The Newspaper of St. George’s Independent School Volume XII, Issue I

TheSeptember 2013

Gryphon Gazette• •

TopStories

Opinion

Features

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• Carter steps up as new head coach

New administration: Who is doing what?

Mrs. Majuri brings change to co-curriculars Photo: Lindsey Cayce

Dagny Vaughn ’14

On an exceptionally humid day at the beginning of August, I sat in the upper school office contemplating the somewhat ominous aura the chairs have about them, caused by the important meetings most of their inhabitants await. Lucky for me, however, my pre-meeting jitters soon subsided when the subject of my particular meeting approached me.

With a warm smile and a slightly off-balance handshake due to the computer perched on one arm, Mr. William Bladt greeted me, inquiring if I was a senior and motioning towards his office—a room most of us remember being cov-ered with the face of graduate Ian John during the senior prank not too long ago.

Ever since the announced departure of former Associate Head, Mr. J.P. Cul-ley, there has been a buzz about how the school will change without him and, most importantly, who will fill his posi-tion. This year students have noted the presence of the mysterious man who seems to appear on campus every once in a while hurried and busy, but never forgetting to address students by name when he sees them. Mr. Bladt, who be-gan working at St. George’s in early July, has been eagerly exploring and learning about every aspect of the school.

“This is a dream job for me,” he ex-claimed when asked about what sparked his interest applying for the position. “After spending six days here, I fell in love with the people, programs, and cul-ture. This is the kind of education I want my own child to have.” Mr. Bladt is the father of sixteen-month old Allison.

Recently from California, the new ad-

Cont. on Page 4

Mr. Bladt in his natural habitat.

ministrator and his family have comfort-ably settled in Memphis and met friendly acceptance from their new community. “Everyone has been thoughtful, generous,

and kind in a really au-thentic way. California is a more fend for yourself type place.”

So far, the Bladt’s have been to the Lev-itt Shell, a Redbird’s game, Majestic Grille, and a majority of the barbeque restaurants Memphis has to offer.

Though such a move may seem daunt-

Summer reading takes its toll

Student launches city-wide literary magazine

Imagine this: an online haven for students of all ages and all schools in the greater Memphis area where students can submit their artwork and written work just for the sake of art and litera-ture. This is the imaginative and revolu-tionary vision of senior Dagny Vaughn.

Vaughn wants to break down the barriers between schools by providing a virtual space for students to submit their works to the area’s very first online literary magazine. This digital literary magazine does not call for any specific type of media, is open to all, and exists entirely online.

This idea was brought forth from Vaughn’s artistically geared outlook and point of view. Her enthusiasm and determination to create an online world that does not hold judgment and allows artistic and literary freedom has gener-ated a following that is eager to submit their creations.

“My inspiration was the work that I have done with the St. George’s liter-ary magazine and my love for art and literature,” she said. Her hope is “to create a place for people who need an artistic outlet but don’t have the abil-ity to publish their work.” Vaughn has been very active in the St. George’s lit-erary magazine, “Sculpture Garden,” during her junior and current senior year, serving as the art submissions manager and co-editor.

“A literary magazine brings together a community of people through their thoughts, and gives them a way to ex-press those thoughts,” said Vaughn. “All artists and writers have the same passion for expression. It is a way to unify this group of people while en-riching the community.”

Cont. on Page 7

Taylor Owens ’15

“This is a dream job for me.”

Entertainment

Students rock out to summer concerts

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ing to some, Mr. Bladt is not new to ad-venture. This summer, the family stayed in a small cabin without running water in Vermont. Also, he credits his career in education to the adventurous side of him.

Growing up in a rural part of Phila-delphia, Mr. Bladt spent lots of time out-doors, often participating in outdoors programs and eventually became a sci-ence teacher. When asked if he was plan-ning on becoming involved in SGGO, he eagerly replied, “Oh, I know I will.”

Student Life

Cont. on Page 6

New dean on the scene

It is one of those sweltering July af-ternoons, and I am on school grounds, a concept with which I am not entirely comfortable, given that I still have a month before I’m required to be here. However, Ia m here on a mission: to get the truth on the new Upper School Dean of Students, Ms. Jill Reilly.

Regan Hewitt ‘14

As I stand in the foyer of St. George’s, I am expecting a lady in heels, ready to give me a short, quick and somewhat re-hearsed interview. Instead, I get a woman in khaki shorts and running shoes, with a backpack slung over her shoulder and a firm handshake, who apologizes for the fact that the interview cannot last more than thirty minutes because she has to get over to the St. George’s pool to go swim-ming with Ms. Kristi Schulz.

This is Ms. Reilly, our new Upper School Dean of Students, a job title which she is only confident of because her “business cards came in yesterday.” Known by former students as “strict but fair” and self-described as “nosy, but in a nice way,” Ms. Reilly is all smiles and large hand gestures during the interview, often stopping to refer to her children or poke fun at her former students.

However, she is also serious and inter-ested, often giving lengthy answers when a simple word was expected. Above all, Ms. Reilly was quick to assure me that there is no need for alarm: Mr. Tom Dens-ford and his lovely Gryphon puppet will remain on school grounds, but as the Middle School Dean of Students.

New dean of students hard at work.Photo: Lindsey Cayce

The position is filledSt. George’s welcomes new associate head

Getting to know your new prefects

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2 Opinion September St. George’s Independent School• •

Newspaper Staff

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Editor-in-Chief

Leah HodgkissVirginia Whitsitt

Caroline CannonKellen Young

Caroline CannonLindsey Cayce

Dr. Margaret Robertson

Emily Dickey

Maggie CourtneyMeredith Gatlin

Regan Hewitt

Dagny Vaughn

Copy Editors

Layout Editors

Photo Editors

Features Editor

Opinion Editor

Student Life Editors

Advisor

Zoë LeakeEntertainment Editor

biology project, and let the seniors have their last hurrah in the senior lounge. Let’s give this year all we have.

