8
The Newspaper of St. George’s Independent School Volume XI, Issue VI The May 2013 Gryphon Gazette Spring has sprung, and summer is upon us! While most of us will say tempo- rary goodbyes to our teachers and friends, others will walk across that hallowed stage to finally receive their long- awaited diplomas. As we say farewell to our friends in the class of 2013, we look for- ward to their successors in the junior class, the incom- ing freshman, and the cross- ing over of the fifth graders from the Lower School. As exciting as it is to think of seeing our friends again in August, it is even more excit- ing to imagine our seniors beginning a new chapter in their lives outside of the St. George’s community. We at the Gryphon Gazette wish the best for our soon-to-be alumni, and a happy sum- mer to all of our readers. Top Stories Opinion Sports Features Student Life Health and Education: A High Schooler’s Battle Seniors Spot Freshman Phenoms St. George’s Bids Farewell to the Culley Family Seniors Make Their Wills Gryphon ews N Memorable Moments: The Class of 2013 Says Goodbye Every year as the seniors prepare to scatter across the country, we begin to realize just what a vital role they play in the community of our school. With so many irreplaceable individuals, how will life go on without the Class of 2013? To focus on good memories in- stead of the inevitable loss, faculty and staff reflect on the many funny, senti- mental, and unforgettable experiences they have had with the senior class. English teacher Ms. Jen- nifer Vasil has many sto- ries that capture the true personality of the depart- ing class. “Kara Miller, Molly Schaefer, Alexa Roe, Angela Vanderslice, Emma Sisson, and Samer Istanbouli sat on one side of the room in sixth period and were enamored with Disney princesses,” she recalled. “That half of the room almost drove me insane. They convinced a substitute teacher that it was okay for them to play Disney songs for an entire class period.” The film adaptations class, likewise, offered a unique glimpse into the se- niors: “Hannah Murrey enjoys baked goods and obscure movies from the 1950’s starring Sophia Loren. She man- aged to purchase a bootlegged copy from somewhere in Southeast Asia of a movie called “Boy on a Dolphin,” which was enjoyed in class with a full supply of baked goods.” Ms. Vasil also expressed sympathy with seniors who have experienced unfortunate situations. “James Heard has the worst luck with standardized testing, though he seems to have per- fected the technique of staying dry in a hammock, unlike Matthew O’Bar.” She also expressed her fear of one day losing Reid Tinker to the space-time vortex he appears to fall into upon ex- iting a room mid-class. Like Ms. Vasil, Mr. Cul- ley has also taken the time to reflect upon a few noteworthy memo- ries about varying per- sonalities in senior class. “Caleb Whitehead used to grow moss in his bath- room sink,” he remem- bers. “And Samer used to do flips in the hallways during his first six weeks at SGIS. He is an accomplished gym- nast.” Mr. Culley also seemed to recall several particular instances involving peculiar displays of sartorial splendor. “Heather Haase and the golden bloom- ers incident definitely sticks out in my mind,” he said, “along with Harmony Riley’s tail.” When asked for stories about the se- nior class, Dr. Margaret Robertson re- marked that she had one word: BRAD- STREET. She also fondly remembered Davis Lenoir’s short-lived acting ca- reer as Helen of Troy in the class’s pro- duction of “Doctor Faustus.” “Davis in a blonde wig truly is the face that launched a thousand ships.” Along with Davis’s performance, she recalled Evan Darty as Blanche Dubois in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” a role that captures a fading southern belle who is trying to seduce a young paper- boy. “Apparently we do a lot of cross- dressing in my class,” she said, adding that she would also like to thank Ian John who kept her from almost poison- ing the young actor with peanut but- ter cookies. “It would have been really awkward,” she admitted. As Dean of Students, Mr. Densford probably remembers more about the seniors than they would like. However, out of the plethora of memories he has about the class, he holds a few close to his heart. “I remember when Jack Babb and Brendan Horton put a mini-fridge in the Upper-School Lounge, complete with a lock to keep out unwanted visi- tors,” he said. “That was a really big deal at the time.” He also fondly remembers catching Patrick Clark and Tate Lowrance play- ing hide-and-seek instead of going to chapel. “I found them huddled togeth- er in a corner.” Mr. Densford would like to remind Austin Grisham that no indeed, teabags do not smell good when set on fire. Dagny Vaughn ’14 Seniors don their college shirts for Decision Day. Ms. Trish Dianetti Cont. on Page 6 “Davis in a blonde wig truly is the face that launched a thousand ships…”

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Page 1: Gryphon Gazette 2012-13, Issue 6

The Newspaper of St. George’s Independent School Volume XI, Issue VI

TheMay 2013

Gryphon Gazette• •

Spring has sprung, and summer is upon us! While most of us will say tempo-rary goodbyes to our teachers and friends, others will walk across that hallowed stage to finally receive their long-awaited diplomas. As we say farewell to our friends in the class of 2013, we look for-ward to their successors in the junior class, the incom-ing freshman, and the cross-ing over of the fifth graders from the Lower School.

As exciting as it is to think of seeing our friends again in August, it is even more excit-ing to imagine our seniors beginning a new chapter in their lives outside of the St. George’s community. We at the Gryphon Gazette wish the best for our soon-to-be alumni, and a happy sum-mer to all of our readers.

TopStories

Opinion

Sports

Features

Student Life

Health and Education: A High Schooler’s Battle

Seniors Spot Freshman Phenoms

St. George’s Bids Farewell to the Culley Family

Seniors Make Their Wills

GryphonewsN

Memorable Moments: The Class of 2013 Says Goodbye

Every year as the seniors prepare to scatter across the country, we begin to realize just what a vital role they play in the community of our school. With so many irreplaceable individuals, how will life go on without the Class of 2013? To focus on good memories in-stead of the inevitable loss, faculty and staff reflect on the many funny, senti-mental, and unforgettable experiences they have had with the senior class.

English teacher Ms. Jen-nifer Vasil has many sto-ries that capture the true personality of the depart-ing class. “Kara Miller, Molly Schaefer, Alexa Roe, Angela Vanderslice, Emma Sisson, and Samer Istanbouli sat on one side of the room in sixth period and were enamored with Disney princesses,” she recalled. “That half of the room almost drove me insane. They convinced a substitute teacher that it was okay for them to play Disney songs for an entire class period.”

