The Lodge
St. George’s Independent School | Collierville, TN | 5.1.25 | 8.3
L Co-Editors-In-Chief Kirklyn Moore ‘25 Livi Van Steenberg ‘25
Social Media Editor Ella Coons ‘25
Web Editor
Molly Gorham ‘25
Photography Editor Marlon Yates ‘26
Staff
Johnny Bailey ‘25 Bo Farnsworth ‘25 Mary Frances Forbes ‘25 Sydney Murray ‘25 Jada Olende ‘25 Colby Wiedower ‘25 Caroline Wood ‘25 Mason Merkle ‘26 Mia Cutrell ‘27 Gabi Flohr ‘27
Adviser
Mr. Zack Adcock
Cover by Sydney Murray
About Us: The Lodge and gryphonlodge.com are dedicated to serving as an unbiased and authentic voice for the students of St. George’s In-
dependent School. We at the Lodge strive to be an open forum for student expression, to act in the best interests of the student body and to embody the principles of journalistic excellence. The Lodge is affiliated with the Tennessee High School Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association and the Journalism Education Association. The Lodge is funded by donors and St. George’s Independent School and is published seasonally during the school year by aPrintis.com. The Lodge prints and distributes 200 copies of each issue to 700 students and faculty on the St. George’s Collierville campus. Bylines indicate the primary writer(s) of each article, and additional contributors are indicated in the shirttail. All of our content is written, edited, and designed by our staff unless otherwise clearly stated. The Lodge provides free advertising for student clubs, events and activities and paid advertisements for local businesses. The Lodge welcomes letters to the editor and article submissions. To submit a letter, article or request for advertising, email our staff at thelodge@sgis.org.
Features
04
The Information Gap
Lifestyles
07 08 10 14
How To Keep In Touch
Feeling Stuck?
Through the Lens House Leaders Looking Back
Opinion
16 17 18 20
Patriotic or Idiotic?
Reflection of a Student Body President Letters from the Editors Senior Wills
Photo by Marlon Yates
Dear reader, Not included in this table of contents is a story many of you may have been expecting — namely, one covering the Memphis Campus. While this story was fully written thanks to the help of several interviewees and countless hours, it did not make it past mandatory administrative review. We as an editorial board are deeply sorry that we could not include this in the final issue, but that is not the point of this comment. The point is the Memphis Campus. We are committed to its legacy and the archiving of its memory, and we appreciate everyone who reached out to offer us interviews and aid. The Memphis Campus has created a phenomenal foundation for students who have moved up onto the middle and upper schools and further achievements past the St. George’s community, and we are honored to have members of our current and past staffs representing both lower school campuses. What the administration asked of us was a more “comprehensive” story, but we felt that we were not in a position to include certain narratives and exclude others. We reached out to members of the Board of Trustees and conducted multiple full-length interviews with Mr. Pruett and Mr. Gibson. Multiple solutions were offered, including a formal administrative comment at the end of the article, but ultimately The Lodge found that we could not make the extensive edits being asked of us while meeting our deadline to release this issue. The Memphis Campus has been a part of the St. George’s community for many years, and while it is closing now, its legacy is not over. In an interview for the story, Mr. Walt Ricketson, who started his St. George’s teaching journey at the Memphis Campus and now teaches 6th grade World History at the Collierville Campus, said, “While the building may not be there anymore, it’s not brick and mortar that makes memories.” Thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, The Editorial Board
The Information Gap The absense of sexual education at St. George’s
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By Mary Frances Forbes exual education, or sex ed, has always been a controversial matter, as no one seems to be able to agree upon how it should be taught. According to a 2024 article from “Newsweek,” in the U.S., 38 states mandate that the subject be taught in public schools in some way, ranging from comprehensive sexual education to abstinence-only programs. The south is an especially mixed bag when it comes to sex education. States including Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and North Carolina mandate that sex education be taught, though the specific details vary by state, according to the aforementioned “Newsweek” article. States including Texas, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana have no mandate. All of these states, excluding Arkansas, stress the importance of abstinence education. Tennessee, like many other southern states, requires that public school students be taught abstinence-only education, meaning that the focus of the curriculum is discouraging students from engaging in sexual activity. In states that require comprehensive education, students are provided with a more holistic range of knowledge. Sexual relationships, sexuality and reproductive health are typically addressed within these programs. Currently, St. George’s students receive limited sexual education through units of their required 7th and 11th grade biology classes. Students are taught the basics of human and animal reproduction, which differs widely from the abstinence-centered information given to public school students. As a private independent school, St. George’s has increased agency over what subject matter is addressed in its curriculum; the school is not required to adhere to state guidelines for education, including mandates about sex ed. This is true of all independent schools, so how do we compare? The Tennessee Association of
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Independent Schools, or TAIS, has hosted several conferences pertaining to sex education in the past. Most recently, in November of 2024, TAIS hosted a workshop aimed at guiding teachers and counselors through the complexity of discussions about sex education in a world where the subject is increasingly controversial. As evidenced by this workshop, there is an understanding amongst educators that sex education is a contentious subject, but advocates are unwavering. While it is unclear which schools attended the workshop, its existence demonstrates that, at some independent schools in Tennessee, sex education is being taught. There were no attendees from St. George’s. The fact that St. George’s is not only an independent school, but also an Episcopal school, further complicates the matter. However, being a religious institution does not render sex education an impossibility. In completing research for this story, several independent and Episcopal school counselors were contacted. However, many declined to comment or requested to not be directly named, suggesting the increasingly controversial nature of sexual education. Despite some resistance, certain individuals at schools similar to St. George’s in the Memphis area were able to offer information about their sex ed programs. At some independent and religious middle and high schools, sex ed is taught through wellness programs. At others, students in each grade level take a certain number of days depending on their age to learn comprehensive sexual education. At these schools, this material is not exclusively biological; students also learn about the science of reproductive health as well as the factors that contribute to forming healthy relationships. Schools that emphasize the
importance of sex ed have diverse approaches to the material. Some institutions emphasize the idea of personal choice, whereas others align with state standards and promote abstinence as the safest option. Additionally, at these schools, the material is taught by a variety of individuals. Some schools bring in experts in various fields so that students’ questions may be answered with certainty. Others have school counselors teach the material directly, pulling resources from programs such as the One Love Foundation, a national nonprofit aimed at ending relationship abuse through education on consent and mutual and internal respect. The material covered by foundations such as this one assists in structuring sex education at these schools. Many of the schools that were consulted on this matter are religious, though their programs suggest they believe that sex ed and a religious identity can coexist.