You have the entire school year to make it a successful one, whether it is your first year at St. George’s or your last. Set goals for your school year, whether it be to make better grades or to make at least one new friend in every one of your classes or to try out for that team or join this club. Respect the teachers and the admin-istration because they are here for us and they deserve, if not your admiration, your respect.

Most importantly, though, have fun with the year because there is nothing worse than look-ing back on a school year and regretting it en-tirely, just because you had been determined to not like school. Let us make memories. Let us do all of this and more because, although it may not feel like it, time is on our side.

To thriving, Regan HewittEditor-In-Chief

Amidst the hullabaloo of purchasing note-books, sending in emergency contact forms, parent-advisor meetings and finding out your schedule, there is one general agreement: nothing is more disappointing than the end of summer.

What makes it even harder is that while we are required to be done with summer, summer is not required to be done with us. It is still relatively hot, with clear blue skies and invit-ing green grass, and our swimming pools or hammocks are beckoning us as we walk to our cars with backpacks loaded with books and homework that we have to get done before class tomorrow. The dilemma is clear. How-ever, we must settle down and begin to resign ourselves to the new school year.

We have to resign ourselves to sitting in class, diligently taking notes and concentrat-ing on not making faces at our friends across the room. We have to resign ourselves to wear-ing school-appropriate clothing. We have to resign to another year full of tests, homework

and laughter. We have to resign ourselves to seeing our teachers (who we pretend to not love) in the hallways and the lunchrooms, as opposed to just casually running into them at Panera or Target. We have to resign ourselves to eating those delicious Sodexo cookies in-stead of scrounging around our houses for a bag of chips.

However, let us not just “resign.” Let us thrive. Let us welcome the school year, all the challenges and defeats and triumphs it will present. Let the teachers and the administra-tion have a year of rewarding teaching and (fingers crossed) not too much trouble. Let the lower school students read new books, put on more plays, try new foods and reach new heights. Let the sixth graders be welcomed by open arms, let the seventh graders solve their crime scenes, and let the eighth graders not wish their last year of middle school away.

Let the freshman find solace in “The Catcher in the Rye,” let the sophomores anticipate their Heifer Ranch trip, let the juniors bemoan their

Regan Hewitt ’14

Join Model United NationsInterested in debating global issues, learning about world politics or repre-senting a different country for a week-end? You should get involved with Model United Nations, a three-day YMCA sponsored activity that involves the average student with a mock delega-tion along with the various components of the United Nations in general. There are many opportunities within the con-ference, including participating as a del-egate, member of the press corp or inter-national lawyer.

What will you bring to the new news-paper staff?

Courtney: “Anything TV-related.”

Preston: “I will bring a fighting spirit.”

Kellen: “A willingness to practice dead-lines like a normal workplace.”

Anna Marie: “A willingness to work to-gether.”

Leah: “I like to express my opinions.

Lexie: “A creative approach toward ar-ticles.“

Taylor: “I work really hard in anything that I do.”

Caroline: “I will bring food.”

Maggie Courtney ‘14

Meet the new newsies

Back: Anna Marie Beard, Kellen Young, Preston Vihlen, Taylor Owens; Front: Leah Hodgkiss, Lexie Marotta, Caroline Cannon, Courtney Harshbarger

Photo: Lindsey Cayce

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

Please contact Mrs. Emily Philpott (ephilpott@sgis.org), Caitlin Johnson (cjohnson14@sgis.org), or Alexandra Smith (asmith14@sgis.org) for more details.

Time is on our side

Staff WritersAnna Marie BeardCourtney HarshbargerLexie MarottaTaylor OwenPreston Vihlen

The Gryphon Gazette welcomes questions, comments, suggestions, and letters to the editor at gryphongazette@sgis.org

3OpinionSeptember 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.

Summer reading takes its toll

Imagine you are six years old again and in the first grade. You are laying on the “magic carpet” being read your favorite Magic School Bus book, as the teacher changes voices for each character. Fast forward two

Back to school,back to stressWe all know stress; that soul-enveloping disease

that grows quietly inside all of us, causing the mysteri-ous place between your stomach and chest to suddenly twist into knots you did not know it could make. We nev-er know quite where it comes from, only that it begins with the word “overwhelmed” and somehow manages to transform into “out of control.” One day it is a difficult homework assignment, and then magically it becomes three or four. And meetings. And practices. And projects. You begin to feel like no matter how fast you run there is no possible way of catching up.

At merely the beginning of the year, stress has already infected a great majority of our school. The weightless-ness of summer has been replaced with a burden of re-sponsibilities all the more heavy from our lack of acclima-tion. We begin to fear that perhaps the downward slope in the future will be much steeper than we imagined.

I know that I have felt this stress, and I feel it now as I sit in the College Guidance conference room staring at books that all seem to be titled “stress.” However, what I have began to realize as I slowly learn to once again feel weight upon my shoulders, is that perhaps the load is less fragile than we think. Maybe we should worry less about the little pieces that tumble off and break, because, as long as we are putting forth as much effort as we can, the situation is out of our control.

As a student experiencing the same feelings as every other, I cannot advise anybody to be less stressed than they are. However, I am reminded of the fact that we seem to find ourselves in this same place time and time again, wondering how we possibly became so busy and what we are going to do to control it.

So think back to last year, when it seemed like school was taking over your life and remember that you man-aged to make it through. It may seem impossible now, but surely, somehow, we will all make it through once again.

Dagny Vaughn ’14

Leah Hodgkiss ’15

I have made it something of a hobby of mine to ask people how they define politics. Perhaps they would define it as a lovely Christmas dinner overshadowed by Grandfather complaining about gov-ernment spending during the Kennedy era, or maybe politics is nothing but a dis-tant aunt or uncle who may or may not be a member of some congress or senate, or nothing but the faint remembrance of a Wikipedia definition memorized for gov-ernment class.

