made them miserable, and they did make lots of money in it. They can go on vacations, they can have comfort, they can drive a Mercedes, but they don’t really like what they’re doing,” Mr. Hills said.
Furthermore, Mr. Johnson and Ms. Huddleston had additional advice that they’ve learned from their high school and adult experiences that would pertain to the St. George’s student body.
In this context, you’re putting others before yourself rather than criticizing yourself constantly. Mr. Johnson also says that this humility and accepting that you’re not that great can be liberating.
“I can live in this. I have to justify myself through my achievements, but what if you fail? And I fail plenty and I know I’m going to keep doing it versus I’m just going to do my best,” Mr. Johnson said.
Mr. Johnson believes it’s all about mindset. If you believe your existence is only justified by your achievements, you’ll burn out in the long run. If you believe your purpose isn’t connected to your worldly achievements, a pressure is lifted off your shoulders.
With all these things in mind, high schoolers have a lot to think about. They must know that they will make mistakes, and that’s okay.
The last piece of advice to high schoolers is from Ms. Huddleston to stop thinking catastrophically while you’re in high school as most people do.
“I’m not saying go be stupid, I’m saying things you think are the end of the world aren’t, so don’t stress yourself too much when you’re in these years,” she said.
With Open Arms Understanding St. George’s Episcopal Identity
By
Faith and identity are a complicated intersection, particularly when looking at an institution. There are generally two choices: having a rigid, set ideology at the expense of a more vibrant community or a flexible, welcoming one without an easily quantifiable set of beliefs.
While St. George’s officially associates with the Episcopal church, the minutiae of the school’s beliefs are intentionally vague. The section about Episcopal identity on the school website reads, in part, “...every person is a child of God, endowed with gifts that should be nurtured, affirmed, and shared, and…loving thy neighbor entails seeking your neighbor in everyone.”
That statement is distinct — nowhere in the chapel talks or admissions pitches given on Halle Campus will any overt attempts at preaching be made. Instead, students are encouraged more to explore their morality and love for one another. There’s usually a verse from the Bible, but the sermons never revolve solely around Christianity.
To some, this is perfect. To others, it poses a question: what does it mean to be in an Episcopal community?
The answer isn’t always clear.
St. George’s was originally founded in the 1950s as St. George’s Day School, an extension of an Episcopal church with the
same name. Over time, as the school expanded, it began to take over more and more rooms on the church grounds—what would eventually become the Germantown Campus—until parishioners decided to move the church downtown and fully separate from the school in 2008.
At that point, the community was adrift. It formally changed its name to St. George’s Independent School and, while it was still a Christian institution; though the official affiliation with the Episcopal church lapsed for a decade, St. George’s continued practicing Episcopal traditions and embracing the denomination.
With the partnership of Phoebe A. Roaf, Episcopal Bishop of West Tennessee, the school officially reassociated with the capital-c Church in 2018, although it is not a part of an individual parish.
As an institution that does not officially have a church under whose auspices it operates, St. George’s has more freedom to forge its identity. The administration has set its own values, namely inclusivity and tolerance — oftentimes, chapel services include lessons about Ramadan, Diwali and Rosh Hashana. While faith is a centerpiece of school culture, it is very much not one-size-fits-all. Within its support of multiple faith traditions and denominations, one student organization stands out among the crowd due to overwhelming support from
By Molly
many St. George’s students and faculty members.
YoungLife is a broadly evangelical ministry group whose presence at St. George’s has grown over the years. While not formally affiliated with the school, the branch is titled St. George’s YoungLife, proudly sporting the school’s name and logo.
For a time, YoungLife leaders visited the Collierville campus each Monday. These visits ended in 2025 with the implementation of a new security initiative, but before then, YoungLife leaders were the only active outside religious presence in the community.
Just because they can’t come during school hours doesn’t mean the leaders don’t have the opportunity to share their message — meetings are held every Monday at a revolving cast of students’ houses and include music, games and a brief Bible study. Lunches off of school campus are also in the works.
On Monday nights, when people meet at exactly 7:37 PM, the room is always crowded.
“It’s just a bunch of people going to someone’s house and… hanging out, and [people might] assume that we’re just doing only Bible related stuff there. But we’re actually [there] with a community…hanging out [and] doing a little lesson at the end,” Prefect of Chapel Luke Grant explained. He has attended meetings all throughout high school and is a WyldLife
— middle school YoungLife — leader.
Although the beliefs of the organization on many matters including diversity of religion, sexual orientation and human identity — self expression — differ drastically from those the school holds close, many in the St. George’s community proudly endorse it.
According to a 2021 statement made by YoungLife via its website holds that “every kid is made int he image of God and deserves to be loved, respected and dignified,” but also names the following: “YoungLife expects that those seeking leadership positions support YoungLife’s beliefs, tenets, and policies on a wide range of theological issues. One of those issues is human sexuality, and Young Life is confident — with continued study, prayer and reflection — that our theology is faithful to God’s vision for this important aspect of the human experience.”
Mr. Luke Pruett, who has been a leader since 2003 for Memphis YoungLife and praised the organization at a Collierville YoungLife fundraiser last October, said, “[I will] never be apologetic about… my history and background with… [the] organization and affiliation with it.”
However, as headmaster of St. George’s, he plans to keep his endorsement separate and claims that his involvement with YoungLife is in no way indicative of his own personal beliefs.
Molly Gorham and Livi Van Steenberg
“Our identity of accepting students of every background is unwavering in every way…I can’t state more that the reason [my family] is at St. George’s is because of the diversity of belief background ... it’s crucial to me,” Mr. Pruett said.
Although St. George’s YoungLife Mondays are open to all high school students, there is a strict set of rules when it comes to who can represent the organization. People who are caught drinking, smoking, having sex outside of marriage and/or pursuing a homosexual relationship are not permitted to take any formal leadership roles. This discriminatory practice, par-
ticularly considering sexuality, runs counter to St. George’s mission of inclusivity.
Why is it, then, that a group that has such views has such a large purchase in the community?
The answer to this question is hard to find, but it’s rooted, ironically, in the Episcopal ideal of tolerance. In Episcopal spaces, people are allowed to disseminate ideas and practice their faith openly, even if some parts of it may be hard for others to swallow. In short, in the Episcopal tradition, everyone does not have to agree, and that is what Episcopal schools aim to highlight.
An Episcopal community leaves room for these kinds of disagreements. For example, St. George’s does not affiliate in any formal way with Temple Israel or Judaism as a faith, yet Senior Rabbi Micah D. Greenstein and Associate Rabbi Ross Z. Levy regularly give talks to both middle and upper school students.
The inclusion of different faith leaders is only part of what the community strives to build: tolerance, especially in the face of ignorance.
This is especially important because St. George’s has had multiple instances of bigotry; specifically, in recent history, there have been two formally addressed swastikas found on campus.
While not punishable by law, the display of swastikas for any reasons other than educational
ones is considered almost universally to be a form of hate speech. Regardless of what is legally permissible, St. George’s considers itself a zero-tolerance zone for bullying or any other forms of hate. Where, then, is the line drawn for discrimination? Hate speech and organizations dedicated to it are decried, but YoungLife’s systemic prejudice against LGBT+ students while providing St. George’s-adjacent merchandise has been quietly swept under the rug. It can be difficult to square the circle when it comes to what the school should, or even has the power to, control. Religious organizations, Christian or not, are not necessarily within its purview,
further complicating the issue. By having an active presence on campus, is YoungLife undermining the administration or its values? Do Episcopalians have the right, based on their ideals, not to tolerate it?
Grant, even as the nominal student head of chapel, wrestles with St. George’s identity.
“I feel like our school is decent in the sense that we have Episcopal identity, but I feel it could be stronger ... we have a bunch of people that aren’t followers. So it does kind of make me question if we are really a face of God.
But ... a majority of our students are faith-based and strong within [their faith],” Grant said.
Others, however, embrace this institutional identity.
“Every human being has the same value [and] worthiness and gets to live their life out in a way that they choose, but they’re still welcome under that Episcopal umbrella,” Ms. Leanne Ricketson, Assistant Campus Director, explained.
By taking part in such a community, people are able to express their individuality and stay connected to their roots.
“Episcopal schools attract families of different faiths differently than other schools … because ... an Episcopal school will honor their child’s faith journey and allow their child to continue on that ... journey without any interference,” Ms. Ricketson said.