The film adaptations class, likewise, offered a unique glimpse into the se-niors: “Hannah Murrey enjoys baked goods and obscure movies from the 1950’s starring Sophia Loren. She man-aged to purchase a bootlegged copy from somewhere in Southeast Asia of a movie called “Boy on a Dolphin,”

which was enjoyed in class with a full supply of baked goods.”

Ms. Vasil also expressed sympathy with seniors who have experienced unfortunate situations. “James Heard has the worst luck with standardized testing, though he seems to have per-fected the technique of staying dry in a hammock, unlike Matthew O’Bar.” She also expressed her fear of one day losing Reid Tinker to the space-time vortex he appears to fall into upon ex-iting a room mid-class.

Like Ms. Vasil, Mr. Cul-ley has also taken the time to reflect upon a few noteworthy memo-ries about varying per-sonalities in senior class. “Caleb Whitehead used to grow moss in his bath-room sink,” he remem-

bers. “And Samer used to do flips in the hallways during his first six weeks at SGIS. He is an accomplished gym-nast.” Mr. Culley also seemed to recall several particular instances involving peculiar displays of sartorial splendor. “Heather Haase and the golden bloom-ers incident definitely sticks out in my mind,” he said, “along with Harmony Riley’s tail.”

When asked for stories about the se-nior class, Dr. Margaret Robertson re-marked that she had one word: BRAD-STREET. She also fondly remembered Davis Lenoir’s short-lived acting ca-

reer as Helen of Troy in the class’s pro-duction of “Doctor Faustus.” “Davis in a blonde wig truly is the face that launched a thousand ships.”

Along with Davis’s performance, she recalled Evan Darty as Blanche Dubois in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” a role that captures a fading southern belle who is trying to seduce a young paper-boy. “Apparently we do a lot of cross-dressing in my class,” she said, adding that she would also like to thank Ian John who kept her from almost poison-ing the young actor with peanut but-ter cookies. “It would have been really awkward,” she admitted.

As Dean of Students, Mr. Densford probably remembers more about the seniors than they would like. However, out of the plethora of memories he has about the class, he holds a few close to his heart. “I remember when Jack Babb and Brendan Horton put a mini-fridge in the Upper-School Lounge, complete with a lock to keep out unwanted visi-tors,” he said. “That was a really big deal at the time.”

He also fondly remembers catching Patrick Clark and Tate Lowrance play-ing hide-and-seek instead of going to chapel. “I found them huddled togeth-er in a corner.” Mr. Densford would like to remind Austin Grisham that no indeed, teabags do not smell good when set on fire.

Dagny Vaughn ’14

Seniors don their college shirts for Decision Day. Ms. Trish Dianetti

Cont. on Page 6

“Davis in a blonde wig truly is the face that launched a thousand ships…”

Page 2: Gryphon Gazette 2012-13, Issue 6

2 Editorial May St. George’s Independent School• •

Newspaper Staff• •

Editor-in-Chief

Regan HewittVirginia Whitsitt

Samer IstanbouliKayce Hyde

Alexis HarshbargerLindsey Cayce

Margaret Robertson

Dagny Vaughn

Ian John

Jamie Roche

Meredith GatlinMaggie Courtney

Nathalie Vacheron

Emily Dickey

Copy Editors

Layout Editors

Photo Editors

Features Editors

Opinion Editor

Sports Editor

Student Life Editors

Advisor

Need a

SHOUTOUT?If you need to advertise any clubs or make any announcements, please e-mail Regan [email protected]!

Zoe LeakeEntertainment Editor

SeniorMoments

• •

Our seniors, bless their sweet, little, pre-cious hearts, are in their final days of their St. George’s journey. True to their occasionally contrarian, sometimes stubborn, and always “unique” character, Lucky ‘13 is forging their own road to commence-ment, just as Marshal Tito did to Communism in Yugoslavia.

We celebrate the Class of 2013 with a final snap-shot of their time here as they validate the Mr. Taylor Theory of Senior Regression:

• Citing Google Images as a source on a paper

• The arrival of Viola and the stir it has caused.

• Prama

Anonymous

• The annual tempest in a teapot regarding college sign placement as May 1 looms

• The collective shift (male and female) to-ward prepping for prom night beauty and away from their aca-demic obligations.

• Adding tea bags to a list of flammable items banned by the TSA.

• The request to allow streaming of the Mas-ters during the aca-demic day.

• One of them mak-ing a comment to Mrs. Reilly (of Honor Coun-cil fame) that caused some to simply think, “Really? you just said that?”

You Say Goodbye...Hello St. George’s commu-

nity...Well, I said hello — even

though technically this is good-bye.

And now is the moment where I stop myself from wading into that horrible, horrible territory of sappy clichés and quoting of Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye” (not sure what the use of that would be anyway, seeing as Andrea’s satiny voice sings the melodic ballad in Italian, and as far as I know, not too many of us know Italian). But it is true. It’s my last edito-rial. I should say something im-portant and strong and memo-rable and inspiring. So I suppose I’ll try to muster up something along those lines.

I’ve been a fan of telling stories throughout the year, so I guess it makes sense to continue the tradition. Once upon a time, I was a senior in high school. I did all the fun, senior-y things that seniors do each year, like the Starry Nights hay ride, the senior-parent din-ner, senior prom, and so on. Then one day, I went to the nail salon, wearing some nice shades and some cute flip-flops, craving a relaxing pedicure, a Seventeen magazine, and Diet Coke.

Basically, I strolled into that

nail salon, feeling high and mighty and glamorous, fully fulfilling the stereotype of your quintessential teenage girl. And as I twirled my keys in my hand and I scanned the rack for that “perf” shade of baby blue for my nails, a woman said to me, “You drive?”

“Yes, ma’am, I do.”“No way! You can’t be driving!

I thought you were in the sev-enth grade.”

Cue the reddening of the face, stammering of “actually I’m a senior”/”I was in seventh grade five years ago”/”Can I accompa-ny you to the nearest physician to get your eyes checked,” and awkward small talk.

At the time, I didn’t consider it the finest moment. However, looking back, that moment was one of the most defining mo-ments of my senior year. A revela-tion came over me and it all sunk in. I was a senior in high school.

I was once in seventh grade, and r e g a r d -less of my height and child-like

essence, I am no longer in sev-enth grade. Time has passed with a surprising spryness that we always talk about, but never realize how fast it goes until it’s all gone.