No matter how many people you ask, you would be hard pressed to find two definitions that are exactly the same. I think that is part of the allure of politics— the many faces it holds and complex his-tory that one word contains.

Social science, civic theory, political sys-tem, call it what you may, but one thing about politics holds constant; politics is all around us, and no two people view ev-ery issue exactly the same. Political views change throughout the years, from coun-try to country, and as you grow your view of politics will grow with you.

An introduction

years, and you are in third grade visiting the book fair, looking at all of the awesome books with exciting titles and elaborate covers. That night you attend Milk and Cookies Night, where you go from room to room listening to different high

Photo: Lindsey Cayce

Political Ponderingswith Emily Dickey ’14

schoolers read to you from children’s books with vibrant and entrancing illustrations.

Now put yourself in the shoes of a middle-school student, being given summer reading assignments for the first time, and then being forced to do a book report where you analyze a book you did not want to read in the first place. Does not sound too fun, does it?

As you go through school, the readings become longer, the books become duller, and suddenly, any excitement or love you once had for reading is gone. Most of the books teenagers are required to read for school, while they may be important liter-ary works, are quite boring and make for dry read-ing. The fact that they are required just makes it even more terrible. You spend class after class ana-lyzing the work, looking at specific words, phrases, and imagery you would have never noticed before. The already boring books get so overanalyzed that kids actually start to develop a hate for the book, as well as for the idea of reading.

It really is a shame that most kids do not read for pleasure in middle and high school. There are so many wonderful books out there. While I under-stand the need for summer reading, I think a dif-ferent idea might work out better. We could go back to the concept of the book report that inspired thought and creativity in our elementary school days. Instead of the books being selected for us, we could have the option to read what we want within certain guidelines. Then, we would actually end up reading the book instead of a short summary we found online or watchingthe movie version, and we could enjoy reading as we do it. We, as teenag-ers, could stumble upon our love for reading once again.

It blossoms from simply notecards and classwork to subscriptions to the New York Times and the Economist. It pits you against your friends and draws you closer to your acquaintances; it is a rivalry great-er than that of any sports teams. Whether you are a gun-loving Tea-Partier, a tree-hugging Liberal, or wading somewhere in between, politics embrace you and wel-come your opinions. As long as you keep an open mind, politics will always wel-come you.

The vitality of politics in a democratic society like ours is obvious. The balance of our two-party system relies on coopera-tion between parties, so while my opinion may not match that of each of my readers, I hope you will give me a chance.

As Ernest Hemingway put it, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” So bear with me and keep an open mind as we delve into the world of politics.

Until next time.

Summer reading poses a daunting task.

4 EntertainmentSeptember St. George’s Independent School• •

Not many people understand the differences be-tween pizzas, and so they tend to think of pizza as a simple thing that tastes the same anywhere it can be bought. In truth, the variance in two pizzas can be so great that it is astonishing they are both the same type of food. At the start of the summer, I set out on a

Courtney Harshbarger ’15

quest to find the best pizza in Memphis.I traveled to Gourmet Pizza, Memphis Pizza

Café, Milano’s, Garibaldi’s, Russo’s New York Pizzeri, and Mellow Mushroom. After weeks of dedicated eating, I was able to narrow the search down to one that I deemed the best: a classic cheese pizza from Memphis Pizza Café. After coming to this conclusion, I returned to the restaurant numerous times to ensure that I had eaten enough pizza to accurately describe its taste.

While I usually have a favorite ingredient on certain pizzas, the ingredients from Mem-phis Pizza Café were all completely satisfy-ing, making that pizza the best as a whole. The tomato sauce had a slightly spicy taste to it, which added to the overall authentic flavor of the pizza. The sauce was not lumpy at all and added a certain tang to its cheesy counterpart. The cheese was enticingly gooey and used in perfect proportion to the rest of the dish. The texture of the cheese was smooth and stretchy with a flavor that complimented the crust bril-liantly.

When put together, these ingredients created an interesting, fire-cooked taste that many oth-er pizza restaurants failed to produce. The in-gredients were added in the proper quantities so that they were each individually noticeable but never overpowering. The extremely thin and crispy crust had a delicious buttery taste that added excellent flavor and did nothing to detract from the rest of the ingredients. Pizzas with thick crusts tend to be spongy and over-whelmingly bready. This certain pizza, howev-er, had extremely thin crust that added a little crunch to the dish without becoming the center of attention.

When on the search for a delectable mouth-watering pizza, Memphis Pizza Café is with-out a doubt the right choice for any pizza lover with working taste buds.

The One Direction concert experience

This summer, British boy band One Direction continued their rise to worldwide fame on their sold- out “Take Me Home” tour. Tickets to see Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik went on sale over a year ago, and everyone who saw them would agree that they were worth the wait.

After a sensational opening performance from sup-porting act 5 Seconds of Summer, the 450-day wait was over, and it was finally time for One Direction to take the stage. If you are looking for a concert with choreographed dance routines and flashy effects, the One Direction concert experi-ence is not for you. That said, the boys still managed to bring the crowd to their feet with their cheeky personalities, ex-ceptional voices, and endearing accents.

The show had an excellent balance between up-beat songs and slower ballads; my only complaint is that they did not sing my personal favorite, “Truly, Madly, Deeply.” Songs like “Rock Me” and “She’s Not Afraid” brought the house down, while “Little Things” and “Last First Kiss” really showed off their voices. Kayce Hyde ’14, who also attended the con-cert, was pleased that the boys “actually sounded like they did on their CD.”

One of the most magical moments of the night was when they guys floated over the crowd on a platform while singing “Change My Mind” to get to the B-stage. Once at the B-stage, the boys answered questions from their fans via Twitter. These questions led to One Direction line dancing, talking in their best southern accents, and attempting a cheerleading stunt.