For her, being Episcopal is
crucial to the mission and identity of St. George’s.
Despite the history of a rocky relationship with the Church, St. George’s is unique as the only Episcopal school in Memphis with two clergy members on staff. Mrs. Jessica Abell serves as the Director of Spiritual Life and Head Chaplain, primarily stationed at the Germantown Campus, as well as Deacon at Grace St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Midtown. Serving as chaplain at the Memphis Campus, Reverend Hester Mathes is also the Priest in Charge at Holy Trinity, which shares the campus, and Archdeacon of the Diocese of West Tennessee.
According to Mrs. Abell, being
Episcopal means, “everyone is a child of God…and loving God means you see your neighbor in everyone, but also that everyone has a seat at the table.”
And when she says everyone, she truly means everyone.
“That doesn’t mean that you’re always going to agree with everyone’s voice that’s at the table, but that everyone does have a seat at the table because you want to be open and welcoming and loving and caring and respectful of thoughts and ideas,” she continued.
“If you ask the majority of people in Episcopal schools right now, what does it mean to be an Episcopal school? You would hear, oh, diversity inclusion, we’re the open-minded church. And that is a piece of it…but that’s kind of the popular soundbite right now,” Rev. Mathes said.
Although the Episcopal church does embody those ideas, it’s much more complex than that.
“What that comes from is actually something much deeper, which is that we have what we call the three-legged stool ... scripture, tradition, and reason,” Rev. Mathes continued.
“We take ... scripture and reason with that scripture to figure out how to fit it into our cultural context…and then we also take our tradition and [use it to] help inform how we respond ... they’re supposed to be all in balance,” Rev. Mathes added.
Checks and balances keep the
Episcopal Church from crumbling, which can happen without each aspect of it receiving proper care. The purpose of this is, “to make sure that you are having a well-rounded and rooted reflection on how to react in a changing world,” Rev. Mathes said.
Another important part of being Episcopal is embracing peers who practice different religions. Although the Episcopal Church is confident in its beliefs, the church is constantly in communication with other traditions.
“We also want to keep listening to our Jewish and our Hindu and our Protestant and our Catholic and all of our brothers and sisters who are looking to God because
we don’t think we have all the answers [and] we’re constantly searching,” Rev. Mathes said.
“Whenever I’m wondering about the Episcopal Church, I go back to our baptismal vows and in one of the baptismal vows it says, to seek and serve Christ in all persons, and to me that means we’re not bringing God to the world, that God is already at work in the world and we’re listening to see how we can join in,” Mrs. Abell said.
In doing so, Episcopalians are respectful of other people’s faith journeys.
“As children of God, we’re not just serving other children of God, we’re seeking God in them, and that to me is a very big piece of what it means to be an evangelist without judgment.” Rev. Mathes added.
“Hopefully we’re sending out humans into the world from a school that are able to do that in life. It’ll make the world a better place if you can [say], ‘Hey, I actually don’t agree with you, but I love you so maybe tell me why you’re coming at it like this,’” Mrs. Abell continued.
Ultimately, being Episcopal means loving without boundaries, finding God in all people and respecting others through disagreements.
The faith is full of love and acceptance, and holds valuable lessons for everyone, even for those who don’t practice it.
Logged On The impact of social media and phone usage
By Mason Merkle Photography/Illustration by Ella Coons
Social media has taken many forms over the almost 30 years of its existence. Media empires have risen and fallen, and like all things, it has evolved greatly. But significant issues revolving around social media have been prevalent and continue to grow as more and more people use these sites.
According to statistics provided by the University of Maine, over 4.5 billion people across the globe have access to social media as of April 2023, with the average person using it for more than two hours per day.
According to a survey sent out to all middle and upper school students at St. George’s, 98 of the 127 respondents answered saying that they had social media. This number of affirmative respondents accounts for roughly twenty five percent of the student population at the Collierville campus.
Wilson Young, the social vice president of the St. George’s student body, gave her thoughts on the prominence of social media.
“You can argue that it plays the biggest role in modern day society, just because of the way that it’s grown and it’s influenced, especially in the workforce[...] but also just in people’s everyday lives. It’s a super prominent thing to either just scroll for entertainment or [share] posts like that too,” she said.
One of the biggest problems social media has presented is its harmful effects on younger audiences, yet little is being done to stop it. According to the Atlantic Health System, a non-profit healthcare network in the US, one in five kids below the age of 13 have accessed social media in the
United States alone.
In the aforementioned survey of middle and upper school students at St. George’s, more than 40 of the 98 responses who claimed to have social media also claimed to have accessed it before the age of 13, with responses that claim they got social media as young as six years old.
According to studies conducted by Yale Medicine in June of 2024, teens and pre-teens with social media suffer higher levels of depression, anxiety, low self esteem and insomnia compared to those without. Additionally, the lower the age of access, the higher the chances are of permanent addiction and long lasting real world changes to behavior and mood.
Earlier this semester, St. George’s began a partnership with with Yondr, a company producing magnetic phone pouches intended to limit screen time by limiting access to devices throughout the school day. Allmiddle school students who bring a phone to campus are required to lock their phones in their Yondr pouch, which they keep on their person, for the entirety of the school day.
Ms. Leanne Ricketson, Assistant Campus Director, hopes that the new pouches will help abate the rising issue of student distraction.
“Our primary target was to protect the middle school kids, both from their own poor choice making and from each other when they’re in this time period of being very impulsive and also learning how to empathize with each other and respect each other,” Ms. Ricketson said.
While the Yondr pouch require-
ment is currently limited to the middle school only, there is the possibility of it growing to influence upper schoolers as well.
“My hope is for it to grow with us. So I would like the eighth graders to take it into ninth and then ultimately into 10th. And then I do think there’s a point at which upper school students should have more freedom and learn to kind of be more in control of their own use,” Ms. Ricketson said.
Another initiative piloted this year was the “No Phone November” challenge, which was rolled out to upper school students for the month of November 2024. This was announced by Collierville Campus Director Emmy McClain on Thursday, October 31, and challenged students to “use their phones only in the Phone Zones,” the upper school dens, and only for the purposes of a stop-and-check, as opposed to a longer phone session.
The reception to No Phone November was mixed, but many did notice positive results relating to how often they used their phones.
“I also think it did help because I think people were more mindful of it that month, which helps
a larger group of friends.
Senior Lily Beagle, who got Instagram at a young age, agrees that peer pressure can be a factor but doesn’t think it’s necessarily all bad.
“It’s not necessarily like negative peer pressure, but it was just being in elementary school. That’s… when people around me started getting social media, and that really influenced me. I feel like it’s pretty common with people to go with the flow and do what everyone else is doing,” she said.
One of the biggest issues presented by phones at school is their tendency to distract students from their class.
For several years now, St. George’s has used a system of phone “parking lots” positioned at the entrance of each class. Teachers may order students to put their phones in said lots for the duration of class to separate them and ensure students continue to pay attention.
English teacher Ms. Marilee Malott commented on her experience with phone parking lots.
“I find that having students remove them from their person, get them away from them, does tend to give students more focus
them long-term. But I think maybe there’s a way that we could do an optional, lock your phone up, get house points or more things that are a little bit more positive reinforcement” Young said.
22 of the responses to the survey listed peer pressure or the desire to fit in with friends as contributing factors to acquiring social media, desiring to fit in with
and less distraction,” she said.
Wilson Young also commented about the tendency of students to get distracted.
“In terms of even just walking through the hallway, I think our social interaction has gone down a ton just because people won’t even look up to say ‘hey’, and they’re very busy and it can lead to people running into each other, miscom-
munications and things like that,” she said.
According to a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine in 2023, peer pressure was a major contributing factor to children struggling with social media addiction.
One of the biggest reasons social media is so popular to users is the ease of communication it offers. More than 23 billion text messages are sent every day, which equals roughly 270,000 messages every single second according to Intradyn, an internet archiving platform.
This has led to a meteoric rise of communication globally. It has never been easier nor more convenient to communicate with literally anyone, anywhere, provided they have internet access.
“I think social media gives people a way to visually communicate aspects of their lives people may not otherwise see and, if used thoughtfully, can be an incredible
way to connect people from all places,” Young said.
However, texting and other forms of social media interaction has contributed greatly to miscommunication and misunderstanding. According to psychological research by Penn State in 2022, texting presents an inherent danger in communication. Without cues such as tone of voice and body language, it is much harder for people to understand the true meaning behind a message.