Ultimately, the common goal of these institutions is to create well-rounded, well-informed students who may make the safest decision for themselves, whatever that decision may be. Rather than having to make these decisions without adequate knowledge of their ramifications, according to certain schools, it is important that students be wellequipped through the communities that their families trust. The church or a religious school can be one of those places. Sex ed was not always as absent from the St. George’s curriculum; in fact, the approaches of many of the aforementioned schools largely mirrors the way St. George’s formerly taught the material. Ms. Elizabeth Bran, a former St. George’s counselor, used to teach sex education alongside other members of the administration. “We found some really comprehensive programs, but…you’d have had to carve out an entire
course to teach all the materials,” Ms. Bran said in an explanation about how sex ed was taught. To make time for this material, once a year, regularly scheduled school programming would halt for a certain number of days depending on one’s grade level. Additionally students would be separated by gender. “You do one day in 6th grade.. about your body, two days in 7th grade and four days in 8th, and then…and then sophomore year you go back to sex ed, and we did it that way for a really long time,” Ms. Bran said. Because this curriculum interfered with daily classes, Ms. Bran noted that it was particularly difficult to find time for the program to be conducted. When sex education was introduced at St. George’s, Ms. Bran and other counselors followed an abstinence-only program called Worth the Wait. “We did Worth the Wait… five or six years… We started tweaking it probably after two years… after five or six we used nothing that was a part of it… We created our own [curriculum] and probably used that for… six to eight years,” she said. After the shift in curriculum, there were new obstacles to overcome. According to Ms. Bran, the missing resource that she and other administrators would have appreciated most was experts like those that speak at other schools. “We’d go to all these independent school conferences… thinking ‘Okay, where’s the curriculum? Where’s the training?’ I mean, no one trained you for that as an educator, and there just wasn’t much out there,” she said. Without this training, Ms. Bran and other counselors worried that they might cross a line in the eyes of students’ parents. “We were not confident that, if I said the wrong thing the wrong the wrong way and a parent got
up in arms, that the school would really have our backs and support us,” she said. Ensuring that the material was up to the standards of students’ parents was equally challenging for Ms. Bran. Parents were permitted to preview the material before it was taught, and a permission form was required for students to participate. Despite this, a majority of
of your development as a human being,” Ms. Finch said. Ms. Finch, alongside Assistant Campus Director Mrs. Leanne Ricketson, researched the subject deeply. “A couple of years ago, [Mrs.] Ricketson and I worked to research different programs around the country that were well-known, were vetted, and our goal was to pull pieces of those… to make it
“ When you develop a healthy sexuality, it is a core part of your development as a human being.” - Ms. Kim Finch students partook in the program and enjoyed doing so, according to Ms. Bran. “When we did… the classes, they liked it… They want to know and they want to talk about it. And even if they don’t want to talk about it, they appreciate understanding more,” she said. Regardless of student engagement with the material, in the end, the struggle to receive adequate training or host experts in the sexual wellness field led to the end of the material being taught. “We had been through some different iterations and had some new administration that said… ‘We’re going to do this and I’m going to get these speakers…’ and they never did it, and we were tired of forcing the issue, of begging,” she said. Since 2018, St. George’s has not offered any type of sex ed outside of what is included in science curricula, though not for lack of trying. Ms. Kim Finch, Director of Counseling and Student Well-Being, has advocated for the return of sex ed over the last few years. “I think that when you develop a healthy sexuality, it is a core part
our own,” Ms. Finch said. A portion of Ms. Finch and Mrs. Ricketson’s research addressed the St. George’s Episcopal identity. Using books specifically intended for Episcopal schools such as “These Are Our Bodies: Talking Faith and Sexuality in Church and Home” by Abbi Long and Jenny Beaumont, Ms. Finch and Mrs. Ricketson were able to compile information that felt tailored to the school itself. Ms. Finch and Mrs. Ricketson’s proposal to the administration was not fully fleshed out; however, it was well-informed, according to Ms. Finch. Additionally, it emphasized the importance of educating middle school students on the material. “We felt like it was important… for there to be something specifically focused for sixth graders, seventh graders, eighth graders, following up from the puberty talk that is in fifth grade,” Ms. Finch said. Ms. Finch’s intentional focus on these age groups is based on opinions within the scientific community. According to the American Association of Pediatrics, sexual development is an important developmental milestone, just as
learning to walk and talk are. Ms. Finch brought the proposal to the Head of the Upper School at the time, and the current Associate Head of School, Ms. Pam McCarthy, as well as the Head of School at the time and current Head of Student and Alumni Affairs, Mr. Timothy Gibson. “We gave [our research] to the administration at the time… and I’m not sure what happened from there,” said Ms. Finch. According to Ms. McCarthy, she did not see the proposal, though she was made aware of much of its content. “It was a pretty thorough proposal. I didn’t actually see it myself, but I think it included literally, ‘Here’s what we’re going to talk about.’ And at the time, it was not approved… I don’t know what they were proposing,” Ms. McCarthy said. The proposal was then allegedly brought to the Board of Trustees. Through an email exchange, the Board acknowledged the possibility of offering an optional course, but that it was not guaranteed that it would be put in place anytime soon. Parental concerns were cited by Ms. McCarthy as the reasoning behind the choice to hold off on moving forward with the proposal. ”I think in general… St. George’s is a really diverse place, and we have… a lot of diversity of thought as well, and I think there’s concern that there isn’t one right way to talk about sex ed… [the school] wanting to not make people feel uncomfortable or angry or feel forced to… learn about something in a way that… their families wouldn’t have taught them… So the trustees… didn’t say ‘We can’t teach it at all,’ but they kind of were thinking, ‘would it be better to have an optional curriculum?’” Ms. McCarthy said. Current chair of the board of trustees, Mr. Ben Mrva, said that the board does not inform the school’s curriculum in any way. “It’s common that board members are asked for their opinion on
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things, but… the executive committee… or the Board wouldn’t take a position or be asked to weigh-in on curriculum,” Mr. Mrva said. He expressed that the Board should not and likely was not involved in rejecting the proposal. However, Mr. Mrva was not on the board at the time the proposal was brought forth, so he is unable to confirm this with certainty. The head of school at the time, Mr. Gibson, was also not able to confirm nor deny the board’s involvement. Somewhere along the way, the proposal was turned down, though none of the interviewees know the reasoning for, or who was involved in, making this decision. Ms. Finch and Mrs. Ricketson are not the only voices on campus advocating for sex education to be taught. Like many other schools, St. George’s shares the common goal of creating well-informed students. Several teachers, including biology teacher Mrs. Beth Masters agrees that the absence of sex ed at St. George’s could be hindering this. “I think that if a student could go from Little Georgie’s to graduating from St. George’s Independent School and never learn about human sexuality and sexual reproduction… then I don’t think we’re living up to our mission,” Mrs. Masters said. Dr. Helene Keenan, who teaches several science classes at St. George’s, expressed her concern that not teaching this material might lead to students learning inaccurate information from unreliable sources. ”If you have a student that’s not comfortable talking to their parent or another adult about sex ed…, then they resort to finding the information on other resources that may not necessarily be accurate,” Dr. Keenan said. Mrs. Masters agreed about the importance of having qualified individuals teach students this information.
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“I think it can be hard to find people who are… trained in how to do that… but we have people who have that training and have the, I think, passion of that… This is an important thing for people to teach, even if it’s a challenging thing for people to teach,” said Mrs. Masters. Teachers and members of the administration are not the only individuals at St. George’s who have complex views about sex ed. At the Junior Retreat, juniors are provided a platform to voice their ideas about what should be changed at St. George’s. This year at the retreat, junior Alex Dunn took the opportunity to make a proposal that expressed a desire for the material to make a comeback.
nature of the material, though they feel that this fact makes teaching sex ed even more important. Senior Abbi Whitehead is also a proponent of sex ed. “I think it’s dangerous not to have it. Honestly, being educated in your body is super important… especially when it comes to older students,” Whitehead said. Whitehead further noted that, even if students were separated by gender to be taught sex ed, students should learn about the reproductive health of both sexes. “I feel like it’s important for men... to understand what it’s like having a menstrual period… because when they have that understanding, it helps them be more mindful when someone else
“[Memphis’s] sexually transmitted infection rate is the highest [in the country], and I don’t think our city should be defined by that.” - Alex Dunn ‘26 “One day, I just woke up and I was like, ‘I think we kind of need sex ed because… Memphis… our sexually transmitted infection rate is the highest, and I don’t think our city should be defined by that,” Dunn said. Dunn has put a great deal of research and time into planning this proposal with teachers like Mrs. Masters. With her help, Dunn has been able to create a loose foundation for what sex ed at St. George’s might look like. Dunn went on to explain, “We’re looking at a semester class. we were thinking about maybe using our health and wellness class… maybe having sexual education be part of that curriculum… Instead of making strength and conditioning a requirement, make [sex ed] a requirement.” Student advocates of sex ed also acknowledge the controversial
in their life is having a period,” Whitehead said. Proponents of sex education also explained that having an understanding of one’s body might lead one to be a more empathetic person overall. “If everybody is aware of what’s going on in your body… then if someone is exhibiting those signs… they could be sympathized with or empathized with instead of made fun of,” Dr. Keenan explained. Not all students are interested in taking sex ed, however. Junior Jade Masters expressed that he does not feel personally inclined to engage with the material. “I’ve just slowly accumulated a basic knowledge of that area, and frankly… I don’t think I would enjoy that class too much, but I also think I’m past the point where I think that class should be implemented,” Masters said.