It is the chemistry between the five heartthrobs that really makes a One Di-rection concert memo-rable, though.

Between verses, the boys constantly goofed-off, pouring water on unsuspect-ing band mates, and filming each other on

stage using a fan’s phone. It is clear that the fame and the screaming girls are still very surreal to the band. Throughout the night the crowd received many “mas-sive thank you’s” from Payne, and at the end Horan stated that, “if it wasn’t for you guys, none of this would have happened.”

The night ended with confetti and, of course, their hit single “What Makes You Beautiful.” The “Take Me Home” tour picks back up in Australia this September and the One Direction movie, “This Is Us,” comes out in theaters August 30th.

Collierville Campus “The Putnam County Spelling Bee Auditions” Sept. 10-12; Upper School Musical

“The Putnam County Spelling Bee” Nov. 21-23; Upper School Musical

“The Diviners” Auditions Dec. 1-3; Upper School Drama

Christmas Concert Dec. 9; Middle School Chorus and Band

Christmas Concert Dec. 10; Upper School Chorus and Band

“The Diviners” Performance Feb. 6-8; Upper School Drama

“Pied Piper” Auditions March 3-5; Middle School Play

“Pied Piper” Performance May 1-3; Middle School Play

Germantown Campus

“Annie” Performance Nov. 1-2; Lower School Production

SK/1st Grade Christmas Program Dec. 13

3rd/5th Grade Christmas Program Dec. 17 Memphis Campus

PK - 1st Grade Christmas Program Dec. 5

2nd - 5th Grade Christmas Program Dec. 19

Mark your calendar: Upcoming theater events

Alexandra Smith ’14

Courtney enjoys her Solo pizza party at Memphis Pizza.

Continued from page 1

Student lauches city-wide literary magazine

The literary and artistic community in Memphis is present but somewhat difficult to find. “There are many schools that do not have literary magazines,” said Dagny. With this project, she aspires to keep the Memphis literary and artistic world alive by expand-ing and broadening its reach. By creating the liter-ary magazine online it reduces the costs that would have been inherent with a printed publication, and allows the opportunity to include more content, re-sulting in more opportunities for students.

“A literary magazine has the ability to become much more rich in its content when you expand its reaches beyond one particular group of people with similar mindsets,” Dagny said. “Even within Mem-phis, different locations can bring in different ideas.”

Currently, Dagny is seeking opportunities to fur-ther publicize her literary magazine to the greater Memphis area. The online literary magazine will include works in the categories of fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and art/photography. For all interested students who would like to submit their works to the literary magazine visit www.assem-blagemidsouth.com to learn more and become a part of the newest development in digital art and literature.

Student searches for the best pizza in Memphis

it is the chemistry between the five hearthrobs that really makes a One Direction concert memorable.

5EntertainmentSeptember St. George’s Independent School• •

The best and worst of summer movies

Alex King ’18

This summer was lacking, at least where movies were con-cerned. One movie, though, re-ally stood out to me.

That movie was, “Pacific Rim.” The basic plotline of the movie is that when monsters known as Kaiju invade Earth, the world pools its resources to build machines known as Jae-gers to protect the Earth from these monsters.

I will start off by saying that I am a fan of the director, Guill-ermo del Toro, and I was excited to see this film. I enjoyed myself greatly throughout the movie and only had a few problems

with “Pacific Rim” on the whole. My biggest problem was that the movie was eerily simi-

lar to a series of Japanese movies titled “Evangelion.” In those films, they create machines to fight off monsters that threaten Earth, which reminded me of “Pacific Rim.” My second issue is with Burn Gorman’s character, Gottlieb, who was too over-the-top for me. Although I had these is-sues, this did not make me like “Pacific Rim” any less. The film was packed with incredible action scenes that always had me interested.

Now in the acting department of the film, I have very few criticisms. Charlie Day did a fantastic job portraying the nervous, nerdy Dr. Newton Geiszler, the military’s head scientist. As previously stated, Burn Gorman was not my favorite; he seemed over the top and at points, even childish. Rinko Kikuchi, who played Mako Mori, was definitely my favorite actress in this film. I loved her in “The Brothers Bloom,” and she showed what incredible acting range she had in this film.

Ultimately, I would say you should watch this movie, and you will have a great time. I would rate it a solid four out of five.

Now, I will move on to the biggest disappointment of the summer, which was without a doubt “Grown Ups 2.”

After the disappointment that was “Grown Ups,” I don’t think anyone had high expectations for this film. Director Denis Dugan managed to pull off an even worse film than my already lowered expectations. So, for that, I applaud him. I found that a good 90% of the movie was made of jokes that I would have found hilarious, if I were in the first grade. During certain parts, the actors would pause for laughs, and the theater would be dead silent. The awkward silence in the theater made it even worse. For such a funny person as Adam Sandler, I am surprised he made such an awful movie.

Obviously my advice for this film would be to steer clear completely. “Grown Ups 2” is by far my least favor-ite movie of the summer. I give it a definite one out of five.

Students rock out to summer concerts Emily Dickey ’14 Taylor Owens ’15Zoe Leake ’14 Leah Hodgkiss ’15

This summer, across the country, many of the biggest names in the music industry graced the stag-es for millions of viewers. Luckily within the chaos of these large crowds, several St. George’s students witnessed musical genius first hand and came home to share their stories.

The Rolling Stones: The last time The Rolling

Stones graced the stage in Hyde Park was 44 years ago in 1969. Whether you were a fan of their music (or the famous dance moves of their legendary lead-singer, Mick Jagger), or you had only heard their popular songs on the TV and radio, it really did not matter once you became a part of the 40,000-person crowd cheering for the famous band.