So, as much as I was trying to avoid clichés, it looks like that’s what this has wound down to.

Regan, 2012-2013 newspaper staff, and all seventh graders out there: cherish each moment. This advice won’t change how much you want to graduate high school and move on with your life, but as you wish time away, at least acknowledge how pre-cious your time is. It’s constant, yet intangible, and as fleeting as the moments when people think I’m actually the age that I am.

Dr. Robertson, 2012-2013 newspaper staff, and last but not least, my senior class: I love you all dearly. Thank you for your time. Our time may be coming to an end, but I will never forget each and every one of you. Thank you for laughing with me, laughing at me, and of course, liking or pretending to like my editorials.

Time to say goodbye, paesi che non ho mai, veduto e vis-suto con te adesso sì li vivrò.

Do I know what that means? No.

Can we pretend that Andrea Bocelli, the lyrical genius him-self, is singing about how much I’ve loved being your Gryphon Gazette Editor-in-Chief, and how much I appreciate the time I’ve spent on the staff?

Yes. Yes, we can.

Always,Nathalie Vacheron Your 2012-2013 Editor-in-Chief

Nathalie Vacheron ’13

Cherish every moment.

Relish being new.

...And I Say Hello.Hi. Hello. Howdy, if you like.

Well, here I am. The new Editor-in-Chief of the Gryphon Gazette. It still feels very strange for me to recognize that about myself. I feel like the new kid at a new school in a new town in a new... Well, you get the idea. I feel new. It’s a very strange sensation to have at seven-teen (everything already feels so old, you know?). I haven’t felt so new in a while.

The last time I felt “new” was my first day of school at St. George’s, as a freshman. It was awful.

Confession Time: I’m a huge control freak. I like to know what’s going on all the time and when I don’t have a schedule, I panic. Basically, before the first day of high school was even over, it was already a disaster in my eyes be-cause I knew nothing. I literally had to ask where the lunchroom was, even though it’s smack-dab in the middle of the school. It was mortifying for me.

If that’s not enough of an ex-ample, try being a complete and total stranger to the vast major-ity of your grade. Try learning

ninety-four new names, coming from a small school that did not even have ninety-four enrolled students. Imagine having to do homework for the first time in your entire life. I didn’t know hope to cope at all. I hated feel-ing new.

Eventually, however, the weeks wore into months and the months pieced together into the first three years of my high school career. Personally, I think I’ve caught on. I’m not going to say that I nec-e s s a r i l y e m b r a c e “new” ex-periences, but in ret-rospect, I agree that being new isn’t the worst. Every-one, at some point in their lives or another, is going to be new. So, learn to live with it as soon as possible.

There’s a large portion of our school that will have to adapt to being new again quite soon. The seniors are saying goodbye. Many of them have known each other for a very, very long time and some will probably never

see each other again, which is sad but realistic.

However, don’t look at this as a negative. Look at it as some-thing new. Seniors, you get to be new again, a feeling many of you have not had to process in many years. So, my advice, as the lowly junior, would be to make the most of feeling new in your college environment, wherever it may be. Remem-ber your high school friends but truly, relish being new. I don’t

think there’s a day when you feel new that is boring; terrify-ing, perhaps, but not boring.

While it feels strange to be

saying hello while so many are saying good-bye, I’m looking forward to being the Gryphon Gazette 2013-2014 Editor-in-Chief. It’s another chance to feel new, and I couldn’t be happier about that opportunity.

Yours sincerely, Regan HewittEditor-in-Chief

Regan Hewitt ’14

Page 3: Gryphon Gazette 2012-13, Issue 6

3OpinionMay St. George’s Independent School• •The opinions expressed in this section reflect the views of individual writers and are not necessarily those of the Gryphon Gazette or its staff.

Health and Education:A High Schooler’s Battle

It was often easier just to tell myself that there was a rea-son for what I was doing, that there was a reason for drag-ging myself through those long days and longer nights in high school. But you see, in high school, being stressed and having long days is just a part of the game. Rushing out the door, missing breakfast, and arriving to your class barely on time, all the while trying to stay awake in your classes is the unfortunate truth we high school kids live by.

At first, I thought this was unique to me. Maybe I was the only one who faced these seem-ingly insurmountable chal-

Do We Have To? The Art Credit Debate

Math has never been my area of expertise. Unless I have my “Wow, I get it!” moment upon be-ing introduced to the topic, it is likely that the moment will never come. On the other hand, though, I find pottery to be both engag-ing and fascinating. The ability to explore both of these fields, math and pottery, are available here at St. George’s, but are the playing fields equal?

As a lover of the arts and human-ities, my inability to take pottery a full year but my requirement to take four full years of math strikes me as unfair.

It should certainly be noted “that this school believes in the importance of the fine arts,” as Mr. Marques Brown points out and

values “what they can teach us about critical thinking, creativity, and ourselves as a culture.”

However, the lack of commit-ment to the arts in the student body is evident in that fact that some students try to use these one-third credit arts courses as quick fixes to fulfill mandatory graduation requirements. The student body makes the decision to undermine art in their studies independently of the school’s in-fluence.

Though school’s use of one-third credits might appear to be a slackening in overall commit-ment to the arts, it can also be seen as an extra effort towards encouraging exploration in art and the humanities.

“There are so many schools

Zoe Leake ‘14

Ian John ’13

On a cold winter night during De-cember of my seventh-grade year, I was swept away by the magical ex-citement of finally being allowed to go to the Jingle Bell Ball. Though I can re-member a series of small details, from the color of the dress I wore to the logo on my date’s tie, the dance itself is nothing more than a blurry memory clouded with anxiety. For instead of enjoying what would typically be an exciting night in the life of a middle-school girl, I spent the entire time fear-ing the inevitable moment the dance would end.

Today, as a junior with a number of senior friends, I feel a similar grow-ing panic as the end approaches. Go-ing off to different schools in different cities, they will build new lives in dis-tant corners of the world, figuring out what lies beyond high school and who they wish to be. And though I look at them with bittersweet happiness for their accomplishments, I cannot help but acknowledge the lingering re-minder that their new lives will begin at the same time that my old one will continue — very far away and very much apart from it all.