However, Masters noted that he still recognized the value in being taught this material. “I personally wouldn’t be interested in taking a sex ed class… but to contrast that, I think it’s something that should be required… In my opinion, an early sex ed class could help anyone having to deal with… consequences without knowing them… it’s one thing to go into something and not take the right precautions on purpose… it’s another to not know what you’re getting into,” Masters said. Ultimately, according to those involved in this complex dialogue, the driving force behind why sex ed is not offered at St. George’s appears to be the concern about parental conciliation. According to several sources interviewed for this story, many parents feel that teaching the material may encourage students to engage in sexual activity at younger ages. However, according to a three-decade-long study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, there is no evidence to back this claim. “I wish more people… felt like knowing more doesn’t mean you’re doing more. In fact, it might mean the opposite, right? There’s no data that would support that people who understand their body more have more sex,” Mrs. Masters expressed. The goal of individuals who have made proposals over the last few years is clear: to fulfill the school’s mission statement, meet students’ developmental needs, and foster a community of respect. “[Sexual] education helps kids prepare for and manage changes. I think it helps kids have a safe and positive view of sexuality, promotes healthy relationships, helps young people make informed, safe, and positive choices. And it’s all about, in my opinion, understanding and information,” Ms. Finch explained.
Staying Connected By Gabi Flohr Illusration by Mia Cutrell
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How to keep in touch
ith summer break just around the corner, excitement fills the air. For some, it's the thrill of travel; for others, it's the bittersweet moment of graduation. Soon, the classmates I've spent every day with will go their separate ways, leaving me with one question: How will we all stay connected when we no longer see each other daily? For many, the obvious answer is social media. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok are digital bridges for St. George's alums, allowing them to maintain friendships even after graduation. "An Instagram reel goes a long way in reminding people that you are thinking about them, especially when you may not have time for longer conversations because of work or grad school," Maria Sallee ‘19 said in response to a Google Form made available to alums via social media in March of 2025. A Pew Research Center study found that more than 60% of teens share their social media usernames to stay in contact. "Social media (Instagram specifically) can also help to see what my friends are up to," DeJa Harris '23 said in response to the form. While 83% of teens say social media keeps them updated on their friends' lives, it can also create a false illusion of connection. A Common Sense Media study found that 43% of teens feel pressure only to post content that presents a polished image to their friends. Social media is about managing impressions — most people only share the highlights of their lives. Beneath the carefully curated posts, real struggles often go unseen by the public.
I wouldn't post anything I didn't want others to see or judge me for. This sentiment is echoed by influencer Ms. Erika Costell, who told “Business Insider” in October 2021, "Anything you see on here [social media], I would say 99.99%, realistically, is fake." Past the vibrant surface of shared life on social media, a more authentic way to see how friends are doing is through text or phone calls.
to stay connected with my friends because we all go to different schools now, and it allows us to talk to each other,”Andrew Farris ‘27, who recently transferred to St. George’s, said. For the 72% of teens who game regularly– it’s more than just entertainment– it’s a digital hangout space. Whether you're heading into seventh grade or college, through Fortnite squads or Minecraft
"I personally love texting or FaceTiming… It is easy and quick, and it's something that opens the door for deeper communication," Harris said. These ways of communication can effortlessly fit into even the busiest schedules– some of my favorite times to call friends are while I’m driving or working out. "I'm a big fan of… 2 hour calls with besties on Sunday afternoons during long walks," Brittany Chapman (neé Correia) '14 said in her response to the form. Despite the convenience, some friendships rely on deeper, more interactive ways to stay connected. Although I'm not an avid gamer, for several of my friends, gaming isn't just about winning but the conversations while playing. "Playing video games allows me
builds, video games can feel like hanging out in person no matter the distance. Playing video games may be impossible while traveling to a new city or country. Sometimes, the most meaningful way to share experiences with friends is without technology, but through a postcard or a handwritten letter. "Receiving post of any kind from friends or family has become special in these days of digital communication," Ms. Barbara Lamplugh, an author and postcard enthusiast, said. "It seems more personal when you see someone's handwriting." While on fall break in Vermont, I sent a postcard to a friend for the first time– even though it only cost $0.56, she told me the process involved made it more special
than a quick text. "You know they've made more effort in choosing the card, writing it, buying a stamp, and posting it," Ms. Lamplugh said. It’s not always easy to make time, but nothing compares to being in the same room. My favorite way to stay in touch with someone is meeting up in person– face-to-face. "[When] we're ever in each other's cities, or when we're back in town on break, we do our best to all meet up at least once," Erin Johnson '23 said in response to the form. I recently met a friend I haven’t seen in a while at a restaurant, and we didn’t even need our phones. We talked for hours: no scrolling or distractions, just conversation. It reminded me that sometimes, the best way to stay close is to be present. In the end, that’s what staying connected means: showing people they matter, even when life pulls us in different directions. Text. Call. Game. Send a postcard. Comment on their post. Show them they matter. No matter the distance, relationships can thrive when you nurture and water them to grow, even through a drought. This summer, as we scatter in different directions, don’t let distance be the reason connections fade. Reach out and keep your relationships alive: the best ones are always worth the effort.
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Feeling Stuck? How and why slumps affect us
By Caroline Wood Illustrations by Isabella Coons
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he feeling of being unproductive, the dread that comes with doing work, the chronic exhaustion–high school students know the thought of a slump all too well. Academic slumps can be defined by Merriam-Webster as a “negative physical and mental reaction to prolonged study that results in exhaustion, frustration and lack of motivation in school.” When an individual thinks of an academic slump, it can be an anxiety-inducing feeling, since falling victim to burnout can feel out of one’s control. So what truly causes slumps? Traditionally, slumps are caused by the overwhelming feeling of academics or just general workload, along with obligations outside of school, like sports or a job. The feeling of having all of these commitments piled onto one another with seemingly no end in sight eventually leads to one crumbling down, and hence, a slump is now in effect. Slumps can easily damage one’s own self confidence and self-perception, as the consistent lack of motivation can lead an individual to think of themselves as being a failure, or going down a path that won’t lead to the level of success they are hoping to achieve.
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Traditionally, burnouts tend to affect those in the second semester of their school year, as the initial giddiness and excitement of the school year has worn off, students finding themselves getting “out of the zone” just as quickly as they find themselves gaining traction in terms of methods that set them up for success in their academics. At some point or another, each and every student has felt to some
In reality, there are multiple layers to senioritis more than one might assume. The expectation for high school seniors is that by May 1st they have decided essentially their entire future, as in where they want to go to college, what they want to major in, and for some even beginning to think about grad school after their four years in college are over. The concept is
Slumps can easily damage one’s own self confidence and self-perception, as the consistent lack of motivation can lead an individual to think of themselves as being a failure. extent the affects of a burnout, but typically, seniors are the ones most affected by this phenomenon. One might initially think of “senioritis” when they think of an academic slump. Senioritis, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.” From the definition, it sounds like senioritis is just a form of burnout, but with the specification of being a senior.