Throughout the entire show, you felt as if you had been transported back to 1969, and that Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ron Wood had not aged a day. Every person in the park, ranging any-where between adults as old as the band members to young kids, knew the words to their ever-popular songs, such as “Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Jumpin Jack Flash,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” and “Brown Sugar.”

By being a part of this concert, you felt that you were a small part of the history of this legendary band.

Bonnaroo Music Festival: Bonnaroo Music Festi-val is four days of euphoric concerts in Manchester, TN. Set on a huge, privately-owned farm in a very small town about four hours away from Memphis,

Bonnaroo is its own little world. With a festival so widely known as, artists from every

genre, such as Tom Petty, R Kelly, Macklemore, Alt J, Japan-droids, Passion Pit, and more, look forward to coming and performing, so they undoubtedly are at their best. It is the experience of a lifetime as well as one you would not want to miss out on!

“Legends of the Summer”: Despite the fact that Justin Timberlake had only reached the ripe old age of five when Jay Z’s first single dropped, the two have now become a dynamic duo. This year these two took their friendship to the stage, or rather the stadium, for their 2013 “Legends of the Sum-mer” stadium tour. After a six year musical hiatus leading up to Timberlake’s third studio album, his headline on this tour built up enough anticipation on its own.

Pairing Timberlake’s success with Jay Z’s new hit album, “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” the tickets practically sold them-selves.

The two did a total of 14 shows in different cities across the country. To a Timberlake or Jay Z enthusiast, the concert is an emotional roller coaster. After Timberlake brings the audi-ence to tears with his age old classic “Cry Me a River,” Jay Z pumps them back up with some classics like “99 Problems” and “Empire State of Mind.”

The two took turns; after Justin would sing a set, Jay Z would come on and sing his own. The two finished with some joint songs, including their single “Suit & Tie.” After a summer full of stadium concerts, the two truly lived up to the tour name.

From old favorites to new hits, this summer will forever be remembered as a summer of musical adventures in the hearts of millions, including some of our own students. Whether you are flashing back to The Rolling Stones, or crying a literal river to Justin Timberlake, it was definitely a summer full of legendary concerts.

Photo: Leah Hodgkiss

Taylor Owens ’15

We all know how difficult it is to be healthy all the time, especially when our favorite foods may be some of the worst for us. After a long day at school, all we really want is to head home and grab the closest bag of chips or a pack of M&Ms before we start our homework or run off to our next sports practice. Picking these unhealthy snacks will not only slow you down, but they will also make your brain sluggish and tired.

By instead choosing snacks that are healthy and filling, you will have much more energy during practice and your brain will function at optimum levels while doing homework.

Making the healthy choice is much easier said than done because we do not always know what the best choice is. To aid in your endeavors, here is

a list of healthy foods to substitute for the bad. • Instead of candy: Mixed nuts or trail mix• Rather than chips: Ants on a log (celery with peanut but ter, topped with rasins)• In place of cookies: A banana with peanut butter• As an alternative to salty pretzels: Hummus with carrots or celery• Put down that whitebread-sandwich and switch if for: Whole grain bread or English muffinIf you have your snacking habits under control and are

looking for new healthy foods to try, check out the new super foods that are gaining popularity and can be seen all over Pinterest and many big magazines: Quinoa, chia, kale, and coconut oil!

Quinoa is taking the world by storm because it can be used in practically any recipe. This super food’s usage ranges from savory salads to filling breakfast bars, all the while delivering a punch of protein.

You can get a daily dose of chia seeds by adding them to

virtually any meal. Just sprinkle them in your cereal or yo-gurt and reap the health benefits. These seeds are full of fi-ber, antioxidants, and minerals, while also being gluten-free and an egg replacer.

Kale is a super food that looks a lot like everyday, run-of-the-mill lettuce, but is high in iron and Vitamin K. The most popular way to eat kale is in the form of kale chips, which can be bought in many stores and comes in many flavors.

The last, and most surprising, super food is coconut oil because not only is it good for you on the inside, but it is also good for you on the outside. Coconut oil is not only a healthy alternative to cooking with peanut oil, but it is also a great alternative to some of the most basic beauty products. Use coconut oil on your lips for a great lip moisturizer, leave in your hair for ten minutes, then rinse for a split-end mend-er, spread on your eyelashes in order to make them grow longer, use in place of Vitamin E to repair scars, or even eat a spoonful of solid coconut oil for healthy skin and shiny hair.

Making the change with these healthy alternatives will definitely make a difference in and for you.

Eat your way to a healthier you

Many around the world are promoting an era of environmental sustainability and con-servation, and as a wholesome community, St. George’s is supportive of such efforts. Particu-larly in our area, multiple groups are monitor-ing the condition of water sources to maintain a healthy environment.

The Collierville Northwest Sewage Treatment Plant and Collierville Shelton Sewage Treatment Plant have conducted monthly water quality tests since January of 2009. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Con-servation (TDEC) has also conducted studies since 2003 at three different points on the Wolf River: Johnsons Creek at Collierville-Arlington Road, the Wolf River at German-town Road, and the Wolf River at Collierville Arlington Road.

Several tests, like E. coli measure-ments and fecal coliforms, measure harmful microorganisms in the water. Dis-solved oxygen tests use complicated titrations to determine the levels of oxygen actually avail-able to aquatic organisms in the water. Further tests include measurements of cadmium, cop-per, lead, iron, and other elements that may con-trol or pollute a natural water source.

Multiple tests by the Department of Envi-ronment and Conservation in the last decade have revealed dangerously high concentrations

of lead, aluminum, copper, and phosphate in the water. Several tests have also shown high popu-

lations of E.coli bacteria and fecal coliform bacteria. The dissolved oxygen levels also

dropped below the necessary amounts to maintain healthy aquatic life a few times in the past.

