The Lodge

St. George’s Independent School | Collierville, Tenn. | 05.23.22 | 5.3

RACE
TO
THE
FINISH
L
Editor-in-Chief
Madeline Sisk
Deputy
Editor-in-Chief
Alanna Murphy

Photography Editor
Jack Seigerman

Arts Editor
Caroline Higley
Design Editor
Lauren Shang

Social Media Editor

Ellie Christie

Copy Editor
Anna Schmiedicke
Copy Editor
Sienna Lightman

Staff
Trinity Cannon
Natalie Howard
Erin Johnson
Ally Martin
Peyton Monroe
Mary Beth Skelton
Seth Taub
Bess White

Advisor
Dr. Margaret
Robertson

Cover photography
and design by
Seth Taub and Trinity
Cannon

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Arts & Entertainment
senior
04
05
A New Medium

Ultimate Disney Summer

Movie Guide
08 wills
Sports
06 Leaps and Bounds

Seniors 05
08 Senior Wills

09 What Makes the Class

of 2022 Special?

10 Senior Splash Day

Features
10 10
12 Let’s Talk Bodies

Opinion
15 Letter from the Editor

06
 A New Medium
A New Medium
A New Medium
New art show highlights student artists

Junior Kate
Winstead shows
a piece of her art
work to fellow
junior Angelina
David.

Photo: Jack Seigerman

S
By: Peyton Monroe Having an entire event dedicated artist in residence, Ms. Katy Sim- Winstead, who had multiple
tudents are used to seeing to showcasing student artwork mons-Carroll an idea. pieces commented on by St.
their peers’ artwork in from various classes and clubs “We thought to ourselves,” Mrs. George’s faculty, was a fan of the
the halls, but the week of allowed students to stand out on Webb said, “all these people have system.
April 15-23 was something their own. commented about how much they “It’s nice to see that people like
special. For the first time at St. “We have been thinking about love the work, let’s give them a my work,” she said. Winstead even
George’s, an art show solely featur- and trying to incorporate a way to platform to say it.” had an opportunity to sell her
ing students was held. Mrs. Allison show student art and highlight our Faculty had the opportunity work but declined to do so, instead
Webb, fine arts department chair artists,” Mrs. Webb said, “because to recognize art that they found gifting it to others.
and artist-in-residence, was really they’re amazing.” particularly interesting by placing According to Mrs. Webb,
pleased with the results. The student art show allowed a sticker and leaving a note near receiving feedback is essential to
“It was a fantastic week,” she her to do just that. some of their favorite art pieces learning and growing as an artist,
said. “It was really awesome.” Junior Kate Winstead, who had explaining what they liked about so students welcomed the opportu-
According to Mrs. Webb close multiple pieces displayed during them. When the art was taken nity to see what teachers thought
to 400 pieces of artwork were the show, said she “like[d] how down from the hallways at the of their work.
displayed in total. you could just wander through the conclusion of the art show, stu- “I think [students] were really
This was the first separate stu- halls and see all of the work.” dents were able to keep any notes excited to have that feedback,”
dent art show that the school has Faculty seemed to share the given to them by faculty. Mrs. she said.
hosted. Usually students will have same sentiments. While the art Webb called this a “way to build Winstead agreed.
some art displayed alongside that show was being set up through- community and connectedness “It’s nice to have your work
of professionals during the SGIS out the school, they frequently through art.” appreciated,” she said.
Annual Art Show that takes place commented on work that they
in the fall, but Mrs. Webb wanted appreciated or admired, which
to spotlight students separately. gave Mrs. Webb and, fellow

4 | Arts
 A T E
I M
U LTDisney Summer Movie Guide
By: Erin Johnson

This top tier is for the summer Disney channel original movies

A
(DCOMS) that defined a generation and are still just as iconic a decade
later as they were when they were first released. These movies all have
amazing soundtracks that stand the test of time. I mean who doesn’t
remember the “Hoedown Throwdown” from “Hannah Montana The
Movie,” “Bet On It” from “High School Musical 2,” and “Don’t Run Away”
from “Let It Shine.” At the end of the day these movies are guaranteed to
make your summer a fun one.

In this tier we have the movies that aren’t the best but are still amaz-
ing. Both movies are a great representation of what we all wanted our

B
summers to look like. “Camp Rock” and “The Cheetah Girls 2” had
soundtracks and all-star casts that made these movies just as iconic as the
movies in the first tier. When you can’t watch any of the movies in the
first tier, watch one of these because they will give you that same classic
feel -good summer DCOM feeling.