already a lot for anyone to try and figure out, but it can be especially difficult for 17 and 18 year olds. During the summer before senior year, some students begin working on college applications, since the first few months of senior year is centered around the pitless amount of supplemental essays, resumés, and test score reporting that comes with applying for colleges. “But what about scholarships?” “I’m not even interested
in this school but I applied to see how much aid they’ll give me”, “I’m stressed having to write essays for all these scholarships”, are all phrases that almost every high school senior has uttered or has heard another classmate say. Even once seniors start receiving results back from colleges, there then comes the burden of thinking about scholarships or how financially feasible the school they applied to would be. On top of completing applications, scholarships, and even having the weight of needing to make a decision, seniors are still expected to balance schoolwork and extracurricular activities. Seniors’ minds are already racing in regards to college, so it can be difficult to find motivation for schoolwork, when mentally, their brains are already thinking about the next chapter of their lives. Mentally they’ve moved on from their high school years. Abscences begin to increase, tardies increase, and the amount of incomplete or late assignments increase as well. Almost all motivation is lost, because after all what seems to be the point? The next six months give or take are basically laid out in front of seniors, they might know who they are rooming with for their freshman year of college, they might already have determined what activities will take up their time in college,
they might even have already met some of the professors at their respective university. The future is in their line of sight, so the effort at making the final push towards finishing high school strong may feel as difficult as trying to climb ten flights of stairs. Once seniors start committing to colleges and having their future laid out in front of them, the motivation to keep exceling or even complete an assignment seems irrelevant. The relief in knowing that the most difficult decision of their life at that point is over and through with, can be reflected in having less emphasis on doing well in academics. For many seniors, the motivation to do well in school came from the lingering thought of being able to get into the college of their choosing, so naturally, once their hopes become reality, it feels unproductive to spend a large chunk of time hyperfixated on academics. While seniors are the main victims of academic burnout, they are not the only people to face the feeling of a slump, nor is senioritis the only term used to describe an academic slump within a grade. The term “junior jitters” is meant to describe students in their junior year of high school facing burnout primarily due to heavy academic expectations, the anxiety that comes with college applications being on the horizon, while simultaneously having to take the ACT and other standardized tests such as AP exams. The term “sophomore slump” affects those in their sophomore year of high school, and while not on the same level as juniors or seniors in terms of preparing for college, sophomores face a drastic shift in workload, as the variety of honors, electives, and AP classes available to them increase, therefore, providing a more demanding schedule. On top of the increase in work, sophomores are now having to navigate staying on top of their academics while participating in extracurricular activities. The standards for students in their sophomore year are exponentially higher, since they are no longer freshmen, they are held to the standard that they are supposed to have (mostly) everything figured out in terms of balancing aca-
demics and extracurriculars. The stress of those expectations allows for sophomores to follow victim to being in a slump. Freshmen even have a nickname for an academic burnout as well, known as the “freshmen funk” The freshmen funk is unique from the burnouts in the grades mentioned prior, as the freshmen funk typically occurs at the beginning of the school year. Compared to middle school, high school is a dramatic shift for any freshman. Freshman are thrust into a completely new environment, often leading to students struggling with adapting to their new environment at a pace that prevents them from falling behind in their academics. Speaking of academics, the constant reminder that their grades now “count for something” can easily get to anyone’s head, but especially fourteen and fifteen year olds, which can inevitably lead to increased stress and anxiety given the brand new expectations. Falling behind in academics as well as other obligations provides a sense of embarrassment and guilt along with it for many of those struggling. One may look at those in their close circle and see that they are not struggling to the same capacity as them. However, that is far from the truth. Many teenagers grow up hearing the phrase “comparison is the thief of joy”, and while that phrase may not seem relevant in the scenario of falling victim to burnout, it is important to note that every individual is struggling in some way shape or form. The shameful feeling that comes with feeling like the only individual struggling is what is truly going to hold a student back from being able to flourish and move past the rough stretch of time constituted as a burnout. Others are facing difficulties in their own lives as well, and in order to keep moving forward is important to know as well that while the feeling of being in a burnout can be isolating, there are others feeling the exact same way as well, and that can decrease the feeling of guilt that comes with an academic slump. Despite each grade in high school appearing to be faced with a period of burnout, as mentioned prior, the typical root
cause behind each slump for each grade is different. In general, high school carries a huge burden on most students, in fact, most people would be concerned if they met a student that had never felt stress or pressure in school ever. The fact of the matter is that every grade is a different stage in student’s lives, each having their own complicated thoughts running through their minds, all while trying to stay on top of their schoolwork. It can make people feel trapped. Seniors find themselves trapped and tied down by the obligations that still come with high school, despite being in a mental state that is ready to move on from all aspects of high school, whether it is the intimacy of the school size and building, the petty drama, or even the coursework being provided. Juniors feel trapped with the pressures of deciding where to apply for college, what they want in a college, how their test scores might affect their options, if or when they might need to retake standardized tests, as well as trying to decide what courses to take for their senior year. Regardless, they are feeling trapped by decision making. Sophomores feel trapped in the seemingly endless amount of work thrown at them, as well as the infinite expectations and obligations. Freshmen can feel trapped by the unknown, as once they feel like they may have gotten in the groove of high school, they have
to turn around and start preparing for the following academic year to come. The common denominator is that every high schooler feels trapped in some way shape or form, slumps being an inevitable part of the high school experience. Thankfully, slumps are temporary, and there are ways to crawl out of one. Social activities are a great distraction for an individual to pre-occupy their mind for a temporary amount of time from the expectations around them, especially when engaging with individuals around them that bring them joy, like friends and family. Finding time for social activities, as well as finding time for hobbies or even exercise all can help contribute to calming the mind and allow for an individual to feel less drowned in their responsibilities. Slumps are a universal experience, hence each grade in high school having a nickname for their respective burnout. Being in a slump, especially when it appears that no one else around is struggling in the same way, can be an embarrassing and guilty feeling, but it is crucial to know that each and every person is facing a slump in some aspect of their life. As with anything in life, the feeling of exhaustion and unproductivity is temporary, and things will get better with continuous persistence and self-care.
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Through the lens
Marlon’s Best Photos of 2024-2025
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Story and Photos by Marlon Yates rom the start of this school year to the beginning of April as I am writing this, I’ve taken over 70,000 photos, edited over 4200 photos, and out of those photos, I have posted around 500. The challenge with creating these four pages you see is that each photo has a different story, and it’s difficult to highlight my favorite pieces of art in just four pages. I find value in not only the photos I post but even some that haven’t seen the light of day. Some photos I love because of how it’s framed, how the lighting is, but for some, the most important aspect is the story of the photo.
footb region champs
soccer This past fall was by far one of my favorite seasons of photography and many of the highlights came from this team of Region Champions. I’m very thankful for the support from this team and proud of many of the moments I was able to capture of them behind the lens.
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This past football season, I got to five games each being very diffrent in atmosphere. From the downpour on homecoming night, to the exciting opening game, and the rainy win agaisnt KIPP, it was a nice season full of learning behind the lens while capturing football.
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Ja Morant
Even though I only made it out to one** game for the Boys Soccer team, I took some of my favorite photos in their 8-0 win against Pleasant View. The photo of Cort Casey ‘26 sprinting down field in pursuit of the ball with the beautiful sunset behind him is one of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken.
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erside Although many of you know me for my St. George’s sports photography, a place where I feel the most creative with a camera is at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR. My passions for motorsports and photography fuse together and I enjoy getting to capture the quick moving action.
Going into this school year my goal was to take photos of at least one game or match from every sports team. Fall Sports was a busy season as I made it out to seven girls soccer games, three volleyball games, and five football games, with other events sprinkled throughout. One of those being the unexpected appearance of Ja Morant at the Homecoming pep rally, and is for sure one of my photography highlights of this school year. Getting to shoot the girls soccer team take down ECS in the region championship was another amazing moment from this school year, and I plan to cover more winning moments for this team for next school year.
@marlonyatesphotography @marlonyatesphotography Features | 11
Marlon’s Best Photos After the fall season, I started to feel more confident in my work. Not that I hadn’t been proud of my progress or work previously, but I started to understand what I wanted my style of photography to be and took that into the winter and spring sports seasons. Working on creative ways to frame, continuing to explore low shutter shots, and trying out new things in editing have all been things I’ve focused on throughout the school year, but especially the last 4-5 months. Of course in that time I’ve also become more experienced and that has helped me to create my best photographic art since the year 2025 began. With shooting basketball, wrestling, tennis, soccer, along with events like the Polar Plunge, I’ve been able to dive into my creative style of photography in various ways.