Ms. Malott, who is also one of the sponsors of the Honor Council, believes phones can serve as a source of temptation.
“I would say certainly it can be a temptation to look up an answer on a phone or that kind of thing. Also, it can be tempting to ask a classmate who’s had the course earlier in the day or the day before because of the rotating schedule. Phones can facilitate bad choices if they’re misused,” Ms. Malott said.
Story by Marlon Yates
What does St. George’s look like to you? Do you feel that you are represented by the school you attend?
The impact St. George’s has on people expands past the current Pre-K through 12th grade students, past the parents of those students, and reaches out into the greater Memphis community. So what is the St. George’s image, and what steps are being taken for marketing St. George’s?
“We are an Episcopal school who loves God and loves all people,” Chief Marketing Officer Mr. Taylor Cao said.
Mr. Cao points out how important it is to have both of these facts be true to truly represent what St. George’s is about. He sees the St. George’s image as an Episcopal school that is rooted in tradition, but also presents students the opportunity to grow in various ways.
“It is an incredible place for young people to find themselves,” Head of School Mr. Luke Pruett said.
Mr. Pruett has taken multiple big steps forward during his time leading St. George’s when it comes to bringing light to students who excel in academics, athletic, artistic and in outdoor settings, dubbing these four facets of Gryphon culture as “Pillars of Excellence.”
Pruett prioritizes creating a space where students feel their achievements and successes are valued through acts that maintain the St. George’s image, including leaning in to the school’s Episcopal identity and holding up the ideas of the honor code.
The past school year and a half, St. George’s families have been met with a revamped version of St. George’s social media. Leading the St. George’s social media initiative is Mr. Cao, who views social media as a way to engage
Marketing a Future
What image does St. George’s try to portray?
with our community, define our identity and expand outwards to the greater Memphis community.
“St. George’s image is a welcoming place, a loving place, a [school] that nurtures every student and meets them where they’re at,” Mr. Cao said.
It has become clear over the past year that St. George’s is focused on its students and promoting what students Pre-K through 12th grade are involved in.
“Our current social media promotes kids as the center of what we’re doing,” Director of Advancement Mr. Kyle Slatery said.
Mr. Slatery mentioned how St. George’s social media takes the approach of putting full effort to promote the students and maintain the student-centered focus. Rather than fully promoting the faculty or facilities, St. George’s prioritizes putting the students interacting with one another as the focus of our school.
Over the past few years, St. George’s has put social media marketing as a top priority and over the past year, data shows that their efforts are working well. Compared to other schools in the area, St. George’s Instagram accounts lead the way in engagement scores according to data on Metricool, a social media management tool that helps users analyze, manage and measure their social media activity.
“We are becoming and striving to become the market leader in marketing and storytelling because our kids and our school deserve it,” Mr. Pruett said.
When strategizing how to use the St. George’s social media platforms, Mr. Cao has multiple points and goals he focuses on to promote St. George’s in the best light possible.
“It’s a tool to highlight our students and their success, and
the faculty and their success,” Mr. Cao stated about the goals of St. George’s social media.
Highlighting the successes of the St. George’s student body is what drives Mr. Cao when he decides what content is being published, but he credits the success of our growing community to all of the leaders on our campuses.
“[Student Body President] Molly Gorham has done a phenomenal job as student body president and getting people engaged in not just athletic, choir and fine arts events, [but] all the other events we have on the campus,” he said.
While St. George’s thrives on the ability of student leaders to bring energy and excitement to our school, it also takes innovative school leadership to bring the community together.
“Mr. Pruett and Mr. Gibson, [as well as] all the other leaders as well, have done a really good job of galvanizing our community and highlighting as many different people across our campuses,” added.
Mr. Pruett’s leadership is very future-focused, consistenly emphasizing the concept of the perpetual “best year ever.” He wants to maintain an image of always growing and developing.
Mr. Slatery agrees, adding to the focus of always growing. He believes that for St. George’s to be its best self, it must not be complacent with its current form.
“We’re at our best when we’re demonstrating and actually building and making progress for St. George’s,” Mr. Slatery said.
Additionally, Mr. Slatery, Mr. Cao and Mr. Pruett all expressed openness to new visions and ideas that come from the community, and they all want to make decisions that are in the best interest of St. George’s to grow.
“St. George’s is a place where everybody has ideas for what they want St. George’s to be, and
I hope it’s always that way,” Mr. Pruett said.
Ideas that have been turned into reality are the Loaded For Bear redesigns that have been put in place over the last year. The St. George’s “Set Your Course” branding is the work of Michael Carpenter, founder and creative director of Loaded For Bear, a local creative agency.
Carpenter is a parent at St. George’s and being able to help design the future of the school not only from a business perspective but also a family perspective builds his excitement for the upcoming years at St. George’s.
On multiple occasions within the past two years, St. George’s has collaborated with Loaded For Bear to help create the best designs.
“It started with an initiative to build a foundation [of] the graphic identity and the key messaging,” Carpenter said.
Tidying up the logo and the color palette for St. George’s was one of the first tasks Carpenter focused on.
As the 2023-2024 year progressed, the Loaded For Bear team worked on constructing a promotional video that aimed to capture the St. George’s experience. This commercial, which first aired during the 2024 Summer Olympics, served to take on the task of promoting the current state of St. George’s while also looking into the future.
The Olympics ad served to put St. George’s on the map of a wider audience in an effort for St. Georges to be louder about itself. Ultimately, telling the story of what is happening at St. George’s is the focus of marketing at St. George’s.
“We’re just trying to be louder about the story, people know St. George’s [but] I don’t think they always know about all the opportunities here,” Mr. Pruett said.
In addition to Loaded for Bear’s work in telling the St. George’s story, Mr. Cao and Mr. Pruett continue to take on the task of consistently promoting the present and the future with their social media efforts.
“The hope is that we are telling the St. George’s story, but also we’re telling [that] this is what we’re trying to grow into,” Mr. Pruett said.
Having these leaders on campuses helps build a positive image and morale across the St. George’s community, but there are still goals that have yet to be reached.
“We have to have an outlook of what we want to be, [and] we can be better at a lot of different areas,” Mr. Cao said.
One of the areas where St. George’s is looking to improve is with the school uniform.
Despite students’ varying opinions on the recently implemented uniform, over the next year the look of our uniform will be taking a shift.
With Dennis Uniform going under, St. George’s has made the decision to bring the spirit shop and uniform into one complete package, with new designs for shirts, hoodies, hats and other Gryphon-branded merchandise.
Bringing the spirit shop and uniform into one combined effort is the direction St. George’s is headed with Loaded For Bear and clothing supplier Lands’ End.
Loaded For Bear will continue to be involved with the marketing and media production processes for St. George’s as the school moves forward into the new school years.
Carpenter is excited to continue to work on projects that grow St. George’s, like the Spirit Shop and redesigned baseball facilities, in addition to future projects that set up St. George’s for a bright future: a future that is constantly changing. but which keeps student-centeredness and innovative growth forward at the center of the St. George’s story being told via the school’s marketing and social media presence.
“[Mr. Pruett], in terms of a visionary and leader, [is] somebody that can really rally everyone together under a common goal and vision,” Carpenter said.
The secrets of political polarization Political Ideologies
Story by Sydney Murray
In a time when America feels more divided than ever, political ideologies play a crucial role in shaping the nation’s attitude, especially among the youth.
The recent presidential election highlighted the deep divide in American politics, making it more apparent than ever how fractured the country has become. Families split over opposing political views, friendships were tested and in some cases ties were cut.
In a world dominated by social media and an endless stream of biased news platforms, it can be difficult to remain calm and respectful in political discussions. The question is, how can the youth stay informed and engage civilly when political ideologies seem to pull society apart?
Senior Stephen Moutoux, a civically involved student at St. George’s, believes that it’s important to be educated about political current events.
“It’s important to know what’s going on and to understand how is this going to affect my life,” Moutoux said.
With the overwhelming flow of information from biased news sources and social media platforms, it can be challenging to know where to turn. This challenge of staying informed is one many students face.
Many young people, including students at St. George’s, have expressed frustration with how political discourse is presented in the media. Outlets like AP News, Ground News and The Dispatch provide information without leaning towards any particular ideological agenda. As Moutoux notes, finding these unbiased sources takes effort, especially when the media landscape is so vast.