This tier is reserved for the most mid of all of the summer DCOMS.

C
“Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie” and “The Suite Life Movie” were
both extensions of two really popular shows at the time. The movies are
great by association, but because they aren’t original ideas and are just
building on old ideas that already work I don’t see them as deserving to
be in the top tier. That doesn’t mean they’re bad. They’re awesome mov-
ies if you’re feeling nostalgic for the old days of Disney channel.

This bottom tier is for the bottom-of-the-barrel summer DCOMS. These

movies aren’t necessarily bad, but they also aren’t good. “Camp Rock 2”

D
is a huge disappointing step down from its predecessor “Camp Rock.”
and “Teen Beach Movie” was a lazy remake of “West Side Story.” The only
good parts of these movies were the Jonas Brothers and Ross Lynch. You
can watch these movies a hundred times and still not know what they are
about. If there’s absolutely nothing else to watch, these movies are an okay
last resort.

Entertainment | 5
Rising track star freshman Kimbriel Winfield runs hurdles in practice in preperation for her next meet. Photos: Seth Taub

LEAPS AND BOUNDS

Breakout track stars set a new pace
By: Natalie Howard

K
imbriel Winfield and With all her track accomplish-
Noah Mullenix: two ments, you wouldn’t think she got
names you’re likely to into it accidentally. Her first sport
hear more in future. was soccer.
The two rising track stars are “My mom just kind of put me
smashing school records and get- in,” she said. “Because I used to
ting recognized across the state. play soccer, and then my coach
According to MileSplitTN, called me a ball hog because, ap-
Freshman Winfield has an average parently, I got to the balls quickly.
100 hurdle performance of 15.32 And so then they suggested me for
seconds, which is better than 75% track, and I did that.”
of Division I athletes when they The sport worked out. Now
were freshman in high school. She during her freshman year, she is a
has participated in 10 meets and hurdler and a sprinter.
out of those 10, has come in first When asked what her favorite
place five times. memory was during her track Winfield runs a few 200 meters to get ready for the region relays.

6 | Sports
seasons, Winfeld said, “probably
breaking the school record at state
last year.” She beat the school’s
100m hurdle time of 16.52 sec-
onds with a time of 16.50 seconds.
This is the expectation she sets
for herself and Mr. Andre Lott,
varsity track assisant coach, has
seen how intense the pressure can
get.
“She puts a lot of pressure on
herself,” he said. “She expects
to perform at a high level every
race. When she loses, you know,
she makes a couple of mistakes
and gets very frustrated, but we’re
talking about and figuring out a
way to overcome those frustrating
situations.”
The pressure can be a lot, but
Winfeld is holding fast.
“I’ve wanted to like, I don’t
want to say quit, but I have
wanted to take like a few weeks
off,” she said. “I don’t remember
a time without track. It’s like the Seventh-grade track-star Noah Mullinex waits for the results of the region championship.
last thing I go to after a long day
at school.”
are receptive and communicate “He brings achievement onto St. George’s looks forward to
Freshman Keegan Jackson
with him when racing,” he said. himself and sticks with the pro- seeing both her and Mullinex
works side by side with Winfeld
“One of the runners, Thomas gram. He’s taken upon himself to progress.
and said she, “is always at the front

...
[Schmiedicke], communicates with motivate himself.”
of the line so she pushes us to do
Noah regularly, and the seniors are As much as Mr. Lott urges
better.”
super kind. They never make him students to persevere through the
feel like he’s annoying.” pressure, he wants his athletes to
Fellow runner freshman Tyler remember to take it one day at a
Bergin is impressed with him. time.
While Winfeld is breaking
“He’s insanely good,” he said. “I “Sometimes people make mis-
school records as a freshman, and
don’t even know what to say be- takes,” he said. “You can’t expect
seventh-grade distance runner
sides that he’s good at everything to win every meet you compete
Mullenix is the fastest middle
he does.” in.”
schooler in St. George’s history,
When asked if track has helped Winfield a recently qualified
according MileSplitTN.
him in any other areas of his life, for state, and it’s safe to say that
His interest in track stemmed
Mullenix said that it helped with
from watching YouTube videos
making more friends.
about famous track athletes and
“It’s helped me
also the “overwhelming” encour-
be happier because
agement from his dad.
I really enjoy it,” he
His impressive skills mean he’s
said. “I’ve made a lot
already practicing with the upper
of friends, so it helps
school track team, a decision
make new friend-
that was made by both coaches
ships.”
and Mullenix’s father, Mr. Jason
When asked how he
Mullenix.
prepared for his meets,
“At the beginning of the season,
Mullenix said, “before
I had a meeting with coaches
I always stretch and
specific to his long-distance and
I do like a warm- up
they suggested that he run with
run. Like, just to get
varsity distance runners,” Mr.
my muscles loose,
Mullenix said. “It was honestly a
so I don’t, you know
compliment to Noah and the right
like, get injured. But
challenge but successful because
then I just stretch and
he broke 5 minutes in a 1600
try to stay as loose as
meter run by 13 seconds.”
possible.”
Mr. Mullenix appreciates how
Mr. Jason Mullenix
welcoming the team has been.
credits Noah’s success
“The high school students
to his ambition. Seventh-grader Noah Mullinex kicks it into high gear at the end of the race.