TENNIS After the courts were resurfaced, I made sure to make it out to the Lightman Tennis Center to capture the tennis action. Tennis as a sport is incredibly fun to shoot, especially with how creative you can get behind the lens. With the lighting of afternoon tennis matches, I feel like I captured some of my best photos this school year while shooting tennis.
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Basketball year #1 of wilkes era
The action at Ruffin Court was non-stop when the basketball team took to the court. With the Wilkes brothers bringing their rhythm to St. George’s, this team not only took care of business at home, but made it to the state final four. For me it was a season full of learning for me behind the lens as each game I made it a goal to try something different while capturing the action.
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WRESTLING One of two new sports for me this year, wrestling was surprisingly really fun to shoot. In a way it’s simple to take photos of since the action is confined to one small area, but to really capture the non-awkward moments in the action is a challenge but was something I enjoyed shooting with twice this winter sports season.
st. George’s events Throughout this 2024-2025 school year, I covered multiple different events in the St. George’s community. From the “Christmas at the Scheidt” concert to the Polar Plunge, this school year was filled with days where the community was brought together. Since I have been and still feel more comfortable with shooting sports, these events were good steps out of my comfort zone to expand my skills and understanding of photography.
Volleyball was the first sport I ever took photos of and this school year I spent a lot of time learning how to truly capture the exact moments of action in sports. Photographing the emotion of the moments after each point like you see from Ally Bjorkman ‘26 and Mary May Luton ‘26 really is a key part of what sports photography is about.
When I first took on the task of creating these pages, I did not exactly have an end result in mind. As I created these pages I found out how difficult it can sometimes be to narrow down so many photos into so few. There are great photos I took this school year that did not end up on these pages but I am proud of each and every photo on here. So as this school year comes to an end, I want to thank all of you who have supported me and my art throughout the 2024-2025 school year. I credit a lot of my growth in photography this year to people who have come up to me with any feedback or suggestions and I will forever be grateful. I can’t wait to see what the next school year brings, and look forward to covering many great moments behind the lens.
@marlonyatesphotography Features | 13
House Leaders Look Back House Leaders:
A reflection on the year’s house events by student leaders and administrators
Looking Back on the House System in 2024-2025
By Kirklyn Moore and Colby Wiedower Photography courtesy of SGIS Communications fter a disruption in its ideas as administration, and we development due to combine them to make the most COVID-19, the house realistic approach to what we leadership program want to do,” Magness said. at St. George’s has completed its However, the amount of decireturn, bringing back a tradition sions that the students make creatthat fosters camaraderie and ing house days and games depends competition. on the busyness of their schedules, By Kirklyn Moore and Colby Wiedower This year’s house leaders according to senior and Cypress stepped into their roles with the house leader Griffin Davis. challenge of rebuilding spirit. They brought back traditions and created new initiatives. As this year comes to a close, they reflect on what new initiatives went well and what they hope improves in the next coming years. This year’s house competitions were a specific point of emphasis when trying to figure out how to increase student interest. “I feel like we’ve gotten more attendance this year than we have in past years…and I feel like people have gotten more excited to come to house days because of different ideas we’ve had to make things more interesting,” junior “Sometimes the administrators and Swamp Willow house leader, will tell us, ‘Okay, here’s our plan Ava Magness said. for the house day, here’s when it’s There were certain house happening, and let us work over competitions that likely contribsome of the details.’ And then uted to this rise in attendance. sometimes we’re given a little The beginning house event where more reign in figuring out when the upperclassmen gathered their we want to do it and what we “saplings” or lowerclassmen in want to do, but there is… a whole their house shone as an event that lot of minds working together to gathered excitement for all grades. figure it out,” Davis said. “I really liked getting to welCowan agreed with Davis and come in the new underclassmen to shed some light on the issues that Ironwood and get decked up with can emerge from this structure. face paint and then have a lot of “We’ve had some conflict over pomp and circumstance when it what exactly house leaders have came to our opening ceremony for input on [and] what exactly the Ironwood,” senior and Ironwood adults have input on… It’s just house leader, Corinne Cowan said. getting so complicated trying to go To create these house days, back and forth having bureaucracy each house’s leaders met once a that I think they think it’s way easrotation to discuss house events ier if they just decide the structure and initiatives with a group of of a house day,” Cowan said. administrators. She hopes that communication “We meet [with administrators] between the administrators and on E days... and we talk about students improves in the coming ideas that we have and their years, as their issues in communi-
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cation have given the appearance of a lack of planning. “We were creating the point system and how everything was going to work for the first semester… We were flying the plane as we were building it. So I think [a goal for next year is] more communication between the house leaders and the adults helping us,”
Cowan said. Assistant Campus Director Mrs. Leanne Ricketson, who helps with the house event planning and attends meetings with house leaders, explained how while some wanted to plan the events, it didn’t pan out as they had expected. “What we found this year is that the house leaders had a lot of ideas of what they wanted House Day to look like. But the reality for a student at St. George’s, who is also doing college applications and taking three or four AP classes… and playing sports and doing plays, they don’t have the time to do the actual [planning],” Mrs. Ricketson said. Cowan also agrees that the ambition of house leaders at the beginning of the year was far more than the second semester. “I think we came into the year thinking that we were going to have a lot more input on house days and how the point system
would work, and that’s fallen through just because everybody comes into the school year super ambitious,” Cowan said. Director of Counseling and Student Well-Being Ms. Kim Finch also helps the house leaders deveop their ideas. She highlighted that even if the students do not plan in detail, their ideas are vital. “It was really helpful to have their input and feedback. At the end of the day, we want students to be proud of houses and want to be a part of that… It is just increasing student voice and leadership opportunities.” Ms. Finch said. Some things that the house leaders came up with is the “show up, show out” points system and the house sweatshirts, which were big parts of the house system’s initiatives this year. Another obstacle when planning house days was unexpected weather issues. “[There were] random weather occurrences that kind of messed up house days… So we were planning on having each house build a spooky setup with a monstrous figure, and they had to just run around in the woods outside doing challenges to collect different body parts for their Halloween figure. It would’ve been great, but it got rained out,” Davis said. Despite the weather, the administration stepped in to help plan the event indoors, so that students could still enjoy house competitions and a step away from school work. “For the house Halloween day, that did not really happen because of the rain. The house leaders fully planned out everything and it was going to be pretty cool… but because of the rain, the adults just moved everything [inside],” Cowan said. Another new initiative was the introduction of the “show up, show out” system. The idea was
to award house points to students attending sporting events, AME and choir concerts, and other St. George’s events with hopes of increasing attendance. QR codes were set up for students to scan, which sent them to the GoFan app to sign in, which ultimately contributed to a house’s points. This initiative was primarily driven by Davis and Cowan. “We worked with Ms. Robertson, and I feel like that’s really helped get more student involvement around the school and to help people show up for their classmates and help support the great teams that our school has,” Davis said. “I’m proud that we now have some avenue for student engagement through showing up and supporting St. George’s sports and Arts and athletics,” Cowan said. Cowan took on the role of handling the data of this initiative. Within the second semester of this year, students may have noticed a decrease in QR codes at games. “We were trying to do a QR code for every single game, which just wasn’t feasible and it was super difficult. House leaders… put up the QR codes and checked in with Ms. Robertson who was creating and hand laminating everything,” Cowan said. While it may seem easy, house leaders also take hard classes, play sports or have extracurricular activities, and are unable to make it out to every game to encourage their peers to use the QR codes. The data began to show that the reward or attendance did not match this effort. “I think they started to think that it wasn’t worth our time to put up QR codes at every single sport when we weren’t seeing increased student engagement necessarily from having QR codes at every single event,” Cowan said. Stepping into a role which they had seen no example of, the house leaders learned a lot about what the role means and requires. One thing that comes with the role is seeing first-hand how students and adults collaborate to plan a fun event for all GryphNation. “I learned a lot about working