St. George’s faculty members share similar concerns about the increasing polarization in the
Mr. Seth Johnson, a history teacher, has been politically engaged for years and believes that involvement is imperative.
“It’s important to stay actively involved and informed,” he said.
He believes that political engagement isn’t about aligning with a specific party or ideology, but about being informed on a range of perspectives.
the country can often feel overwhelming, Mr. Johnson insisted that, “It’s crucial to keep trying to understand different perspectives.”
Dr. Marianne Leung, United States History teacher, echoed similar opinions about the importance of engaging with diverse viewpoints.
“You get much stronger by arguing with each other,” she said.
To maintain a well rounded
“I read a spectrum of sources instead of trying to find a single source, because that’s how you get the most balanced view,” he explained.
Mr. Johnson recalls an important line from the Federalist Papers, that reads “We are so many factions of a nation.” This, to him, serves as a reminder that America has always been a diverse and divided place, yet it remains strong precisely because of the array of voices.
“It’s important to know that nation.
While political division within
understanding, she believes it is essential to find a community with multiple perspectives.
“If you listen, you strengthen,” she emphasized.
This idea of seeking diverse perspectives is supported by many researchers who have studied civic engagement.
According to the Knight Foundation’s “American Views 2022 Report,” being well informed and actively engaged in political discussions can greatly strengthen our communities. Along with stay-
ing active, emotional trust is the catalyst to empowering Americans to create strong relationships.
The percentages reveal the mistrust that continues to accumulate and Americans’ opinions of the media are greatly declining.
The report states, “Americans are very concerned about increasing political bias in news coverage and the perception that news organizations push an agenda.”
Many Americans, especially younger generations, are straying away from politics due to the increasing skepticism in the media and government.
While younger generations experience distrust caused by political division and bias, St. George’s students have found ways to avoid this trend of separation.
“If you listen, you strengthen.” - Dr. Marianne Leung
Dr. Leung explains that despite the election’s impact on the country, she feels that the St. George’s community remains unaffected by the major divide. On the night of the 2024 Presidential election, a group of students from the AP United States Government and Politics and the Citizenship class gathered in the Learning Commons to watch as the election results rolled in.
When asked about the experience, Moutoux shared, ”We could all have a civil discussion even if we disagreed.”
This is precisely the kind of environment St. George’s works to promote: a place where students are encouraged to approach discussions with curiosity, not hostility.
It can be easy for people to get caught up in the intensity of their own beliefs and dismiss those who think differently.
though people might have different opinions that they’re still people and that we should still love everybody, even if they don’t exactly agree with us on everything,” junior Hudson Burns said.
He reiterated that although everyone may not agree, there is still a common ground in shared values like empathy, respect, and a commitment to a better future.
As difficult as it may be, understanding democracy is undeniably important.
“Politics are our future, as much as you like it or don’t like it, it’s just the truth,” Helen Beaudoin, a sophomore, stated.
Teens may feel somewhat disconnected from politics, but the policies made now will determine the quality of life, opportunities, and challenges that may arise in the future. Whether it’s the cost of healthcare, climate change or the education system, politics is a part of every aspect of society, and ignoring it doesn’t make it any less impactful.
By providing classes such as Facing History & Ourselves, students are exposed to open discussion forums.
“It’s] about brave spaces and not just necessarily safe spaces,” as Mr. Johnson, the teacher of the class, explained.
While safe spaces are commonly identified as environments where people can express themselves without fear of judgement, a brave space pushes students beyond their comfort zones to challenge their own assumptions and engage in meaningful, and sometimes, difficult, conversations. By encouraging and offering a platform for students to have civic discussions, we ensure that the next generation is not only knowledgeable but ready to contribute to a future where collaboration and understanding triumph over division.
The Survey of American Life has found that the 2024 Presidential Election reflected the large divide in the Generation Z youth’s political identity. The specific article, “Kamala’s Gen Z Problem,” written by Daniel A. Cox, reveals this tension and disconnect in public trust.
“Nearly four in 10 young adults have a negative view of both political parties, a record high,” Cox stated in his article.
“Politics are our future... it’s just the truth.”
- Helen Beaudoin ‘27
While some embrace progressive policies, others lean conservative, and many struggle to identify with either side. This generational divide is not just about political preferences, it’s about how teens view the world.
As the youth explore their own identities, political ideologies become a powerful way to define themselves and connect with others. Yet this process is complicated when teens begin to gravitate towards these social media algorithms that reinforce only one perspective.
Political ideologies can create deep divides, but they also present an opportunity for growth when approached with open minds and a mutual respect. In an era marked by intense polarization, it is important to learn, listen and respect one another. Maintaining a positive and open viewpoint may be challenging in the rocky landscape of the country but it is necessary.
Moutoux said, “Let’s love each other, We’re all different. Let’s embrace that.”
Turning a Page
St. George’s has found
its football coach for the future
At the end of the first week of the second semester, the weight room was filled with St. George’s football players from the varsity and middle school levels. They all gathered to meet the new head coach for the varsity football program: Coach Tyler Rice.
“I love developing young men into better football players,” Coach Rice said in his message to the football players.
Player development is something Coach Rice is heavily focused on as he steps into his role. Growing the football team in numbers and in strength is one of Coach Rice’s focuses for the football program as soon as he starts in his role.
“I can help you grow football-wise, I take pride in that,” Coach Rice said.
Coach Rice made it clear that one of his primary goals is for each player to grow not only as football players but as men.
“I do this to carry out the great commission of leading you closer to Christ [and] to make you better
men,” he said in his talk to the football players.
Coach Rice comes from a history of football success as a player and a coach in both the high school and college levels. Rice has received multiple accolades, such as being named Tennessee Class A Mr. Football in 2010 and being a three-time All-State honoree by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association in his high school career at Wayne County High School.
iors we celebrate and the negative behaviors we tolerate,” Coach Rice said in an email to 5th-11th grade boys and their families.
Building a culture that celebrates the positives and maintains a lively environment rather than harping on the negatives is what Coach Rice wants to build.
“If we put the right people in place, [and] the right programs in place, the end is with state championships,”
“We are going to build a culture of Committed, Confident, Disciplined, Detailed, and Tough attributes,” Rice added in the email.
in excited to get to work and start building the football program, but he has additional reasons as to why St. George’s felt like the right place for him.
“It checked all the boxes from a family standpoint, and the opportunity to get back into coaching young men,” Rice said.
Rice’s college career involved him playing at UT Martin and Morehead State University. Rice also currently serves as a coordinator for QB Country, an elite-level quarterback training company in the Memphis area.
Coach Rice comes to St. George’s with three key points that he wants to see throughout the Gryphons Football program: Building a great culture, developing great players and creating a great scheme is where Rice’s focus is and represents what he envisions for St. George’s.
“Culture is the positive behav-
This culture that encompasses being “committed, confident, disciplined, detailed, and tough” is what Coach Tyler Rice is presented as “The Brand” of St. George’s Gryphons football.
This new identity of setting the standard for the Gryphon football program is how Coach Rice plans to set the firm foundation for the future of the team, despite being the new face.
Being able to send his children to St. George’s and be able to lead a St. George’s athletic program was very appealing to Rice, which creates his excitement for the future.
Although Coach Rice is excited to get to work with football players and start preparing for the upcoming season, the 2025 football team has a rebuilding year ahead.
Rebuilding a sports team is no easy task but Rice is aware of the situation and has strategies to help bring success to Ferguson Field for the years to come.
Coach Rice believes that rebuild-
“If we put the right people in place, [and] the right programs in place, the end is with state championships”
- Coach Tyler Rice
“It’s good that we brought in a new face to be able to create a new scheme and start working on what we need for the future,” junior Noah Rolfe said.
Rolfe is preparing for his senior year of football where he will be one of the senior leaders on the team and he is ready to start building the Coach Rice-led St. George’s football team.
“I feel I’ll be able to lead and help the freshmen coming in and start building that culture,” Rolfe said.
Coach Rice obviously comes
ing a football team is based on constructing and developing the team from the ground up.
“It’s [about] building a foundation and developing the skill sets that these kids have,” Rice said.
One of Coach Rice’s mentors told him a phrase that resonates with him and his future as a St. George’s coach: beginning with the end in mind.
Building the program from the lower school up and bringing in the right people is how Coach Rice believes that St. George’s will construct a winning program.