After years of research, the Wolf River’s water health has actually risen to impressive levels. All TDEC tests are compared to an official Water

Quality Criteria and the sewage treat-ment plants compare their tests to cer-

tain permit limits. The levels of dangerous chemicals and un-

healthy bacteria have mostly returned to normal measurements. The TDEC reports between 2009 and 2012 show that the majority of issues have been cor-rected. The progress in recent years is a conscious ef-fort by inhabitants of Collierville and the surround-ing area to maintain a pristine environment. Further success depends on the continued care of the places we live.

St. George’s welcomes new associate head

6 FeaturesSeptember St. George’s Independent School• •

Besides SGGO, Mr. Bladt plans on engaging with all ar-eas of the school. He plans on gaining a complete under-standing of the whole St. George’s experience by spending time on all campuses before making any plans to create change. “I want to serve to help make happen what people already here want to accomplish,” he stated.

Along with working to strengthen the school as a whole, Mr. Bladt is eager to work closely with students to foster any aspirations they might have. Asked what he most wanted students to know about him, he replied, “It’s my job and goal to help people realize their dreams and ideas. If there is an idea for a project that someone wants to do, I want to help you figure out how to do that.”

Though it is hard to believe from the amount of time he dedicates to his job, being a innovative educator is not the only pastime of our new associate head. Despite his easy-going yet professional presence, Mr. Bladt harbors a love for science fiction. “I really enjoy ‘The Walking Dead’, and ‘Defiance’ — which is where six alien races are all liv-ing together on planet earth, and ‘Falling Skies’, things like that,” he admits. “I also read a lot of sci-fi books like ‘Ender’s Game’ and ‘I Am Legend’.” In addition to his sci-ence fiction endeavors, Mr. Bladt plays tennis and is learn-ing how to play the acoustic guitar.

As the interview waned to enthusiastic talk of ‘Doc-tor Who’ and Senior Independent Studies, Mr. Bladt and I wandered back into the room of ominous chairs where he eventually apologized for having to run to a meeting. After his departure, I stood staring at those chairs wonder-ing why I had ever anticipated my meeting with Mr. Bladt with nervousness, and feeling as though I had just finished a talk with an old friend rather than a new administra-tor. With the enthusiasm I witnessed in our new associate head, I am confident he will be a valuable member of our community.

Continued from page 1 Kellen Young ‘14

With the 2013-2014 school year comes sev-eral administrative changes. The administrative changes that have taken place are: the completely redesigned position of Associate Head, split posi-tion of Dean of Students, and Director of Sustain-ability.

Mr. Bladt is the new Associate Head, but in a position that has been completely “reconstructed, rewritten, and redesigned to incorporate work on all three campuses,” according to Upper School Director, Mr. Tom Morris. His primary role is over-sight and coordination of the school’s curriculum, pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

With Ms. Reilly and Mr. Densford splitting the position of Dean of Students between the Upper School and the Middle School, the plan is for stu-dents to have more support and attention from these faculty members. Both are there to help the students in making good choices; they will help work on developing student relationships as well as helping both divisions work better for students.

Then we also have the Director of Sustainabil-ity, Mr. McClain. It is something Mr. Taylor has been trying to make happen for quite some time now. Mr. McClain will be working to help facili-tate sustainability efforts like recycling, but also work with teachers on providing them with ideas for projects and classes that will get their students outside. “It’s really cool, and given Mr. McClain’s personality and his background, he’s the perfect guy for the job,” said Mr. Morris

With all of these administrative positions, the school is most certainly pressing forward in a new, positive light. The changes will continue to push the school community in an innovative and mean-ingful direction.

New administrators:Who is doing what?Leah Hodgkiss ‘15

At the end of last school year, the newly-appoint-ed Director of Student Life, Mrs. Kelly Majuri, laid the foundation for a new club system at St. George’s that will distinguish between clubs, student organizations, and academic teams.

St. George’s has always prided itself on a having wide array of clubs and student activities; however, for all the intentions, it lacked focus and organization. Mrs. Majuri is changing that.

“I felt that we did not have the co-curricular pro-gram set up in a student-centered way,” she said. “I felt that there was a way to establish the co-curricular program so that it provided strong leadership oppor-tunities, and it made [them] more authentic.”

Using her position as Director of Student Life, Mrs. Majuri has implemented a new system of club orga-nization, which consists of three different categories: clubs, student organizations, and academic teams. While similar on the surface, each category has distinc-tive attributes.

Mrs. Majuri brings changes to co-curricularsAnna Marie Beard ’15

Photo: Anna marie BeardMrs. Majuri directs a student Leadership Workshop.

A club is mainly interest-based, and allows for casual participation; anyone can apply to start a club, for in-stance, Art Club.

Student organizations, on the other hand, are required to be active in the community. A leader in a student orga-nization is required to attend a student leadership work-shop, a series of lessons on what it means to be a leader, which began this summer. The Make-A-Wish club is a popular example of a student organization.

An academic team, as the name suggests, is a team that competes in the academic sphere, such as Knowl-edge Bowl.

In all, the system’s main purpose is to promote activ-ity within clubs and at St. George’s. Mrs. Majuri hopes to see clubs making an impact in the school, and creat-ing opportunities for student leaders to reach their full potential.

For those readers contemplating their own potential, the Club Fair should be taking place around late Septem-ber. Contact Mrs. Majuri at kmajuri@sgis.org for infor-mation about the next Student Leadership Workshop.

City makes progress on water quality

Courtney H

arshbarger

7FeaturesSeptember St. George’s Independent School• •

Academics are not usually the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of summer, nor is it what most stu-dents want to focus on during their break. However, this past summer, a group of dedicated students spent their summer break attending summer camps that focused on an individual area of study.

As anyone who has spoken with Ms. Beverly Brooks or Mr. Timothy Gibson knows, academic summer camps play an important role in college applications. It is important to do something each summer, not just the summer before your senior year.