with adults… There’s a lot more having to ask permission and strategizing with the administrators of the school. And there’s a lot more oversight than I thought there was going to be,” Davis said. While administrators have oversight, they care about student input and involvement, and they are integral to the execution of the group’s planning. “When we’ve had a house event or a house day that fell flat, we think it’s because the adults… didn’t care that much or because they weren’t really seeing what students were actually interested in… I know Ms. Robertson and Mrs. McClain and Ms. Finch, they really do try to put in so much work for the house system that students don’t often see,” Cowan said. Magness found it difficult to get people excited about house days as a leader. “Leadership is not as easy as some people make it out to be because it is hard to get everybody to participate in something if they don’t think it’s cool or fun,” Magness said. Davis also felt like getting student buy-in is something that could be improved in the future years. “One thing we could improve is the culture surrounding the house systems, getting people… more excited for the house events and excited to be the members of the house that they’re in,” Davis said. Student participation and attitude towards house days is a sticking point for all who plan the events. “I cannot wrap my mind around why it is more attractive to check out and go lay on your bed and scroll your phone… than it is to participate in something that your school has planned for you for the purpose of making an exciting, awesome opportunity,” Mrs. Ricketson said. While it may seem like a solution to have house events in the middle of the day so that juniors and seniors are more likely to have to stay, it is a flawed solution. “It is, as a teacher, hard to have a really high energy, fun activity and then send everybody back to
class. So you have the class first and then the high energy fun thing. The challenge is… many upper school students are checking out… so we have to figure out a way to have buy-in from the students,” Director of Programming and Auxiliary Services Ms. Sarah Robertson explained. Part of this lack of participation is the natural ebb and flow in excitement that happens throughout the school year. “Beginning of school, everyone starts out super excited about everything and then as the year wears on, you’re just tired and overwhelmed and have a lot going on. I think we see that almost every year… but it’d be great if everyone stayed for everything,” said Ms. Finch. The house leaders feel this frustration too and want people to keep their excitement and involvement throughout the year as they continue to put effort into planning a fun event. “I hope that it just becomes more normalized to have fun at house days… because it’s so hard to get people to participate in something that’s becoming socially disliked because it’s not cool, but I think house days are a great way for our student body to bond with each other,” said Magness. Davis sees a positive change in house day involvement compared to years past, but agrees with the assessment that the student body’s idea of house days is not ideal. “I definitely think [the attitude of the student body during house days] has been better than previous years, but I still don’t think it’s where the school and us house leaders want it to be,” Davis said. This positive change may be the reinstatement of house leaders as they went into the year ambitious and excited, wanting to make the best day for GryphNation to unite. “I think we’ve done a much better job this year than previous years of building more hype around the house system,” Davis said. A few changes have been implemented by the Collierville Admin team to limit the number of house leaders to one per house instead of two. The idea was to make
house leaders apart of student government rather than them operating on their own. “More involvement. More to do specifically for the people in student gov and really with the house. Anybody can be a leader, whether they’re elected or not, right? They’re going to have one spokesperson that they elect in student gov, but really it comes down to everybody in the house being involved in buying in, and helping to build the community,” Ms. Robertson said when asked how the house system will benefit from the change. The administrators over the house system have a vision for its future that looks different from what you might expect, and it began revealing itself with the creation of the house sweatshirts that feature all four houses for its graphic. “I think the sweatshirts kind of epitomize what our goal is, which is to be more unified as one Gryphnation. I do think there’s been a lot of competition between houses this year, which was not exactly intended,” Ms. Finch said. The idea of friendly competition is integral to what the house system is, but the administration feels that the competition passed friendly and led to unexpected separation between students in different houses. They encourage competition but not over collaboration. Mrs. Ricketson likened their vision for the future of the system to collaborative board games. “The family is playing to achieve one collective goal, but they’re still playing as individuals. I think that’s sort of the place where we want to grow towards… Sometimes house days feel like Ironwood is dead set on defeating Cypress, and then the next day it’s like, we won. You lost. I get to wear my shirt,” Mrs. Ricketson said. They hope for less of the hostile competition between houses and more feelings of unity. “It feels like we had a house day and each house had a role in that, but at the end of the day, we left high fiving each other,” Mrs. Ricketson said.
Opinion||15 19 Lifestyles
Patriotic or Idiotic? The frightening epidemic of ignorance and disregard W
By Sydney Murray hat is the difference between blatant ignorance and blinded ignorance? Blinded ignorance can be defined as overlooking something or remaining blissfully unaware, typically without malicious intent. It is a form of unintentional neglect, where individuals are simply looking past the facts, events, or perspectives because of a lack of awareness or exposure. In contrast, blatant ignorance is the conscious choice to intentionally ignore or remain uninformed in an attempt to avoid responsibility or confrontation. This is not a passive oversight, it is an active decision to disregard information. Blatant ignorance is a refusal to face reality in hopes to protect interest or beliefs. In her research article, “The Speculum of Ignorance,” Ms. Nancy Tuana defines wilful ignorance as “a systematic process of self deception ... that infects those who are in positions of privilege.” This form of ignorance is deliberate, rooted in a desire to maintain a sense of superiority or to protect a worldview. Although these two types of ignorance may seem distinct, they coincide into a joint attitude of cruelty and disregard. They both perpetuate a culture of inattention, where people are unaware or choose to ignore the struggles of others. These ignorances are the catalyst for America’s growing separation and lack of empathy. This is a strong claim, but as the nation continues to become more divided, it becomes more evident that ignorance is at fault. We cannot simply blame an individual’s ignorance on their character; rather, we should look at the growing culture that enables and supports it. It is not enough to point fingers at the people who fail
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to recognize the problems in our society. We must hold the larger forces accountable, such as the media or politicians who support the lack of critical thought and awareness. In The Lodge’s issue 8.2, published this past March, I wrote a piece addressing political polarization. I aimed to present the topic in a non-partisan tone, avoiding personal opinion and focusing instead on the many voices revolving around the current state of politics. While I appreciated the opportunity to explore these perspectives, I also felt as if there were important bits left unsaid. One of the most concerning trends I have observed is the increasing indecision and lack of education about politics, especially within Generation Z. Regardless of the plentiful resources available to us, many still choose to stay inside their bubbles, listening to only those who play back the recorded opinions they agree with. These circles are precisely where ignorance stems from. When we only consume information that aligns with our preexisting views, we build walls around ourselves, walls that prevent us from understanding and hearing other perspectives. The biased news we consume, whether left-wing or
right-wing, influences us to oppose the “other side” and only hold concern for the things that affect us. This attitude creates division and reinforces the idea that one side is right, and the other is wrong. Both the Democratic and Republican Party, or more specifically, (the MAGA Party,) have extremists. This is an undeniable fact. The problem arises when these extremists are allowed to represent the entire party, creating a misrepresentation of what each party stands for. In this light, the Democrats become socialist robots and the Republicans become Confederate Civil War supporters. There has always been a separation between the parties, but as of 2016, this separation has become worryingly larger. Why? Donald Trump. In 2016 Donald Trump formally entered the world of politics when he ran for president against Hillary Clinton. This race marked a new age of the United States, or what could’ve been. Following the second term of the United States’ first African American president, Barack Obama, Americans now had a woman running for office. Unfortunately, rather than representing the fair and honest practice of
the United States party system, this race revealed the deep rooted misogyny, bigotry and most importantly ignorance that plagued America. Some argue that the United States was simply “not ready” for a female president, and while that may be true, it overlooks her opponent, a famous millionaire, successful business owner and white man. Trump’s victory in 2016 signaled a shift in America, characterized by a sense of superiority and a sense of nationalistic pride. This attitude was apparent throughout his first term, and when he lost his run for re-election, all attempts of concealing his complex of power were abandoned. After his loss in 2020, the storming of the Capitol on January 6 2021, painted a clear picture of Donald Trump’s agenda: Maintain power at any cost. I could continue to narrate the timeline of the MAGA movement and their rise to power, but a history lesson is not my concern. Ignorance is my concern. Ignorance towards the travesties, ignorance towards the devastating effects of orders, ignorance towards the wellbeing of others, these are the real issues. We must confront and challenge the culture of ignorance that has taken hold of our society. To do so, we must simply acknowledge it. As Benjamin Franklin said, “The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.” His statement preaches that true understanding begins with the recognition of our faults. There is a question we are all left with: will we open our eyes to the reality of our ignorance? Or will we continue to live blindly? The choice is ours.