Story and photos by Marlon Yates
The St. George’s football team runs out before a game.
“If we put the right people in place, [and] the right programs in place, the end is with state championships,” Rice told the team.
Another aspect of building the St. George’s football program that Coach Rice prioritizes is building meaningful connections and relationships for both coaches and players.
“[Coaching] is more about developing relationships and that’s what I most look forward to,” he said.
Learning from his previous coaching experiences, Coach Rice knows that coaching is not always
about the “X’s and O’s.” In Rice’s past years at the collegiate level he feels he spent more time focusing on schemes and skills.
As he takes over the head football coach role, Coach Rice wants to incorporate his football knowledge and combine it with truly connecting with his players to help their development.
“He seems like a really good guy, [he] knows what he’s talking about, and he has a good plan,” Junior Jack Wolaver said.
Wolaver, the recipient of the Wes Smith Legacy Award this past football season, is excited about
St. George’s bringing in Coach Rice to lead the football team.
“We’re looking forward to long-term success, but we’re also looking to succeed this year,” Wolaver said.
Obviously, Wolaver only has one more year left in his St. George’s football career, but he hopes to lead the team into the Coach Rice era with a successful senior year.
Work towards the upcoming football season is already underway: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning, football players are in the weight room
getting ready to get to work for the season ahead.
Going into the 2025 football season, a lot of questions are still unanswered about what St. George’s future in football truly looks like.
However, with Coach Tyler Rice at the head of the snake, he brings a plan that aims to position St. George’s to be in reach of state championships in the years to come.
“We’re going to build this thing from the lower school up, but I’m going to give everything I have for us to win right now,” he said.
New football coach Tyler Rice poses next to the wagon wheel in front of Ferguson Field.
Seeing Double
How the Wilkes brothers have always coached together
By Colby Wiedower
Photography by Marlon Yates
If you have been keeping track of St. George’s athletics this year, you have most likely heard the buzz surrounding the boys basketball team.
This season’s team has been hyped up like no other season in the history of St. George’s, and the main reason for this is the hiring of two-time state champions and siblings Dee and Melvin Wilkes.
Since the hiring of the Wilkes brothers, the St. George’s basketball team has gained four
coaching industry — a feat that is not just significant in the basketball realm, but for their family.
Dee Wilkes was an easy hire for the head coach role by the staff here at St. George’s.
“Obviously we hired Coach [Dee] Wilkes because of his expertise… we believe that he's got the transformational mindset that we talk about here,” St. George’s Athletic Director Michelle York said.
Despite successes throughout his career, winning is not the only objective at St. George’s.
new players due to the appeal of playing under coaches with such expertise of the game.
However, this story runs much deeper than just the game of basketball.
It’s not normal to see two family members together in the coaching industry, especially two brothers. The Wilkes brothers have been side by side with each other for 15 years now in the
“It’s not his purpose, and it's not our purpose…his alignment with what we do here just really matched up,” Mrs. York said.
Coach Dee Wilkes understands how important winning is, but basketball is not the only thing to be winning at.
“I want to come in and teach these guys what it's like to work hard in life after basketball. One day, you're going to have to be a
father, you have to be a husband, a good guy in the community… that can take you a long way,” Dee Wilkes said.
When given the opportunity to choose his coaching staff, it was a no-brainer that he would pick his brother Melvin.
“I got him because he’s somebody I know I can trust… it is your brother in every aspect of life, he’s got [my] back just like I got his… we want the best for each other, and so when we work like that together, it makes it a lot easier to
was interested in joining his staff at FACS.
“My brother called, and was like, ‘Hey, think you need to come over here with me.’ And I was like, ‘Nah, I think I'm going to stay where I'm at,’...but just going to coach with my brother, I couldn't turn that down and went on over,” Coach Melvin Wilkes said.
The two brothers have been coaching side by side ever since. Melvin Wilkes finds great joy in coaching alongside his older brother.
“It's been amazing. It's my big
work together,” Dee Wilkes said.
The coaching partnership began 15 years ago with Dee as head coach at First Assembly Christian School when he brought his brother onto the staff. At the time, Melvin was coaching at Central High School, which was a powerhouse basketball school. They ultimately fell short at the state championship in the 2009 season. Dee then reached out to Melvin to see if he
brother, my older brother, someone I've always looked up to, and just learning from him and also being there to help him. It’s just amazing,” Melvin Wilkes said.
Family has always been the most important aspect in Dee Wilkes’ life, and it played a role in his decision to come to St. George’s.
“Their kids have always gone to St. George's…so not only were they coaching together at FACS,
Coaches Dee (left) and Melvin (right) Wilkes direct their team during a time out.
they were a family together in St. George's,” Mrs. York said.
“My older kids went here at the Memphis campus from day one, and it was always in the back of my mind coming over here,” Dee Wilkes added.
Sticking with the concept of family, basketball would not exist in the lives of the two brothers if it wasn’t for their family. Their dad got them started in basketball at an early age, which then inspired the two brothers to do the same thing for their kids.
“When you have kids and family involved, my nephews, it makes it a lot more interesting to give you another reason to want to be a part of the basketball team. And when you are coaching your kids, you want the best for them,” Dee Wilkes said.
The Gryphons basketball team has had one of the best seasons since the end of the coach Jeff Ruffin era. Ruffin was the head coach of the boys basketball program for 25 years, winning over 300 games and three state championships.The addition of Dee and Melvin Wilkes is one of the key contributing factors to this success.
Senior guard Silas Jones has started all four years that he has played varsity. He has played under both Coach Anthony Hall and the Wilkes brothers. Jones has noticed improvements regarding the offense and team dynamic.
“I’ve noticed that our team this year has been playing a faster pace of basketball. I also feel like our team’s dynamic has strengthened a lot with them taking over…I like their techniques. Before important games, we always watch a good amount of film of our opponent and set a game plan so we’re ready when it’s game time,” Jones said.
The fast-paced dynamic has definitely been showcased this year as the Gryphons have scored 70 or more points five times, and it’s just halfway into the season. Where in comparison to last year, the Gryphons notched 70 or more points only one time the entire season.
The impact that the Wilkes brothers have stretches out further than basketball.
“They're pouring into the lives of their student-athletes. They're in our hallways. They're committed to making all students better. They love St. George's,” Mrs. York said.
Having two brothers that share both love for the game of basketball and uplifting the community around them is extremely beneficial for the school overall, and it is a true embodiment of the entire staff.
“For them just to make this seamless transition into the community, the teams, the coaching staff, all of the above, it's just been really cool,” Mrs. York said.
"It is your brother in every aspect of life, he’s got [my] back just like I got his." - Coach Dee Wilkes
The varsity boys basketball team locks in as Coach Dee Wilkes sets the play.
The feminine mis Take
Femcels, trawives and the inability to be normal
Story by Livi VanSteenberg
If you have TikTok or Instagram, you’ve probably seen Nara Smith’s content, or at least Liam Miller’s parodies. Her husband Lucky Blue Smith supports their family — including daughter Rumble Honey — with his million-dollar net worth from his modeling career. Nara alone, due to her now-ubiquitous profile @ naraazizasmith, is making over $200,000 a month.
But what is she even doing to earn it?
Mostly, she’s decadent and over-the-top — she homemakes everything her family eats from scratch in chemises that cost more than your car. A video published in September of 2024 showing her cooking Thai food in her elegantly simple all-white kitchen has her wearing an $830 outfit, and that was on the low end of the price range. Some of her recent wears have included a $1,247 red-sequined Seleza dress, a $2,590 made-to-order Dorris Puff Sleeve Gown from Tanner Fletcher and a $2,920 Miu Miu blouse embellished with diamonds.
It’s absurd, and a major switchup in the internet zeitgeist.
Just a decade ago, the internet was obsessed with the concept of a “girlboss” — a She-E-O who doesn’t need a man. The girlboss doesn’t sleep. She runs on
coffee. She wears peplum tops and power suits and inserts herself into male-dominated fields with all of the callousness and inconsideration for others’ space associated with masculinity (think Katy Perry’s “Woman’s World,” if you need to understand the level of manufacturing this kind of image requires). And now, probably due to a caffeine overdose, she’s extinct.
While girlbosses had some good attributes, namely their assertiveness and success, they took it too far. They were often overly ambitious, encouraging women to crush the competition under their stilettos with no mention of emotional intelligence or, you know, any other quality that would make a genuinely good leader. They took the traits of toxic male CEOs and painted them pink.