Juniors Preston Vihlen, Priya Blackerby, Lexie Marotta, and Julia Spinolo attended the Rhodes Writing Institute in June. The Rhodes Writing Institute is a two-week academ-ic camp that focuses on improving writing skills on the college level. Students can choose from several different courses, such as political science and creative writing. “I originally applied for the camp with the intent of strength-ening my writing style, organization, and content of my papers and essaysm,” Vihlen said. “While there, I realized how well the camp simulated the college environment.” Students at the Rhodes camp slept in the dorms and at-tended class twice a day, as well as lectures in the evening.

Governor’s School is another well-known summer pro-gram. Once a student is accepted, the camp is completely paid for, and students have the opportunity to gain col-lege credit. Nate Weinrich, Class of 2015, was selected to attend the Governors’ School of the Arts for film. “It was

Students pursue academic summer opportunitiesLexie Marotta ‘15

a four-week program where we learned how to write, direct, shoot, light, do sound, edit, cast, and advertise a film.”

While there, he made two short independent films, about two minutes apiece, and a music video that was entered into a regional film competition and won The Plan 9 Award and The Technical Genius Award.

The University of Memphis partners up with the Con-fucius Institute every year to sponsor a trip to China. The application process involves an essay and interview with the director of the program. The only cost is airfare. The Confucius Institute pays for the lodging and food. Juniors Susanna Hamsley and Lexie Marotta were two juniors who were selected to travel to China for the two and a half week trip. Hamsley said, “having the oppor-tunity to go to China this summer was a privilege. Being able to see and experience Chinese culture first-hand was unbelievable. We learned so much about Chinese people and their traditions.”

While there, she and 31 other students from Memphis toured the provinces of Beijing and Shandong, climbed the Great Wall, saw the Forbidden City, and took Manda-rin classes. The focus of the trip was cultural awareness and exposing students to new cultures.

Summer programs are extremely important for enrich-ing a student’s college resume. Extracurricular activities can often be a deciding factor in the admissions pro-cess. However, as these students have proven, academic camps don’t have to be dull. They give you the chance

New dean on the scene

Ms. Reilly was keen to indicate that she will not be the “new Mr. Densford,” a student-bestowed nick-name, because she believes that she will bring a new flair to the job. She knows that dress code is a huge issue for the students and addressed this first by say-ing, “My job is not about dress code. That is an aspect of it. But dress code is not meant as a punishment but rather as a teaching tool to show everyone what is ap-propriate in the real world.” She wants the students to start thinking of the Dean of Students as “student-support,” rather than discipline, and she wants stu-dents to feel comfortable approaching her whenever they need. Above all, Ms. Reilly really wants to con-nect with the Upper School students.

At the same time, Ms. Reilly emphasizes her desire to keep her bond with the Middle School students, as she claims that “leaving the classroom” was a “very big decision” for her. Ms. Reilly will continue to co-teach Honors Algebra I to the seventh and eighth grade. However, what Ms. Reilly really wants is for all of the students to connect with each other. She ad-mits that there is a divide between Upper and Middle School. She would love to close that gap because she wants the Upper School students, “to be real role models for the younger students.” Ms. Reilly agrees that the Peer Leadership Council and Honor Council, which she worked with up until this year, are great ways for this connection to start but she would like to instigate more cross-school events.

At the end of the interview, which ended up lasting about an hour and kept the two of us chatting until we reached our cars, Ms. Reilly briefly mentioned a teaching conference she was attending, chatted ami-ably about her son and his girlfriend, and gently men-tioned that she was going to have to blame me for her tardiness to swimming.

Our new Dean of Students is genuinely excited about starting the school year. Ms. Reilly recognizes that this new job will allow her to interact with more students, and that seems to be something that is very important to her. She wants everyone to like her but also for everyone to respect her as well, a feat which I think will be easy for her to accomplish. I suspect that Ms. Reilly will be a real asset to the administration, and the Upper School students will grow to love our new dean.

Continued from page 1

Lexie Marotta and Susanna Hamsley explore a Bud-dhist temple in Beijing.

Source: Lexie Marotta

Carter steps up as new head coachIn May of last year Mr. Brent Hill stepped down

from his position as head varsity football coach, and was replaced by former defensive coordinator David Carter. The appointment came as something as a sur-prise to Coach Carter. When he received the call from Mr. Hill and school president William Taylor, Coach Carter thought he was in trouble.

Mr. Hill made the decision to step down for a num-ber of reasons including his desire to spend more time with his family, as well as to take better care of him-self mentally, physically, and spiritually. “My wife and I have a deal, that until I feel my faith, my family, and my health are in line, I’m not [coaching] again,” he said.“Believe it or not I’m doing fine… It’s been a healthy break right now. I know it’ll hit me a little bit more during a game. It’ll be different for me now as an AD watching instead of as a coach.”

It was apparent to not only Mr. Hill but also Mr. Tay-lor that Coach Carter was the natural fit. “We knew Coach Carter could handle it,” said Mr. Hill. “He’s been around some solid programs. There was a need for somebody to understand what’s already been es-

tablished here.” Coach Carter agreed that because excellence is the

backbone of St. George’s, the culture and environment make coaching easier. “The kids are pushed to excel, to try and find excellence,” he said. He states that the transition between coaches could not have been any smoother. “It’s really just a change at the top… The relationships that they already have made it easy.

Recognizing that the football program has seen a number of changes in the past four years, Coach Carter reminds his players, “Don’t blink. Change will happen… If this team wants to be successful in 2013, they have to roll with the punches.” ”

Coach Carter has altered the typical football two-a-days, and remodeled them into a team camp. The players spent the week together at a hotel. “I think the guys walked out of that camp with an understand-ing of what I mean when I say family, and how the idea of family permeates through not only the field house, but into the academic building and into their own homes. I think there’s a newfound love for each other,” he said.