BREAKING NEWS Class President Molly Gorham’s Final Address
Photo courtesy of SGIS Communications
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By Molly Gorham enior year is a time for change. It is the final stepping stone of your high school career, and the person you entered as will be very different from the person you leave as. You will grow, learn and find yourself in experiences you didn’t expect. Simultaneously, you will feel small, fail, and make mistakes that may have bigger consequences than you had hoped for. I had the pleasure of going through this initiation into adulthood: an unavoidable and monumental moment in the cycle of life. I found great successes, filled with moments of pride, but I also fell flat on my face numerous times. This year, I experienced senior year in a unique way. Not only was I navigating the year as a student, but also as student body president. Ever since I came back to St. George’s in the eighth grade, I knew I wanted to make a difference. I grew up riding through the woods surrounding Bulldog Pond on Gators with my dad, sitting in a hidden nook on stage during his chapel services and walking through the halls on his shoulders. St. George’s has always been a huge part of my life, and I wanted to work to make it a place that other people loved and embraced
as much as I did. So, towards the end of my junior year, I started campaigning for president. Getting elected was exciting, as one could expect. The congratulations I received from others made me feel good and, selfishly, I had a strong sense of pride. I was proud of myself, something that didn’t happen often, and it felt good to be chosen for something I had wanted so badly. As school quickly approached, I excitedly purchased my funky senior blazer, decked out in red and white stripes with blue stars to show my presidential pride. I anxiously wrote speech after speech, trying to put together my first address to the student body, and did anything and everything I could to try and find ways to fill the year with sparks of fun. Looking back, I was striving for something that was not possible: perfection. This was a lesson I had to learn the hard way. As president, I was charged with working alongside a group of my peers who had been elected to serve with me to plan events including dances, pep rallies and spirit weeks. Although I am extremely proud of how this year went, it is important to reflect on the ways that I could have done better.
Lesson one: never assume, always ask. My experience as president taught me much too late that analyzing things from others perspectives is so important. “Assumptions are the termites of relationships,” Henry Winkler, an American actor and producer said. Being a good leader includes, among many other characteristics, valuing and protecting different beliefs and opinions, even if they directly oppose your own. Too often over this past year I viewed contradiction as a bad thing or as something that felt invalidating to my own feelings. I chose to assume such, and therefore believed what I felt was true. But by simply just asking and clarifying, feelings could have been saved and conflict avoided. Lesson two: if you can’t find time, create time. As president, I worked with a team of incredible people who contributed greatly to the success of student government this year. There were times, however, that I was unprepared. I hadn’t planned out a meeting efficiently enough and therefore lacked plans and communication. Although things like this can be excused as a simple mistake, when you have people relying on you, you can no longer brush off tasks that you may have once been able to procrastinate. It’s easy to want to prioritize your own work, but when you have a team of people to lead, there’s no excuse for being unprepared. That’s why making time for things, whether it’s during a workout or in place of my nightly doom scroll on TikTok, became such an apparent need for me this year. Lasty, and most importantly: don’t forget to say thank you. There really is no “I” in team. This year would not have been possible without every single
person who served with me. Too often, I felt like I was doing things on my own, and therefore simultaneously acted like I was. It wasn’t purposeful of course, and I have always had an independent spirit, but neglecting the help that was right in front of me was invalidating for those who were just as committed to the cause as I was. Just like me, they showed up every day to work and dedicate time to making our community a better place. It’s easy to get caught up in your work, especially when your personal life starts to take a toll, but in times like that it’s important to not isolate yourself. Instead, find gratitude in the people around you, and don’t forget to thank them for all that they do. The hole that you feel stuck in would be much deeper if they weren’t around. This year has been such an incredible experience and I am endlessly grateful for the guidance and support of the faculty and students of St. George’s. To Mr. McCollough, Wilson Young and Jackson Juckett, thank you for making this year so incredible. To the grade level representatives and house leaders, your executive board could not have done this without you. To the St. George’s community, thank you for trusting in me to serve you; it has been such a pleasure and I hope that I did you justice.
Photo by Livi VanSteenberg
Opinion | 19 Opinion | 17
Letters from
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ooking back on my time with the Lodge, I feel so thankful. Beginning at a new high school, I enrolled in media literacy and design to create a foundation for joining St. George’s newsmagazine because of my love for writing. In sophomore year, I joined The Lodge as a staff member. Since then, I’ve learned so much. The Lodge taught me the importance of sharing your voice, the urgency of media literacy, the significance of keeping up with the news, and how to lead and manage a staff. I’ve held other responsibilities this year, but as co-editor-in-chief, leading The Lodge has been my favorite because of what it is all about and the special community it creates. This year, we’ve had an incredible team. One that’s open and honest, that works together, and that pushes new initiatives. The “Letter from the Editor” is often focused on the senior leaving behind our legacy and statements to The Lodge’s posterity, but I want to highlight some of the incredible staff members and what they have accomplished in this past year. I begin with Sydney Murray, my co-host on The Press Pod. I would not have been able to bring the idea of the podcast to reality without Sydney as my partner. We worked together and created The Lodge’s first ever podcast and a room for all future St. George’s podcasts. The podcast has really shone as a way to
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start needed conversations as well as entertain our community. As of writing this, the latest episodes “Pressing the Professionals” and “Memphis Memories” have been my favorites. Interviewing four members of the Professionals team proved to be fun not only for me but also for the audience, and Sydney’s interview of the Jackson sisters continued the important conversation about a significant change in our community. I hope the future Lodge staff members will continue the Press Pod as an entertaining, fun way to spread the stories around our school to a different audience. Next, a shoutout to Bo Farnsworth and Colby Wiedower. As two new members of staff this year, they contributed so much more than expected. The best of which was the new initiative of weekly sports highlights. This initiative made waves in the St. George’s community. We highlighted the incredibly talented student athletes, and each week, it brought a smile to people’s faces. Students and coaches framed their editions and will be able to remember those sweet accomplishments for years to come. I love that they put so much effort into making sure this continues every week as a meaningful contribution to our community. Finally, I want to note Ella Coons and Molly Gorham. This year, both applied for a position on the editorial board and were excited to take on their roles as social media editor and web edi-
tor. They proved to be responsible and eager to brainstorm ideas as a team for the issues and solutions to issues. Their impact on the issues this year has been enormous. Thank you to these people and the other absolutely amazing members of The Lodge’s staff this year. I’m so impressed with all of you. We had incredible stories such as “Tag, Memphis. You’re it.” and “Love on the Brain” by Gabi Flohr and Jada Olende. We’ve had incredible designs such as “Logged On” and “Seeing Double” by Ella Coons and Bo Farnsworth. We put hard work into these issues, and I’m thankful for all of you for doing so. All of our staff members truly care for The Lodge, and their wish to expand GryphNation’s exposure to its stories, is what keeps The Lodge improving. We left our mark on the Lodge and St. George’s for years to come. Excited is an understatement for how I feel willing The Lodge to Marlon Yates. His talent for photography is unparalleled. He put hours into bettering the Lodge with photos, stories, and designs. As a kind, talented and intelligent person with the same appreciation for The Lodge, I know he will be an incredible co-editor-in-chief next year. Stay in tune for The Lodge issues and Press Pod episodes next year because I have full confidence they will be incredible. A huge thank you to Mr. Adcock. As the teacher sponsor of The Lodge, you have truly cared
about both the final product and us as students. You have listened to student opinions and truly respected us in the newsroom while guiding us as a great advisor does. I’m grateful for the years you have advised me and helped me to grow as a student and leader. We could not do it without your love and support. My favorite thing about The Lodge is how we are able to share so many positive stories about our community. St. George’s, especially in this past year, has gone through many improvements. We’ve made a shining comeback from COVID-19, and we’ve fostered a community that has many interesting stories to tell. While we can always improve as an institution and community, I love that The Lodge has more focus on stories of success than negative hit pieces. To any St. George’s students reading this, trust me that it’s worth it to join this class. The Lodge is a place where you find a special community in which you and your work are valued. The Lodge will undoubtedly grow your perspective and, given time, you as a person as well. As I leave St. George’s, I feel intense feelings of gratitude and hope for its future. I am so glad God has given me the opportunity to be a part of this special community and make my mark on an amazing institution. St. George’s and The Lodge will forever have a place in my heart as a big piece of my growth.