And people ate it up. It felt good to see women being liberated from their low level office jobs to seek out their shiny new high level office jobs (although I am obviously being cynical here, it truly was a big movement to see). I aspired to run my own company, worshipped the women who lauded their terrible work-life balances and lack of interpersonal skills. By slapping a P!NK song over a day-in-the-life video of a marketing executive in her late 30s, social media platforms — Instagram and Twitter in particular
— cracked the code.
Female empowerment was the name of the game, with hashtag movements such as #MeToo speaking out about sexual assault and #WomensMarch to protest the controversial rhetoric of President Donald Trump.
In theory, this was a huge step forward. Women were telling their stories of discrimination, harassment and abuse in a way that had been taboo in the decades before — it felt like the beginning of an era, especially with politicians such as Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi on the fore in a way not previously seen, but it still managed to fall flat. Girlbosses and female empowerment are ubiquitous when looking back on the 2010s, but in a way that feels too cheugy and embarrassing to be remembered kindly.
This is because your She-E-O godqueen was never working toward the betterment of womankind. She was just out to make money, and the culture of the time celebrated it. To be clear, having women in high-up positions in corporations wasn’t the issue; the problem was that people interpreted them the wrong way. To accept a successful woman the way we innately accept a successful man — being impressed and then going about our day, generally unaffected by the concept — would have been completely fine. But we weren’t doing that. We were putting all of the emphasis on the girl, while the women in power were putting the emphasis on the boss.
Girlbosses were still denying vacation days. They were still refusing to raise your salary to catch up with skyrocketing costs of living. The only difference was that they were making a TikTok in five inch Louboutin pumps after layoffs.
All of this came to a head in 2020 as the cultural movement shifted away from women’s rights.
In the wake of the George Floyd protests, many female CEOs lauded for their progressiveness stepped down after allegations of having created toxic or racist
work environments. People were disillusioned — slowly, everyone realized that having a woman in charge won’t relieve their miserable corporate lives. Instead, the C-Suite you’ve never seen the inside of and never will has a Mrs. rather than a Mr. on the plaque outside the door.
The goal of the girlboss was never to dismantle the patriarchy or defeat any of the vehicles of control that have consistently kept women in secondary roles in the workplace, it was to take those positions from the hands of men and enter the power structure themselves. There was no reflection on what it means to live in a society in which there are bosses and girlbosses, even when it became blatantly obvious that being called a girlboss was more of a pejorative than a compliment. Women’s rights activists looked less toward equality and focused more on “winning” against men, giving rise to an internet subculture called “femcels.”
Femcels embrace women’s rights and wrongs — they’re the kind of man-hating misandrists that had traditionally conservative news outlets and your grandparents quaking in their boots. By definition, they’re the female version of an incel (short for involuntarily celebate, which is kinder language for “can’t get any”) who think that they can’t engage in a true relationship with a man because men only want petite or skinny “perfect-looking” women. When they use the common, mostly joking phrase “kill all men,” you wonder if they actually mean it. Femcels took the success out of the girlboss and focused on the most toxic aspects of it. There had always been a theme of pushing men aside to make way for women in the female empowerment community, but it was generally through the feminist lens of equality rather than eliminating. They believe themselves to be victims of a patriarchal society in which a woman’s value is determined by her beauty, and often complain of “lookism” as a form of discrim-
ination. Notably, femcels have not taken violent action the way that some incels have — they are generally considered less dangerous and volatile than their male counterparts, but that doesn’t make them good.
Reasonable people everywhere watched the rise of the femcels — accompanying the death of the true girlboss — with a mild amount of horror. Others turned and immediately ran in the exact opposite direction.
Enter the trad wife, a 50s marketing fever dream.
Traditional wives (trad wives, for short) were marketed as a “return to normalcy” by conservative influencers, particularly on TikTok. They emphasize highly traditional gender roles in relationships, pushing beyond the typical housewife to an anti-feminist, government-hating, hyper-heteronormative extreme. The trad wife is so kind as to allow you to watch her make all of her food from scratch, clean her beige minimalist house and tell you how much she submits to her husband — many of these influencers are extremely religious, pushing conspiracy theories urging women not to vaccinate their children or send them to public school.
It gets intense, but that’s not the entirety of the movement. It’s a spectrum — you have your extremists, and then you have Nara Smith, a successful model living a thoroughly cosmopolitan housewife life. She may be ridiculous, but she’s not harmful and generally just sticks to cooking food and never getting it on her outfits. Smith is exactly the kind of trad wife media content that is safer for people to watch — it’s formulaic, obviously unattainable, just this side of satirical. I have never skipped one of her videos when scrolling through my feed.
A slightly less ludicrous watch is Lex Delarosa. She also got her start on TikTok, and while many viewers originally decried her account as something akin to Ballerina Farm (more on her later), @ lex.delarosa approaches her content from a completely different angle than many other people in her sphere of influence. She takes us with her to pick baby carrots still wet from their packaging carefully nestled into freshly tilled soil. There are multiple videos on
her account of “organic water” — ice cubes melted in a saucepan. It’s fresh, it’s fun, and it’s clear Delarosa is in on the joke.
While she admits that she and her husband take on many traditional gender roles in their household, Delarosa rebukes the assertion that she’s a trad wife. That’s kind of a big deal. Accounts like hers are the part of the subculture that plays into the truth of the matter: trad wives in the way they are found online don’t exist. They never have.
The birth of the trad wife comes at a time when there is a general swing back toward the far right.
Evangelical Christians have gained an increasingly large following in both politics and culture, aided by figures such as Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate — the self-proclaimed Top G, manosphere red-pilled Alpha supreme. If that made no sense to you, good. It doesn’t make sense to anyone else either.
These men teach their followers “how to be a man” and how to look for women who are “wife material.” If you’re looking to marry one of these bald middle-aged podcasters, here are their no-go’s:
Don’t: Take pictures of your food to post them on social media, unless you want Tate to put his hand in your bolognese. In fact, go ahead and private your accounts and delete your profile picture just in case another man sees it.
Don’t: Be confident. According to Tate, that’s extremely offputting — not because he’s insecure (he swears!), but because he’s a kickboxing world champion who you don’t know, and if you aren’t careful he could be a psycho who kills you. Or something. This is not exactly comforting coming from a man who is being charged with trafficking minors in Romania. These influencers who have such a hold on men today see love as a form of control. They want submissive, pliant women over whom to assert themselves — they’re so set on this ideal, in fact, that they recommend their followers go to other countries to find women who have grown up in cultures where they are expected to never defy their husband. They feel as though if they are questioned, they do not have total authority. If they’re not the king of their household, they might as well be a woman. And, despite
their constant carping that women have it so much easier, who would want that?
That’s where this newest trend comes into play. The trad wife an swers a developing sense of male insecurity, particularly among young millennials and older Gen Z who see themselves as a kind of conservative counter-culture. It isn’t just a movement toward days of yore, though.
Sometimes, it borders on abusive.
Hannah Neeleman, better known by her handle @ballerinafarm, is a Mormon homesteader and Julliard-trained ballet dancer married to Daniel, son of airline mogul David Neeleman. Daniel obsessively stalked her after meeting her once, demanding his father give him a plane ticket next to her on a trip so that he could chat her up on the flight. He eventually convinced her to leave her full merit-based scholarship to marry him and move to a farm in Kamas, Utah. There, she raises his eight kids and makes TikToks showing off her perfect traditional life. You may be wondering why this is anyone’s business but hers, and in some ways it isn’t. But, on the other hand, she’s putting all of this out there and people are in fact watching — the reason she became so controversial wasn’t because her children don’t have access to technology or modern media, or that she gave up her dreams to marry a man she barely knew after six months of dating. The catalyst was an egg apron.
and that she could rarely say anything without him correcting her.
This is the toxic side of trad wife culture — somehow, along the way from being one of the best ballerinas in the world to now, Hannah became a mom of eight who, according to her husband, is ready for another baby exactly nine months after giving birth. Is it clear if she is being abused? Not necessarily.
Is it uncomfortable to watch? Undoubtedly.
The trad wife is not and never will be a real reflection of the “good old days,” even in response to the corporate feminism of the 2010s. As long as it harkens back to a time that never actually existed, how could it? Having these influencers push total submissiveness and a loss of personal identity outside of marriage is just as harmful as the boss babes who run off of coffee and harass their employees. Social media, no matter the zeitgeist, sets up women to idealize the extreme.