Virginia Whitsitt’14

Photo: Lindsay Cayce

to focus on a more specific subject that you may be in-terested in. Students who share the same enthusiasm for the subject also surround you. These summer opportu-nities give students valuable experience for their future academic careers.

Coach David Carter leads the football team against Trinity Christian Academy

Student LifeSeptember St. George’s Independent School• •

Freshman Expectations vs. Senior Reality

Everyone has some sort of expectation about what high school will be like as they enter ninth grade. The media por-trays high school as being filled with crazy house parties and random, perfectly coordinated dance numbers, with teens singing and dancing down the hallway about how they are “all in this together.” But what is high school really like? We asked some freshmen what they expect going into high school, and then went to our seniors to get the real story on what life is like as a high school student, along with some pieces of advice for our rising freshmen.

Freshmen, Class of 2017

What are your expectations for high school? Do you think high school will be like how it is portrayed on television?

Caroline Farrel: “I think that high school’s going to be very dif-ferent, the schedule may be hard to adjust to. I don’t think it will be like television portrays it.”Chris Broome: “I want to get good grades, and to have fun. It’s not going to be like television.” Jimbo Cayce: “I don’t know.” Deon Crum: “It will be better than middle school. Probably not like movies.” Shane Horton: “It’ll be harder, especially when I get to junior year. I heard junior year is supposed to be hard, but not like movies, at least not at St George’s.”

Seniors, Class of 2014

What did you expect high school to be like as a freshman? What is the reality as a senior?

Alexa Basinger: “ayear is rough, but I think that as freshmen year goes on, certain things don’t matter, you just kind of have to focus on you, on how the high school experience should be. Obviously, you want it to be like “High School Musical.” It’s not as scary as on TV, it’s not as big a deal, I think our school is good at like keeping the seniors grounded so that everything doesn’t go to their head.”Casey Schneider: “I was expecting nobody to talk to me and that my teachers would be Nazis. Now, as a senior, I realize that the teachers are the most helpful people in the school, even more helpful than any of my friends could be. And that really everyone talks to everyone. The seniors especially were way more welcoming to the freshman than I had ever expected in all my years of high school.” William Brown: “As a freshman, I was expecting freshman dumpster day, then I realized they don’t allow that at our school.” Chancellor Zaugg: “Freshman year, I expected lots of swirlies, and wedgies. As a senior, you need to take high school a lot more seriously. You gotta go full speed all the time!”Andrew Grissom: “I thought that it finally counts for college, so really kick it in and work hard. There are serious times but it’s also a lot more laid back. You really get that freedom that prepares you for college and for the future. It’s a really good experience.” Brynna Bartlett: “I just kinda thought ‘All right high school.’ Now, I’m depressed it’s almost over, I actually enjoyed high school, but I’m kind of ready to go.”

Virginia Whitsitt ‘14Lexie Marotta ‘15

The secret summers of teachersCaroline Cannon ‘15

Photo: Caroline Cannon

Getting to know your new prefects

Do you approve of the student body’s selection of making you a prefect?

Andrew Grissom: “Yes, I did. I am looking forward to a serving the role as prefect. I think I’ll do a good job, hopefully I will.”Zoe Leake: “Yes…”

Do you believe the group will work well together?

Lindsey Cayce: “Absolutely! We will accomplish many things this year, because we all get along re-ally well.”Chancellor Zaugg: “I do. We are an interesting group. There are a lot of big personalities, so we are going to either clash like titans or crash like whales.” Are you looking forward to this year as prefect?

Calla Michalak: “Yeah! I’m really looking forward to it. It will be nice to have some kind of input into what’s going on at the school. It’s an added bonus to being a senior.”Shelby Sims: “Yes, I’m looking forward to working with Mrs. Majuri.”

Will you color code outfits on Friday?

Calla Michalak: “I hope so. I’m really hoping I can get Andrew on board with the whole pink blazer thing. I think Robert will be a big fan of that, but we will see.”Robert Schutt: “No. Because we’re going to all wear dif-ferent colors.”

What does this year’s choice of prefects bring that other’s didn’t have in the past?

Dean Brown: “Well, I do feel like this year our group is closer than past years. However I can’t speak for past years, but I do think this group will be better together than others have, and we’ll be on the same page.”Zoe Leake: “Yeah, but we didn’t choose, Mr. Taylor just kind of tells us what we are going to be. But I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to be prefect of.”

What did you feel worked with past prefects that you will use in the new year? What will you change or bring?

Robert Schutt: “I think we will bring a new energy that the school has been lacking in in resent years and revi-talize the system. Chancellor Zaugg: “That everyone made it out alive. I think the number of students at events is pretty bad, so we should change that. I’m going to try to bring a bounce house every Friday, but that might not happen.”

Preston Vihlen ‘15

Source: Sarah CowanThe prefects make their debut on convocation day.

Across1. Attended a wedding in Spain6. Purchased a mandolin10. Witnessed the conclusion of the 100th Tour de France12. Vacationed in South Dakota

Down 2. Took sailing lessons3. Became a Master Gardeners graduate4. Watched Hungarian folk dancers5. Their adult tennis team won state7. Vacationed in Key West, Florida8. Attended ComicCon 20139. Enjoyed going to a Beyoncé concert11. Went to Las Vegas

8

Rising freshman anticipate high school at Stepping Up.

Answ

ers: 1. (Mr.) Tarjan 2. (M

rs.) Ayerst 3. (M

rs.) Michalak 4. (M

s.) Vasil 5. (Mrs.) Bran 6. (M

r.) Adcock 7. (M

r. William

) Taylor 8. (M

r. Andre) M

iller 9. (Ms.) Brooks 10. (M

r. Wilson) Taylor 11. (M

r.) Thompson 12. (M

rs. Sarah) Robertson