From the first day of the school year, when the newly crowned Prefects de-buted their video of Peace Dove wis-dom and push-ups, I have viewed this year with a dread for its ending. But perhaps through my attempts to pre-serve each and every “last” with these precious individuals, I forgot to fully experience the time I have left with them. Though it may be true that, “Things change and friends leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody,” as Stephen Chbosky writes in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” perhaps it is not a matter of stopping life from hap-pening as it is keeping up as it contin-ues.

During these last few days that we have with our beloved seniors, it is important to maintain a focus not on the diminishing time, but on how that time can be spent. Nothing can be said to relieve the pain of watching friends move on after being a part of their lives, but we cannot let the fear of the inevitable distract us from fully expe-riencing the moments left. We must value and appreciate the years we have known the seniors, and remem-ber that being afraid of their leaving is simply a reflection of their impor-tance.

Endings may be difficult, but they are necessary part of experience. Af-ter all, as Friedrich Nietzsche once stated, “The end of a melody is not its goal: but nonetheless, had the melody not reached its end it would not have reached its goal either.”

On Endings

lenges that forced me to pull my hair out every evening. I knew something wasn’t right, but I also knew I wasn’t alone. The mere fact of the matter is, we students are overloaded.

Contrary to popular be-lief, a high school student’s life is very demanding and high stress. Often it leads to unhealthy eating habits and overall degradation of our health. However, the real question is not if we have stress, but rather where it comes from.

For some, it’s the self-pres-sure and determination of wanting to do well that drives us to go insane each night. For

that cut art first when finances are tight,” Mr. Danny Broadway said. “It’s nice to see that a school places such an emphasis on art.”

According to the 21st-Centu-ry Skills Map, “Business lead-ers and visionary thinkers con-cerned about preparation of students for the future know that the ability to be creative — a key 21st Century Skill — is native to the arts and is one of the primary processes learned through arts education.”

When taking this into consid-eration, although the one-thirds art credit does represent a push for student’s art engagement along with their more strenuous academic courses, it is my opin-ion that more arts should be re-quired.

Dagny Vaughn ’14others, it comes from home, coaches or even the teacher’s high expectations for us to per-form well. But, for most, those sleepless nights and those dreadful mornings come from us compromising on essentials, like sleep and food, because we are stretched way too thin in other areas of our lives.

As most gluttons do, we stack our plates mile high with ex-tracurricular activities, leaving us with “bad stomachaches” called tears at the end of the day. So what is the solution to the madness?

Do a little more of nothing. It has been shown that people who are able to relax more have a greater chance of liv-ing longer. In America, we are self-consumed by this false reality that work is the es-sence of life. This mentality is developed from an early age in grade school all the way to adulthood. If students actually relaxed more and stressed less then they will probably see im-provements in their academic, social and extracurricular life.

I understand the value of working hard, but most stu-dents, including myself, need to scrape off some of that extra stuff off their plate and just do nothing. Sometimes, doing less really is more.

Alexis Harshbarger ‘13

Page 4: Gryphon Gazette 2012-13, Issue 6

4 EntertainmentMay St. George’s Independent School• •

A Peculiar Review: “Miss Peregrine’s” is Worth the Read

It must be hard for authors to find their inspiration for their pieces of work. How-ever, the author of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” Ransom Riggs, found his inspiration through a creation of photographs in flea markets across Ameri-ca. The pictures are of “peculiar children” with unique talents that could be found in circuses in the early 1900’s. He uses these

Meredith Gatlin ’14

Staying Safe at Summer ShowsMaybe you’re planning on taking a

concert trip over the summer, or you plan on going to see a favorite band at the Fe-dEx Forum or Snowden Grove. Perhaps you plan on going to Minglewood or the New Daisy for a local show, or you could be at the Smith7 house to see Wicker or the Star Killers. There are a few things to keep in mind when attending concerts, and as a frequent concert-goer, here are some of my secrets.

Outdoor Concerts (Memphis in May, Bonnaroo, etc.):1. There will be mud — don’t wear your favorite shoes. Frankly, don’t wear any-thing you don’t want dirty. 2. Don’t wear layers — it will get hot, and you will regret it.

3. Bring a poncho along (a fold up one in a small bag that you can carry) if you don’t like getting rained on. Otherwise, enjoy the rain and hope your favorite band keeps playing.

Big Shows (Snowden, The Forum, etc.):1. If there is a lawn, don’t be afraid of get-ting seats there. Bring a blanket or a towel and relax. There are no bad seats on the lawn.2. Sometimes, the band you see won’t be incredible — watch out for getting your hopes up too much. 3. The sound quality will either be great in an arena or literally the worst thing ever. There really is no gray area — be prepared.

Local Shows (1884 Lounge, Minglewood,

Elijah Poston ’13

Tim Burton Producing New Addams Family Movie

Tim Burton is currently producing a new Addams Family movie that will be a 3D stop-motion film. Being the di-rector of “Edward Scissorhands” and countless other amazing (not to men-tion, creepy) films, Burton should be the perfect director for this new movie. He will easily be able to bring a strange yet fittingly eerie vibe to the produc-tion.

Burton chose for it to be stop-motion animation in order to exemplify the original Addams Family comics rather than the 90’s television show. The chop-py look of stop-motion will allow for the film to seem more dated while also maintaining a state of originality that is rarely seen in movies these days.

Though many fans are skeptical about the choice of not featuring live

Courtney Harshbarger ’15

actors, it was a wise decision not to do so. Real actors would make it seem too much like another sequel made by lazy directors who could not come up with a new plotline. By making a film version of the comics, the film should be refresh-ingly different from the majority of new movies coming out.

Burton also stressed the fact that the movie will not be a sequel or a redo of the cartoons or the TV show. It will sim-ply be additional and completely new stories about the same ensemble cast. This new film seems very promising and will hopefully turn out as perfectly as Burton’s other films have in the past. It seems as though fans of both Burton and the Addams family will not be disap-pointed and should certainly make plans to see it.

Top 10 Rainy Day Movies10. Sleepwalk With MeThis is the true story of Mike Birbiglia,

playing a character called Matt Pandamiglio, trying to juggle his love life, his sleepwalk-ing disorder, and being a stand up comedian. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of stand up comedy, or just comedy in general.

9. UpThis fun family film is about 78-year old

Carl, who decides to fulfill his and his wife’s lifelong dream of living in Paradise Falls, but accidently brings along Russell, an eight-year old wilderness explorer. This is a great film for the family, and it is just plain fun.