Sports | 7
 senior wills ‘22
Morgan Schrum wills being the most school spirited to Abigail Finch and the black Lululemon tank top with the weird Lulu shorts to Mary Alice Murphy.

Nicolas Gutierrez wills his world-class goalkeeping skills to Jordan Giles and the title of “best Gutierrez at St. George’s” to Sebastian Gutierrez.

Mae Wilson wills her top-secret candy stash at Mrs. Simmons’s desk and her perfected skill of annoying Mrs. Metz daily to Bennett Wilson.

Emma Clayton wills the SGIS Cross Country Instagram account to next year’s girls team captains Megan Yost and Lauren Rutlin.

Thomas Miller ​​wills Griffin Davis to be the next varsity lacrosse goalie so he can stuff Huffman’s crease cranks.

DeAndre Deener wills his discipline to not noodle during Mr. Link’s instruction to all AME underclassmen.

Eleanor Kuykendall wills the role of ‘team chaplain’ on the varsity soccer team to Mary Alice Murphy.

Will Franklin wills being the best golf/baseball dual-sport athlete in the school to Noah Land.

Ethan Bearman wills being the coolest Bearman at St. George’s to Emma Joy Bearman.

Scottie Brown wills the yearbook TikTok to Mariah Nellessen and Elizabeth Kilmurray.

Maya Ibrahim wills being the shortest person on the volleyball team to Kiki Finneran.

Joe Walters wills his love of Ole Miss football to Jordan Thomas and Gavin Allen.

Caroline Higley wills her full-time residency in the art room to Kate Winstead. Ben Roan wills catching to Keifer Cox.

Ella Grace Cornpropst wills her parents and dogs to Delaney O’Connell. Lucas Giolo wills SUI to Diego Guerra.

Joseph Nabors wills driving people home from soccer to Mark Ibrahim. Ally Martin wills Mary Alice the Mindfulness Club.

Isabela Jimenez wills being Mrs. Metz’s favorite to David Jimenez. Isaiah Lewis wills his tennis skill to Jack Whitaker.

McKinley Farese wills her car-parking skills to Elizabeth Kilmurray. Charlie Horne wills the bullfrog to Brandon Hayden.

Maddox Davis wills being Mr. Cao’s favorite Davis to Griffin Davis. Jack Seigerman wills Seth Taub his average height.

William Finneran wills being the better Finneran to Kiki Finneran. Kanon Winfield wills his parking spot to Erin Johnson.

Tyler Rideout wills the underclassmen the snacks in the lounge. Grace Anne Barton wills her left kidney to Gavin Allen.

Ashton Slemons wills her senior night tiara to Jayley Yelverton. Wilson Whittemore wills the #3 to Andrew Whittemore.

George Brandon wills the Ultimate Frisbee Club to Seth Taub. John Miraglia wills his lacrosse stick to his favorite brother.

Kyle Houston wills his basketball skills to Joshua Holloway. Craig Allen wills the best tilt on the team to Justin Bourdeau.

Hampton Bryan wills his soccer skills to Michael Davidson. Dade Micheel wills his soccer drip and “42” to Logan Haddad.

Hudson Williams wills “beep bop boop” to Huffman Smith. Lauren Shang wills her love of Disney movies to Erin Johnson.

Joshua Panetta wills his amazingness to Jordan Giles. Madeline Sisk wills running the Lodge to Anna Schmiedicke.

Harden Williams wills his soccer skills to Mark Ibrahim. Travis Lane wills the role of robotics team captain to Austin Lane.

Luke Washington wills being RB1 to Drake Gonzalez. Alanna Murphy wills Molly Gorham love of undercuts and softball.

Will Crosby wills his disco stick skills to Noah Land. McKenzie Knight wills the secret lemonade recipe to Rylee Knight.