For her birthday, Hannah told her TikTok followers — all 9.8 million, to be exact — that all she wanted were plane tickets to Greece. Keep in mind that Daniel’s father David Neeleman is worth $400 million, and the founder of five commercial airlines. As she excitedly opens her singular present from her multimillionaire husband, you can catch Hannah’s face momentarily dropping.
Her only gift had been an egg apron from her own online storefront.
Along with this gut-sinking incident, multiple journalists who have interviewed the couple have told the same story: Daniel dominates the conversation and refuses to let Hannah answer more than a few questions. Megan Agnew, reporter from the The Times
We are pushed wildly in different directions, manipulated by every media source that can reach us. Everything from advetising to TikToks to TV is suddenly making the trip back from telling us we can do anything we want to telling us we should do anything a man wants.
Total, unapologetic apathy for your own gain and complete subservience are both exhausting, but it’s never going to end. There is no fixing the media cycle or the narrative, so it’s time to step outside of them. The insanity of these ful-commitment lifestyle trends will swallow you whole, so focus on maintaining your autonomy. Understand who you are outside of popular culture. And don’t drink raw milk.
Love on the Brain
The psychological benefits of displays of affection
Story by Jada Olende
Ilove you.” A phrase that transcends the appearance, status and characteristics of its communicator and recipient. Simultaneously reflecting vulnerability and affection, this phrase varies in meaning across different people, cultures and contexts. Its ability to unify individuals no matter the demographic they fit under allows it to continue penetrating the hearts of humans all over the world for centuries to come.
“Perhaps, it is more accurate to say that I love you is overused and underused. It is said way too much, but also never said enough,” researchers Yong Lang et. al wrote in “An Exploratory Study on the Use of I Love You in the American Context,” published in the International Journal of Society, Culture, and Language in March of 2015.
Some people go days, months, even years, without hearing “I love you.”
In fact only 10 out of 114 Collierville campus students who completed a survey about love sent on December 9th, 2024, say they hear that phrase spoken to them “occasionally” in comparison to other respondents who said they hear the phrase often.
However, it is critical to note that this three-word phrase manifests itself in a variety of ways. This is what makes love in general so fascinating: it is definable, yet indescribable.
“Following a national initiative [in America] to boldly speak out your love to parents, many schools … organized students to wash [their] parents’ feet publicly as a
way to ‘speak out’ I love you to their parents,” Lang wrote.
Washing the feet of a respected figure in your life embodies the intersection between love and humility. It is a centuries-old gesture of love that has been expressed across religions as diverse as Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, and the act exists throughout Palestinian and Israeli cultures.
This is only one way of expressing your love for someone without words; the possibilities are endless.
Culture plays a significant role in the usage of “I love you” because of how intimate the phrase can be.
“We do not want to embarrass ourselves,” Lang stated when reflecting on saying “I love you”
yourself to others. There are certain people in our lives that tell us “I love you” the most, the same way there are people who we tell the phrase to the most.
Among students who responded to the survey, 84% reported that mothers tell them “I love you” the most. In addition, 86% of students reported that mothers tell them “I love you” the most.
This statistic is informative, but not universal. Just like fixing your favorite snack, saying “I love you” can become second nature and over time lose its significance because of its routine use. In some cases “I love you” is just a phrase in goodnight spiel for some, where for others it possesses such emotional significance that it can only
“I love people, but I don’t express it the same way I would with my parents or friends.” - Christina Moore, ‘25
during a reading class in China.
The application of the phrase is already nuanced on an emotional level, but its complexity is enhanced with the introduction of cultural differences, which is just one way that differentiates the way love is shown. On an expressive level, everyone displays their love differently, like senior Holly Herrera, who spreads love through simple gestures like a warm smile.
“Always being supportive, showing up, giving confirmation, … and [showing] comfort to anybody no matter what,” Herrera said.
Reflecting on how you desire to show and receive love can be insightful because that itself may inhibit or enable you to express
be said in passing.
Eighth grader Serenity West is selective with whom she says “I love you” to because of the gravity of the phrase.
“It depends on the person,” eighth grader Serenity West stated.
West is not alone in this regard, as seven students who answered the survey agreed that it truly does depend on who they are saying “I love you” to.
“I love people, but I don’t express it the same way I would with my parents or friends,” senior Christina Moore shared.
The sheer impact the phrase can have on both people involved can hinder someone from verbally
expressing it. This does not mean the love isn’t there, individuals just express love in different ways towards different people.
“Everyone comes from different backgrounds and some people might’ve not received or been given love the same way as others … so they can still show love or feel love, but you’re not really going to see it probably just because they don’t know how,” Herrera expressed.
Why, then, might some people feel uncomfortable saying or hearing “I love you?”
90% of responders claim to be comfortable saying “I love you,” where 92% feel comfortable hearing “I love you.” This is an insightful analytic because of the percent difference in hearing the phrase’s favor. It reflects humans’ innate desire to hear “I love you” because it provides reassurance, validation and connection: Things most humans want to experience.
Love, being an innate feeling most humans desire, can be tied to our neurological make up.
Senior Vice President and System Chair of the Neuroscience Institute of Nuvance Health Dr. Paul Wright published an article on nuvancehealth.org titled “What happens in your brain when you experience love?” on February 9th, 2024. The article addresses the neurological impact of the phrase “I love you” on the human brain. According to Dr. Wright the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, the pleasure and reward area, lights up when experiencing love.
Our desire to experience love has been present in our brain
since conception. Natural hormones like oxytocin and dopamine, which stimulate feelings of bonding and satisfaction, make hearing I love you all the more powerful because they linger in our brain and leave us with a lasting sensation.
Despite this favorable sensation, the power and impact the phrase “I love you” has can be intimidating and in some cases uncomfortable.
When analyzing the platonic use of this phrase from a gender standpoint, male usage is taboo in some cases and cultures because of societal barriers upheld in the name of masculinity.
“Men seem to express their love verbally less often than women,” researchers Richard Wilkins and Elisabeth Gareis wrote in “Emotion expression and the locution ‘I love you’: A cross-cultural study,” published in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations in January of 2006.
In the survey shared with students at our school, 52% of males responded that they felt uncomfortable saying “I love you” to the same gender, which is an incredibly common pattern across the male gender as a whole.
“In order to show men’s power, they don’t say ‘I love you’ easily because it is considered emotional when they say it,” Wilkins and Gareis wrote.
This idea that love is only reserved for romantic relationships, family members or same-sex female friendships is a grave misinterpretation of the scope in which love can be wielded. As addressed before love is neuro-
logical; it does not box you into a sexuality or demographic if you say it to the same gender. Humans were chemically composed to say and hear “I love you,” especially because love doesn’t discriminate. It has no eyes or ears, it won’t set your tongue on fire for saying it to a friend of the same sex. The fear of being perceived as weak by virtue of expressing emotion drives toxic masculinity. This ultimately hinders most males from saying “I love you” to other males.
In “Why Can’t Men Say ‘I Love You’ to Each Other?” published in The International New York Times, author Ricardo F. Jaramillo writes about the internal battle and outward emotional struggle the main character has with his male best friend Kichi when saying “I love you” in their platonic relationship.
“I’m just ready to be free from all the forces, voices and gestures that keep us from saying them. Still, I can’t help but wish that one day Kichi will forgo all the masculine clatter, look me in the eyes and simply say ‘I love you, too,’” Jaramillo wrote.
Emotion and masculinity is an intersection of topics that will continue to evolve with time and conversation.
Fortunately, St. George’s fosters a tight knit community that does not shy away from taboo topics, come they arise. Uniting zip codes, states and even continents under one roof allows our school to host a variety of cultures and beliefs which means everyone expresses themselves uniquely—a distinct aspect of our school.
We are fortunate as a school to
have diversity of thought and as a religiously grounded school, love is a behavior that is encouraged to string our community together like a thread that strengthens a cloth. Love presents itself through scriptures that are read during chapels and assemblies that unite all grade levels.
According to hillsidemedford. org the word love is stated 310 times in the King James Version of the Bible, a book that serves as a compass for our school. We are called as gryphons to treat each other with respect and love as an Episcopalian institution.
For example a question posed on the Episcopal Identity page of the St. George’s website is “will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?”