8. Moonrise KingdomWes Anderson is at it again with this

quirky film about two young lovers, Suzy and Sam, who run away together to find hap-piness. If you like good goofy humor, then you will love this movie.

7. BernieRichard Linklater did a fantastic job direct-

ing this true story about a young mortician, Bernie Tiede (Jack Black), who strikes up an odd relationship with Marjorie Nugent (Shir-ley Maclaine). Any Jack Black fans would love this movie.

6. Lars and the Real GirlIn this quirky comedy Lars (Ryan Gosling)

finally finds a girlfriend and decides to bring her to meet his friends, but she is not the kind of girl they expected. Ryan Gosling was fan-tastic as this socially awkward young man.

Alex King ’18 5. Harold and MaudeThis is a 1971 movie about Harold, a

death-obsessed teenager who strikes up an odd relationship with an older woman named Maude, the polar opposite of Harold.

4. Raising ArizonaA couple that can’t have children decide

to “steal” a child from a furniture storeown-er, Nathan Arizona, (Nicholas Cage) in this hilarious Coen brothers film. For me, this is Nicolas Cage at his best. Also, if you are a fan of the Coen brothers, they did a fantastic job with this film.

3. The GooniesThis is a heartwarming story about a

group of kids who set out to find pirates’ treasure after discovering a treasure map in their attic. Anyone who is a fan of 80’s mov-ies will especially love The Goonies. I rec-ommend this to everyone, and this is a great family movie.

2. Monsieur LazharThis is the story of an Algerian immigrant

who is hired at a Montréal grade school af-ter a tragedy that will bring the students and the new teacher, Monsieur Lazhar, together. This story will bring tears to your eyes and I guarantee this will be a film that you will not soon forget.

1. The Dark KnightThis action-thriller is about Batman

(Christian Bale) who must protect Gotham from his worst enemy, the Joker. This movie is fantastic for action lovers and has some of my favorite action scenes ever.

The two-show run of “The Fantasticks” was a “fantastic” success. The musical, featuring actors from the senior, junior, and sophmore class-es, was brilliantly directed by Mr. Whitehead and co-directed with Mr. Brown. The St. George’s community eagerly awaits the next musical.

7house, New Daisy, etc):1. As annoying as they seem, earplugs are necessary (some bands are really loud, and others just stink). You’ll be the only one with-out ringing ears, and you’ll be happy about it. 2. Don’t be afraid to show up a little late if you want to see the last band. Unless you want a good spot, then you have to sit through the others, which could be torture. 3. If your friends are in a band or are per-forming, it means more to them than you know if you are at their show.

Universal Rules:1. Eat before or after the concert — unless there are local food vendors (BSMF), the food and drinks will be marked up like it’s the apocalypse.

2. People will be under the influence at shows. Don’t be upset because they’re screaming their head off during your fa-vorite song or are trying to talk to you dur-ing the show. Think of it as an interesting opportunity to people-watch, and then be thankful that you can actually enjoy the music. Sober. 3. If you hate crowds or get a little claustro-phobic, do not get general admission seats. The expression should be “packed like kids on the edge of a circle pit” Sardines ain’t got nothin’ on concert crowds. Otherwise, squeeze your way to the front and enjoy the stranger sweat. 4. Have fun. The band is there for you and you are there for the band, and if you’re at a really good show, you can tell when they care. It is the best feeling in the world.

pictures to tell the tale of sixteen-year-old Jacob Portman.

Jacob has a close relationship with his grandfather, whose past is full of secrets. When his grandfather is murdered in the beginning of the book, Jacob sets off for an island in Wales to uncover the truth of his grandfather’s past. Once arriving on the island, Jacob finds a time loop that takes him to the 1940’s. This is where he meets Miss. Peregrine and her home full of peculiar children.

An example of these children would be Emma, who controls fire; Millard, who is invisible; and Bronwyn, who has incred-ible strength. The readers eventually dis-cover that Jacob and the other children are being chased by “hollows,” the mon-sters that murdered Jacob’s grandfather. Jacob must do all he can to save Miss Per-egrine and her “peculiar” children.

This book is full of action, adventure, and quirks that make it really special. The book draws the reader into a world full of mystery and awe. The readers fall in love with all the children and wish they could have some of the children’s special talents. The book itself is very unique; personally, I have never heard of a book whose story is based off of pho-tographs. I think this book is something that all ages of readers would enjoy. It is also one of those books that when you start reading you just can’t put it down. I recommend that everyone should read this book!

Regan Hewitt ‘14

Page 5: Gryphon Gazette 2012-13, Issue 6

5SportsMay St. George’s Independent School• •

Seen but Rarely Heard: Coach Walthall Heads Varsity Baseball Program

He’s a man with many talents and many ti-tles. Mr. Buzz Walthall, better known as Coach Buzz, quietly makes a huge impact on the St. George’s students everyday. Aside from being the father of two sons, Mr. Walthall takes the titles of St. George’s Facility Manager, head coach of varsity baseball, and an assistant middle school football coach. As the Facility Manager, he prepares game fields, works on landscape, and is the all around go-to guy in the St. George’s sports community. This year, Mr. Walthall has transitioned from an assistant varsity baseball coach to the head of the pro-gram.

Mr. Walthall remarked that, starting at the young age of eight years old, baseball has al-ways been in his life. He continued to play var-sity baseball in his high school years, then two years in college. Because he was a member of the Memphis Tigers community as a younger player, Mr. Walthall coached competitive base-ball for the Memphis and Arlington Tigers pro-

grams for “so many years he stopped keeping count.” Entering his sixth year of coaching at St. George’s, it’s safe to say that he is more than qualified to take on this role.

When asked about this year’s season, Mr. Walthall commented that the baseball pro-gram lost a lot of starting seniors last year, but continues to have a young, talented team. He continued in saying that his goal for the sea-son was to, “develop the young guys for the future, knowing this year [they would] be a .500 team.” At the time this article was writ-ten, Mr. Walthall said that the baseball team was struggling with five starters out, but the team, in general, was passable.

Looking forward, Mr. Walthall remarks that the “future’s looking bright.” He has focused on creating a “more aggressive mental game” with the players, and continuing to make them fundamentally sound. When asked about his style as compared to previous coaches, Mr. Walthall ironically remarked that he is “more vocal, but more laid back.”