the Editors
D
ear reader, First, before I even tell you who I am, to my staff: thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. The Lodge in theory is the plural possessive “our” newsmagazine, and when I go on tirades occasionally “my” newsmagazine, but it has been and always will be yours. I appreciate every moment you spend writing, editing and leaning into the uncomfortable conversations. Taking on the job of a reporter requires a whole lot of confidence — it’s 90% requesting interviews, asking tough questions and opening things you’ve worked hard on to the harshest of criticism. Your tenacity both as writers and people astounds me, and I’m thankful no one has slashed my tires after some of the comments I’ve left during copy edits. I promise there was love in every “No,” “Bad” and “You’re holding the words on this page hostage, please save them.” Thank you for softening my sharpness while still never making me manage my expectations — I’ve often threatened that I won’t take credit for something subpar, and my name has been on every issue for the past three years. Thank you for your time, and for the honor of allowing me to be one of your co-editors-in-chief for the past two years. Leadership has meant that the hours are long and the to-do list is longer, but there has not been a day when I have dreaded walking through the door. To Mr. Adcock: here’s to four years of being Radcock. Throughout high school I’ve never not been writing for you, whether it was in Honors English
I or on staff as we both figured out together what it meant to run a newsmagazine. Thank you for reining me in when I go too far and telling me things straight-up. You — and Ms. Malott, but this is your moment — have made the biggest impact of any single teacher I have ever had. Your consistent support of my work, insofar as to actually have been the one to recommend that I join the class, has been the reason that I keep coming back. To put a few numbers to my time here, I’ve written just shy of 11,000 words under my byline, spread across six issues. I’ve been co-editor-in-chief of The Lodge for 744 days; in fact, I got my promotion just days after my driver’s license. The craziest part of me writing this today? I almost dropped the class — I was so intimidated by the room full of seniors who all seemed to know what they were doing that I nearly gave up before I even started. I’m not sure what convinced me to stay, but that choice has defined the majority of my high school career. As a senior myself now, I only sometimes know what I’m doing. I don’t think I’ll ever stop improvising, but I’ve come to realize that’s not bad; it’s actually the most necessary thing to thrive. What I do know: sometimes things suck. I’ve gone through breakups, gotten rejected from colleges and managed to win the senior superlative for worst driver — for me, the way to cope with that has always been writing, and a lot of that has been for The Lodge. This has been my creative outlet not only through words,
but also design and photography as I’ve become increasingly confident across mediums. It was only through the constant encouragement and guidance from other people on staff that I was able to find my footing and create some of the things I have today. My biggest piece of advice is to remember how much you have achieved. It’s easy to focus on people who are doing better than you because we’re built to strive, to want more. I fell into that trap and spent most of my senior year stressed out of my mind by comparisons that were completely irrelevant; I lived in a spiral about the three colleges that rejected me (including what I thought was my dream school), wondering what little things I could’ve changed to get the outcome I wanted. And guess what — in all of that turmoil I forgot that for every school I hadn’t gotten into, I was being offered a full ride by five more. I’ve taken one of those, and I couldn’t be more excited about the next four years. My point is this: life is hard. Find the good, and more good will come. There is no way to measure the impact The Lodge has had on my life, so I won’t try to quantify it. I’ve loved my time, and I’m so excited to pass the torch to the
remaining four members of this year’s staff. To our future co-editors: forget everything everyone has done before you. You are not in anyone’s shadow, and you’re not bound by tradition. I tore down huge parts of The Lodge and molded it into something completely new with Sienna and Kirklyn, and I advise you to do the same. It’s a living, breathing organism, and its image is reliant on the people who comprise it. This is yours now — my only request is that you figure out a new version of the L on the staff page. And, finally, remember the importance of the press. This is the only record, and silence is complicent. Censorship does happen — it occured with this issue and the pulling of my story about the closure of the Memphis Campus. Work in spite of it. The Lodge isn’t just a place to perform, but to grow — I entered this room as a half-decent wrier on shaky legs, and left a national award winner. There are more people who want you to succeed than ever want you to fail, and this staff has been proof. Thank you to everyone who made my time here immeasurably better. Signing off,
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.
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Class of 2025 Senior Wills
Molly Gorham wills being the coolest Gorham to Lila and Brendan Gorham.
Mary Frances Forbes wills being Team Captain of the Mock Trial Team to Alex Dunn.
Sarah Brunson wills her extreme cheer and lacrosse skills to Victoria Sandoval.
Austin Lane wills being fast to Hudson Burns.
Griffin Davis wills President of the greatest club ever to Cort Casey.
McKenna Brigman wills everything she learned in Spanish to Daniella Moore.
Lily Beagle wills a Zaxby’s Big Zax Snack (with a Dr. Pepper) to John Dewey-Hudson.
Luke Grant wills his responsibility of taking Thomas Pruett home after YoungLife to Jackson Juckett.
Caroline Wood wills being the best Wood to Connor Wood.
Gavin Clarke wills nerd-sized locker to Jasper “The Jock” Rhodes.
Jake Stovall wills a letterman jacket to Jasper “The Jock” Rhodes.
Tyler Bergin wills his lunch money to Jasper “The Jock” Rhodes.
Bo Farnsworth wills Dev Dalsania’s passes to him to Jasper Rhodes.
Holly Herrera wills her silly attitude and endless passion to Riley Griffin: May you always follow your heart and continue being yourself.
Isabella Coons wills her love of tea to Autumn Phothirath.
Dalton Lewis wills the Louis Baton to Ilyas Caple.
Sydney Murray wills giving underclassmen rides home after practice to Elle Weathersby.
Bennett Davis wills his official ginger status to Aiden Rubín, and his CYPRESS pride, amazing comedy and infinite sarcasm to the rest of his lunch table: May their discussions never cease to be absolutely insane!
Christina Moore wills best ‘Moore’ to Daniella Moore.
Stephen Moutoux wills his St. George’s sweatshirts to Kate Moutoux.
Sloan Carruth wills being the fashionista ofthe tennis team to Ava Magness.
Wilson Young wills best Arkansas girlfriend to Lucy Dunavant.
Margaret O’Neill wills being a soccer GOAT to Emma Bearman.
Leinah Pathak wills her kindness and joy to Yana Patel: Always spread positivity around, and it will come back to you.
Kirklyn Moore wills running The Lodge to Marlon Yates.
Livi VanSteenberg wills being co-editor-inchief of the Lodge to Gabi Flohr.
Colby Wiedower wills his his elite coaching ability to Nicholas Miller.