In an environment like the Collierville Campus, where students’ ages range from 11 to 18, it is a given that everyone is in different stages of their behavioral maturity journey. Insults and unkind words often leave the mouths of adolescents who are trying to gauge where they fit in this puzzle of a world. As students of all stages of middle and upper school embark on the journey of navigating the world of kindness and love, some may put up an abrasive front to mask their true feelings. Developing the ability to show love to people outside of your circle like
they are your neighbor takes time.
“From the “inside”, adolescents experience vast hormonal changes and fine tuning of the neural networks that both produce and manage emotions. From the “outside”, they experience dramatic and dynamic shifts in the structure and significance of key social relationships, such as those with parents, peers, and romantic partners as well as a variety of novel experiences and increasing societal demands,” researchers Amanda E. Guyer, Jennifer S. Silk, and Eric E. Nelson reported in their study titled “The neurobiology of the emotional adolescent: From the inside out” published in the Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews Journal.
There really is no answer key when it comes to emotion and behavior, but sometimes there is a motivation or desire behind one’s actions.
Assistant Director of Counseling Darius Watkins recently joined the Gryphon community at the start of the 2024-2025 school year and serves as a counselor, advisor, and shoulder to lean on. He always offers a friendly hallway fist bump to students across grade levels.
During an interview about the phrase “I love you” Mr. Watkins discussed that an absence of the phrase in the upbringing of an adolescent does not always result
in unkind or abrasive behavior. In fact, he shared that he believes it eventually leads to an unrecognized desire to hear “I love you.”
“I think that it values ‘I love you’ more when and if you do hear it,” Mr. Watkins said.
Emotions are not add-ons humans have access to; they are neurophysiological states that are used to enhance the way we process the hills and valleys of life. Love specifically is an emotion that it is not necessary for growth, but strengthens the foundation of its recipient. When a child grows up without a verbally expressed blanket of love they aren’t destined to be evil natured, however, they will begin to seek this innate desire in places, people, and activities that might not be healthy for them.
“A study from UCLA found that unconditional love and affection from a parent can make children emotionally happier and less anxious. On the other hand, … lack of affection impacts children both mentally and physically. This can lead to all kinds of health and emotional problems throughout their lives,” author Sandi Schwartz wrote in an article titled “How a Parent’s Affection Shapes a Child’s Happiness for Life” published in The Gottman Institute.
Absence of parental/caregiver expression of affection has its effects on humans, but so does
steadily advancing technology. Emotion could potentially get lost through the screens we spend most of our time on. Hearing “I love you” in person, where you can understand tone and discern facial expressions, compared to seeing “I love you” on your device is much more intimate, tangible, and meaningful.
“Saying ‘I love you’ on somebody’s Instagram posts is not the same as verbally saying, ‘I love you,’...” We’ve lost the … desire and commitment to communicate verbally, [which] makes it harder to have more intimate conversations,” Mr. Watkins stated.
However, seventh grader Penny Richardson pointed out that with the rise in social media within the past decade human connection across the world has become much more accessible and has created different ways in which we can show our love to each other.
“You can heart [a] post and that’s giving love to people,” Richardson said.
The phrase “I love you” manifests itself through so many languages, cultures, and relationships. Its application continues to evolve alongside technology, but its impacts remain rooted in the neurological makeup of its communicator and recipient.
“It incorporates two people in one phrase, ‘I love you,’” senior Dakota Koontz expressed.
we don’t clique
How St. George’s students ostracize and isolate each other
Welcome to St. George’s, home of the fifteen year club. And the fourteen year club. And the thirteen year club.
Ask anyone on your admissions tour, and they’ll surely tell you how unified the school is. How we’re all friends, and no, we don’t really have cliques. Everyone just kind of gets along.
Obviously, this is false — no school, no matter how homogenous and smiley they are, goes without conflict. It’s just shocking that with an average class size of eighty people we’ve still managed to almost completely isolate ourselves by the time we reach high school.
St. George’s kids are superficially friendly, they’re nice — but they are rarely kind to one another.
We are the quickest to judge and the last to forget past transgressions. Since so many people have been together for so long, it’s easy for them to hold onto old grudges or opinions of each other rather than evaluating their classmates for how they are today.
Walking into the lunch room, there is a fairly obvious split between those who have been here forever and newcomers: namely, the in- and out-groups. There are some exceptions, as there are to any rule, but you can place your bets on who’s in what group if you know popularity has a fairly
direct correlation with how many years you’ve spent at St. George’s, particularly coming from the Germantown Campus.
We’re wary of outsiders, annoyed by anyone who won’t put themselves in a neat little box. At St. George’s, you can be anything — except different.
People welcome you in at first, each group testing you like the Plastics from Mean Girls to find exactly where you belong. If you don’t fit in with the first group you end up sitting with, there’s a good chance no one will say a word (to your face). They’ll slowly stop asking you about yourself and trying to include you in conversations until it’s three months into the school year and you realize you’re still somehow sitting with a group of strangers.
And here’s the kicker: there’s no such thing as switching friend groups. Whoever you fall in with when you arrive is more or less who you stick with for the rest of high school, despite how you change and grow closer — or farther apart. Even if you drift, you can never leave because no one else will take you.
You are defined entirely by your friends. If you sit with the nerds, even if your grades suck and your true passion is lacrosse, you’re a nerd. If you sit with the burnouts, it doesn’t matter how hard you work. Everyone will see you as a burnout.
The thing is, we go to a super tiny school. You would think that
since you’re likely to have everyone in your grade with you for at least one class, you’d get to know them a little better than whatever stereotype is most convenient. And you could — but you, just like us on the Ed Board and everyone else at St. George’s, won’t.
It feels like we are terrified of change, even though change is expected of us as we grow up.
It hurts to lose friends, but the people you knew when you were five likely aren’t the people you want to be with when you’re seventeen. And yet, if we try to move on and be with people who fit our more grown-up style, we’re shunned.
And not that knowing the same people for thirteen years is bad. You have a built-in friend group since you can remember, and you get to grow up surrounded by the comforts of an unexamined social sphere. It must get stifling, though, to stagnate in what should be a time of change — there’s so much pressure around our culture not to become a different person, develop different interests. Because you’re you, right?
But are you really, or are you just a patchwork of everyone else’s opinions?
How many times have you been scared to share an interest or a hobby with people you sit with every day at lunch? How many times have you felt judged by those around you? How many times have
you been the last to hear a rumor about your own life, and no one thought to inform you?
Everyone knows the solution because the administration never lets us forget. It’s not that we don’t know how to change — it’s that we willfully avoid it despite all of the initiatives to inspire it. The House System was meant to bring students of all grades together and that fell flat. We’re given the space to meet new people, but we refuse to. When we play four-corners games at the beginning of the year, we move as flocks after conferring about what the singular correct answer is.
And, look, it’s hard going through high school as your own person. Peer pressure is not and has rarely ever been someone pressing a Bud Light into your hand at a party — it’s the subtle implication by the people around you that you don’t get a choice in your own identity.
Fit in, or else. But or else what?
Everyone at St. George’s is too nice to kick you out, even if they’re not kind enough to include you. You don’t eat alone in the bathroom, you’re just relegated to a social purgatory. Is that what you want, though?
Examine your life, and if you’re unhappy with it, be brave enough to make a change. Social change, as difficult as it is, starts with us.
EDITORIAL CORRECTION: In Issue 8.1, we failed to identify the muralists whose work was featured in our photography from this year’s Paint Memphis event. Those artists are, in order of appearance: Adam Raiola, Jamond Bullock, Lillian Aguinaga and Dani Roma.
STAFF EDITORIALS represent the opinion of The Lodge’s editorial board. Letters to the editor in response to the editorial are encouraged. The 2024-2025 Editorial Board is: Kirklyn Moore, Livi VanSteenberg, Ella Coons, Molly Gorham and Marlon Yates.
OPINION SECTION POLICY: The Lodge opinion section is a venue for the free expression of the student views at St. George’s Independent School. The opinions represented in this section are those of the authors alone and do not necesarily reflect those of the Lodge staff or of the St. George’s community at large. The Lodge strives to be an open forum for the thoughtful and deliberate exchange of comment and criticism and therefore welcomes letters to the editor. Letters to the editor will be printed in the opinion section of the newspaper, should not exceed 300 words and must be signed and accompanied by a verifiable email address. These letters will not be printed if the content is judged obscene, violates the privacy of others or encourages physical disruption of school activities.