Virginia Whitsitt ‘14

Track Gets New Coaches, Sets New School Records

It’s out with the old and in with the new. This year’s track season started off with a new head coach, Tiffany Alden. She is also the girls’ long-distance coach, and her husband, Randy Alden, is the new boys’ long- distance coach. The other coaches are Coach Hayden and Coach Skip Miller.

One of the track team’s recent endeavors was at the Houston track meet during April 12-13. It would be safe to say that this meet was a little overwhelming because there were over one thousand runners entered in the meet, and at least fifty runners in each event. No one from St. George’s came home with a blue ribbon, but many of the St. George’s runners made new school records. Sophomore Chazz Sim-mons set the new school record for the long jump, and Ste-ven Joe, a junior, came in tenth place in the 3200.

St. George’s has a very strong athletic department, but it’s sad to see that some of these sports are underappreci-ated, including track and field. All Gryphon athletes should be recognized, including the track team. Rumor has it that senior Kara Miller could qualify for the state meet in the 400 m run. She placed 4th in the regional meet last year. Sophomore Eric Reed deserves recognition as well. During the Houston meet, Reed was tripped in the first ten feet of the 1600 meet. He received a track burn and was covered in blood from being spiked, but he got up and ran all the way to finish line.

Two-hour practices, hard workouts, and long meets are all things that a track runner deals with. The runners are brave to go onto the track and give it their all in events that bring out maximum effort in all participants. So let us all appreciate the hard work and effort given by the Gryphon track and field team by going out and supporting them on their run to State!

Meredith Gatlin ’14

Seniors Spot Freshman Phenomenons As the senior class prepares to leave us,

one might wonder how our sports teams can continue down the path of greatness. Have no fear; the Class of 2016 is full of athletic stars that will soon try to fill the shoes of our gradu-ating team leaders. Here are just a few of the freshman that the seniors are excited about.

Sport: Boys’ LacrosseSource: Michael Pigors ’13 Freshman: “Gray Hill has the speed we

need and the hits that will make you sick. He will do great things.“

Sport: Girls’ Basketball Source: Libby Heflin ’13Freshman: “Sope Adeleye will be a solid

addition to the team. She has great skills and is a supportive teammate. If she continues to work hard, I know she will one day be able to fill my shoes. “

to start this past season. He has really great potential and just an all-around great player. He will do great things for the program. “

Sport: Boys’ SoccerSource: Dylan Young ’13Freshman: “Carson Schelp really knows

how to kick the soccer ball. He is the younger brother of one of the team’s strongest players, and will continue to improve and become a great leader of the team. “

Sport: Girls’ SoccerSource: Courtney Clark ’13Freshman: “Olivia Rooney has what it

takes to be the next star of the Lady Gry-phon’s soccer program. As a freshman, she has already proved to be a huge contributor with her speed and quickness at the forward position.“

Sport: VolleyballSource: Grace Taylor ’13Freshman: “Sophia Quesada is a great vol-

leyball player and such a fun teammate and has great leadership qualities. If she contin-ues to improve, she will without a doubt maintain her super-star status in the pro-gram. “

Sport: SwimmingSource: Amanda Fitzpatrick ’13Freshman: “William McBride is an excel-

lent swimmer, making state in two events as a freshman and competing on two relays. Over the next three years, he will only im-prove and continue to be a strong influence on the boys’ swim team.”

Sport: FootballSource: Bailey Popeck ’13Freshman: “Jacob Still is one of the hardest

working kids, and he was the only freshman

Compiled By: Lindsey Cayce ’14

Dan PattersonThe Girls’ lacrosse team spent a weekend in Atlanta for a tournament. While there they took a spontaneous jog through the woods.

Alexis Harshbarger ‘13

Page 6: Gryphon Gazette 2012-13, Issue 6

6FeaturesMay St. George’s Independent School• •

Memorable Moments of the Class of 2013Because of his love for the seniors, Mr.

Densford decided to help them out a little, beginning with notoriously tardy Logan Young. “I picked him up in the morning and made him pancakes,” he remembers. “I’m pretty sure it was one of the only days he was here on time.” However, even Mr. Dens-ford admits to sometimes being a little late himself, especially the time he left Ian John under the bleachers for three hours. “It was seventh-grade payback. He was cleaning up, and we completely forgot about him,” he admits with his deepest apologies. Fortu-nately, Ian was physically and emotionally unharmed when found.

Besides his reputation of see-ing all and hearing more, Mr. Densford has been ascribed the ability to appear out of thin air. Several seniors have experienced this even outside the space-time vortex of St. George’s. “Eliza-beth DeGutis was visiting Mill-saps College when I walked out of the bathroom. She had just been asked if she needed a note for school and then I appear. She freaked out,” he re-marked. According to Mr. Densford, the same thing also happened to Matt and Andy Thompson while touring the University of North Carolina.

College guidance counselor Beverly Brooks also had a couple stories to share about two memorable faces in the senior class. “Emma Sisson had to dress like a nerd for the Prefect video. After she was done, she went for lunch without changing (because she’s Emma). A complete stranger snapped a picture of her at Subway and posted it on Facebook, which later popped up on Libby Heflin’s news feed.” Ms. Brooks would like all to consider this as a cautionary tale of what happens when one dresses like a 1950’s asylum escapee.

Out of all the parts of being a college counselor, Ms. Brooks values the moment of an acceptance letter being opened the most. However, sometimes under different circumstances, this magical moment must be created.

“For about a week, Samer’s mom had been threatening to open his decision let-ter from Goucher if he wasn’t home when it came. Not wanting to deprive him of this moment, I called in a favor to his ad-missions counselor and asked him to tell Samer his decision over the phone instead. The next day, I had Samer come to see me about something random … and then the counselor called. Samer was rendered completely speechless (imagine that), bar-

ley uttered the words ‘thank you’ while using the desk to hold himself up, and then dropped the phone without hanging up. He bolted out of my office and sprinted laps around the school while shriek-ing. I found him run-

ning circles outside while screaming in Ar-abic to his mother. Mr. Taylor told him that he was so proud of Samer’s accomplish-ment that he didn’t have to come to school the next day. It took Samer longer than it should have to realize it was a Friday.”

Finally, the seniors take pride in the fact that they were the last “real” class to be taught by the legendary former St. George’s teacher, Mr. Cort Casey, making it vital to collect his memories from teach-ing the Class of 2013.

“I had the privilege to coach Alec ‘The Animal’ Feinstone on the wrestling team for several years. At a tournament at Bolton High School one year, I was fortu-nate enough to be in Alec’s corner. As hap-pens every so often, the referee saw blood on the mat and stopped the match. Alec

walked over to me, blood trickling down his cheek, and said, “Coach, my tooth is loose. I need you to pull it.” Seeing the tooth hanging by a thread, I deftly yanked it from Alec’s gums. Alec crisply respond-ed, ‘Thank you sir, may I have another.’ I was appropriately unnerved.”

Occasionally, Mr. Casey questioned the true identities of several seniors. “You may know him as Robby Robbins,” he said, “But to me, he will always be Captain Normal.” Sometimes, he also believes stu-dents can become confused over their own names. “I vividly recall Albert Vacheron having his middle name legally changed from Balandier to Cougar Mellencamp. That’s right: Albert Cougar Mellencamp Vacheron. On a side note, Nathalie Vacher-on legally added another ‘h’ to her name to become Hnathalie Vacheron. Guess which ‘h’ is silent. On yet another side note, An-gela Vanderslice legally changed her name to Angela ‘Homeslice’.”

Mr. Casey also suspects several of the seniors to possess supernatural abilities. “I’ve seen Virginia Cartwright lay an egg, and if you stare directly into Evan Darty’s Golden Dome, you can see into the future,” he believes. “Also, never reach into Pear-son Robbin’s purse. There might be some-thing alive in there!” he cautions. Above all magical powers, Mr. Casey regards Elijah Poston’s as the most advanced. “Remem-ber the time he made me disappear mid-year, only to reappear in the form of Mr. Wilson Taylor? That was classic.”

Like every class before them, the Class of 2013 will be deeply missed upon graduat-ing. They have shaped our school through simply being their unique selves. These stories are simply a mere glimpse into the mark they have left on the school, its facul-ty, and its students. Congratulations Class of 2013!

Continued from Page 1Senior

Do’s and Don’ts

1. Do finish your Senior Independent Study early. It is quite the struggle to write fifteen pages in one night.

2. Do NOT set things on fire in the lounge, even though it can be pretty tempting.

3. Do spend your life with Team College Guidance. They are more than college guidance counselors.

4. Do NOT apply to 25 colleges. It’s just not worth it.

5. Do keep your college options open. Always tour with an open mind.

6. Do NOT take five AP classes. That’s just plain dumb.

7. Do keep the senior lounge clean. You do not want to feel homeless in the hallways.

8. Do NOT make your own college sign; just don’t do it.

9. Do be a cliché. The cheesy stuff makes good memories.

10. Do NOT stress. Ev-erything will work out in the end.

11. Do enjoy yourself. Do the things you like while you still have time for them.

Amanda Fitzpatrick ‘13Annabelle Bright ‘13

“I’ve seen Virginia Cart-wright lay an egg…”

Prom goers had the opportunity to have their photos taken with props at the Fire Museum of Memphis. This new addition to the prom experience was quite poplar, with nearly everyone taking time out of their night to grab a few pictures with friends.

Shannon Lenoir Photography

Page 7: Gryphon Gazette 2012-13, Issue 6

7FeaturesMay St. George’s Independent School• •

Dr. Leung Takes Sweden by StormSome of you may have no-

ticed the absence of a certain AP United States History teacher this past spring. This is because our very own Dr. Marianne Leung was selected to chaper-one a Memphis in May student trip to Sweden. Memphis in May is a month-long celebra-tion of another country, and this year the country was her home country of Sweden.

Over sixty high school stu-dents from across Memphis ap-plied for the trip that Dr. Leung chaperoned, but only ten were accepted. Dr. Leung applied to be a chaperone for the trip back in the fall of 2012, and early this year was informed that she was one of three finalists. This March, Dr. Leung embarked on an adventure with the students

Clearly, Mr. and Mrs. Culley have given everything to St. George’s and boy, do we appreciate it.

members of this precious family. Just as the Culleys have

changed, molded, and greatly impacted the St. George’s com-munity, they will take Tulsa by storm and continue doing great things.

It’s been a good run. For over a decade, Mr. and Mrs. JP Culley have graced this fine school with their intelligent, energetic and even frenetic personalities, mak-ing me all the more thankful for the calm, steady presence that is Louie Culley.

The bold charisma of Mr. Cul-ley and the graceful sweetness of Mrs. Culley have left their per-manent mark on the St. George’s culture, and their passion for teach-ing has impacted the hundreds of students pass-ing through our halls. Mrs. Cul-ley built our Spanish program from the ground up, and if I were to list the various roles Mr. Culley has held here, this article would likely never end.

I know that every student re-spects and appreciates the dedi-cation and skill that both Mr. and Mrs. Culley bring to the class-room, though perhaps people have finally backed off the chal-lenge of AP Spanish, leaving Mrs. Culley with a two-person class for

her final year. Mr. Culley also holds the award of teaching one of, if not the hardest class in the school: AP Chemistry. Clearly, Mr. and Mrs. Culley have given everything to St. George’s, and boy, do we appreciate it. But, hard as we try to prove the ad-age wrong, all good things really do have to come to an end.

After months of denial, we (meaning I) have finally reached that point at which we must ac-cept that the Culleys are indeed

leaving Mem-phis in order to seek new ad-ventures in Tul-sa. In order to fully grasp the reality of this seeming trag-edy, I had the chance to spend a couple of en-

joyable, if not slightly awkward, hours with the Culley family.

After an intense interview in which I not only matched, but nearly defeated the tireless wit of Mr. Culley (James Heard, it’s your turn next), I was able to see just how prepared and excited Mr. and Mrs. Culley are for the next chapter of their lives.

I have confidence in their

promise to keep in touch with the school community (mainly because most of us will continue to bug them with silly things like feelings and questions about chemistry problems and life), and I know that there are great things in store for all three

Emma Sisson ‘13

Lexie Moratta ‘15

Source: Dr. LeungDr. Leung skates across a frozen lake in Sigtuna, Swe-den. The temperature never rose above freezing during her trip.

Source: Mr. JP CulleyThe Culleys aren’t new to adventure! In 2003, they hiked in Yosemite, California.

who were chosen. Once there, the students

stayed in dorms at an interna-tional school and roomed with Swedish students. A typical day in Sweden varied from sight-seeing cities like Stockholm to classroom visits where they sat in on the lessons taught to the Swedish students at the school. They also had the opportunity to visit the US Embassy.

And as for how she broke her leg? Slipping on ice! The tem-perature never got above freez-ing while Dr. Leung and her students were there. Even with the broken leg, Dr. Leung was thrilled to have been a part of the trip that was a life-changing experience for the students.

St. George’s Bids Farewell to the Culley Family

Page 8: Gryphon Gazette 2012-13, Issue 6

8Student LifeMay St. George’s Independent School• •

Senior Wills

James Heard: The outdoor chapel to Duncan Daniel.

Emma Sisson: Mr. Morris’ couch to Caroline Cannon.

Taylor May Carpenter: The win-dow seat by the library to John Hankes.

Tyler Durnaik: The fire alarm in the Senior Lounge to Caitlin John-son.

Elijah Poston: The DVD player in the Senior Lounge to Tyler Lou-rens.

Kendall Shipp: My wardrobe to Darius Brooks.

Kathryn Rooney: My incred-ible swimming abilities to the SG Thunder swimmers and William McBride.

Chandler Head: Power over Snow-biwan Kenobi to Calla Michalak.

Kara Miller: My synchronized swimming to Hannah Dietz.

Gregory Hurley: The bear to Ste-ven Joe.

Adam Pugh: The Senior Lounge to the Junior Class.

Cutest Addition to a School Dance: Mustache and top hat photos

Best Offering on the Snack Table: Cake pops!

Most Popular Dress Color: Persim-mon

Most Likely to Make People Late for Prom: Cortona Restaurant

Highest Shoes: Olivia Reckert

Best Casual Footwear: Shelby Sims

Best Tux Styling: Ian John

Best Height Differential: Patrick Clark and Nathalie Vacheron

The Fred Astaire Award for Joy in Dance: Reid Tinker

Ms. Jennifer Vasil Dr. Margaret Robertson

At St. George’s, sixth grade is the begin-ning of a very new life in education. At our school, we designate the transition from the Germantown or Memphis campuses to the Collierville Campus as a ceremony, known as fifth grade Crossing. Many vet-eran students remember it well, and some have no memory whatsoever. Having been a St. George’s student since third grade, I can remember the transition pretty well.

Basically, Crossing was the equivalent of an entire grade transferring schools, because every little quality of elementary school was changed or altered. Some stu-dents might be discouraged, but middle school is the next step in life. In order to decrease the stress of rising fifth graders, I would like to provide them with advice from students who have been in their posi-tion. From the rising senior class of 2014, we would like to extend a helping hand and some tips to the newest students at the Collierville Campus.

Katie Scott Sellers: “When you first start out, the schedule will seem overwhelming and confusing but don’t stress because you get the hang of it really quickly!”

Calla Michalak: “Make friends with Mama Michalak. She makes food.”

Advice on Overcoming Sixth GradeKellen Young ‘14

Caitlin Johnson: “Do well! Study! Ac-tually learn so you don’t have to relearn when you are a junior. Avoid Math. Make a friend. Be social. Don’t be mean…”

Natalie Proctor: “Make sure you don’t lose your lunch card! Be sure to also put a signature at the end of your emails. This is super cool and will enable you to express yourself within the St. George’s email community.”

Madison Lathum: “My advice would be to use middle school as preparation for upper school, both academically and socially. Learn how you study best and what your work tendencies are, and also just have fun and enjoy everything, be-cause it flies by really quickly!”

In summary, sixth grade may not be the best time of your life, but it can be great. It’s important to learn how to manage your time, because it only gets more complicated in the following years and in high school. A great way to give yourself an advantage is to create friend-ships with both students and teachers, because St. George’s has a unique atmo-sphere that will benefit you by the time the school year ends.

The Ginger Rogers Award for Joy in Dance: Mary Henley Green

Most Likely to Wield a Samurai Sword: Dani Cafferty

Most Likely to Bruise Someone on the Dance Floor: Matthew O’BarThe Surprisingly Good Dancer Award: Blake Carruth

The John Travolta Hip-Action Award: Rollin Rosatti

Best Wobble: Mr. Timothy Gibson

The Hugh Stephens Award for “First On, Last Off”: James Heard and Taylor May Carpenter

Least Likely to Respond to a DJ Shout-Out: Class of 2013

First Annual Prom Awards

A Look into the Future:The Class of 2023 Predicts Their Senior Year

Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of going to both the Memphis and Germantown cam-puses to meet with the second-grade students. With all this graduation talk going on here at the Collierville cam-pus, we thought it would be a great idea to ask the second grade how they felt about being the future leaders of the school and what they thought the world might be like when they are se-niors.

The second-grade students are ten years away from becoming the seniors and while that may seem like a long time, it will be here before we know it. All of the second graders had won-

Lindsey Cayce ‘14

derful things to say! Here are just a few of the thoughts from the Class of 2013:

Jack Whitaker: “I think there will be a lot more electronics and cool weapons. I also think the world will get a lot dirtier but then someone nice will come and clean it all up.”

Kiyana Fayne: “The work will def-initely be much harder and we will have a lot more homework.”

Helen Tarjan: “I think everyone will be nice to each other and bad things will not happen like what happened in Boston.”

DeBriea Hopson: “I will have a new life because I will be able to drive with my driver’s license and go wherever I want!”

Deacon Larson: “I think there will be a lot more video games.”

Hannah Grace Morrison: “There will be a lot less animal life because there will be more cities and more people.”

Anaya Hemphill: “I think there will be a lot more teachers as cool as Mrs. Whipple! There will also be a lot more walking because the schools will be a lot bigger.”

Sage Lamier: “I think the world will be a lot more peaceful. There will not be any poor people and ev-eryone will live in a happy home.”

Dominique Beal: “There will be a lot more cars and a lot more traffic because more people will be driv-ing.”

Cannon Kelley: “I think they will create an iPhone16 and we will all have really cool technology.”

Andrew Bell: “Life will be half fun/half hard. It will be half fun be-cause we will learn new stuff but it will be half hard because the tests will be much harder with lots of homework.

Reese Dlabach: “I think I will have a lot more school work and the world will be a very nice place to live.”

Compiled by: Caroline Cannon ‘15

Lindsey CAyce ‘14Some members of the class of 2023 talk about their future as seniors.