Chloe Lewis wills the weight room to Dalton Lewis. Mehul Gupta wills his one good ACL to all upcoming soccer players.

Lincoln Johnson wills Dalton Lewis the frying pan. Bess White wills being the coolest White in the school to Lauren White.

Mac Murphy wills Huffman Smith the right wing. Luke Robbins wills the best car in the school parking lot to Hudson Downs.

James Reid Hamblen wills being the best James in the school to James Christie.

Ellie Christie wills the phantom of her charming presence to next year’s Lodge staff.

Thomas Schmiedicke wills being the best Schmiedicke on campus to Anna and Sarah.

Iris Delahoussaye wills the last shreds of her sanity to the next set of football managers.

Gianna Scola wills parking next to and talking to Mr. Gibson in the morning to Deja Harris.

Alyssa Aghabeg wills her setter skills and favorite Wacky Wednesday t-shirt to Reese Regner.

Jordan Firtik wills “this is true” back to Mary Caroline Collier. And all the sopapillas in Chattanooga.

Darby Beal wills her superstition of holding hands in “circle” before showtime to Madline Clarke and Wilson Young.

Parker Nannie wills #11 to Jordan Thomas and being the favorite Nannie at the Collierville campus to Caroline Nannie.
Opinion | 13
8 | Seniors
WHAT MAKES THE
CLASS OF 2022 UNIQUE?
By: Seth Taub

“What’s special about our grade is “One of my favorite memories of the

that we are very competitive, but senior class is going to prom this year,
we all got really close to each other and I got to spend a lot of time with my
as time went on. My favorite mem- classmates.”
ory was painting my parking spot
with all of my classmates.”

Ella Grace Cornpropst Maya Ibrahim

“I feel like there are so many students in this class

that have talents in very different areas. There’s just
a lot of diversity within this class that’s just really
cool to see how they’ve still all sort of come together
as a group.”
“This being one of the first years
out of COVID, you know, I think Dr. Shelby Montague
this senior class stands out because
you’re getting back into the routine
of showing everybody how it is
really supposed to be.” “My favorite memory of the senior class is
probably our wrestling Oklahoma drill [in the
Mr. Danny Broadway bathroom] and that just shows how creative and
how fun we are”

Lincoln Johnson

“My favorite memory with the senior class

at St. George’s would definitely be Six
Flags in eigth grade. I think what makes us
special would be how at the end of the day
we always come together and we just have
a lot of fun.”

“[The senior class] is special in its creativity for low-

Gianna Scola
level mischief. Whether it’s Frisbee over here during
lunch, although it had to stay away from the cars,
or lining up out here and just chucking footballs at
Ms. Marilee Malott each other’s backs hoping to pain each other, but
not give anyone a concussion.”

“My favorite memory would probably be the first day

of school just because I remember everyone being very
nice and welcoming. It’s not clique-y, you can talk to
someone who you may not be best friends with.”

Lauren Shang

Seniors | 9
 senior
splash
1.

day
Seniors continue the cool pool tradition
Photos: Seth Taub

O
n the last day of classes, seniors
took part in a tradition of jumping
into the pool and urged the teach-
ers to jump in, too.

1. Senior Ally Martin backflips into the pool with a

big smile on her face.

2. All students, inside and outside of the pool,

celebrate with their hands in the air after Coach
Nick Whicker completes an acrobatic front flip into
the pool.

2.
10 | Seniors
 4.
3.

3. Coach John Carter Hawkins gets ev-

eryone clapping before he cannonballs
into the pool full of excited seniors. ol
as the students cheer him on.

4. Senior Lincoln Johnson releases a

water balloon with full force at a fellow
classmate right outside the pool house.

5. Coach David Stooksbury belly flops

into the pool as senior students cheer
him on.

6. Senior Caroline Higley braces her-

self from the balloon thrown by Senior
Ashton Slemons.

7. Morgan Schrum and Bess White

hold Mrs. Emily Metz’s hand as all
three of them prepare to jump in the
pool while everyone watches with
excitement.

5.

6. 7.
Seniors | 11
 Let’s
Talk
Bodies
12 | Features
Features | 5
 Is the body positivity
movement working?
By: Madeline Sisk and Bess White

I
n Aug. 2020, self-pro- ment has accomplished its goals. But Collier said this trend and looking gorgeous with no flaws,”
claimed body positive Unilever’s Dove USA launched others similar to it actually do she said. “It made me feel terrible
influencer Sienna Mae projects like the Real Beauty cam- more harm than good for her. about myself. It’s like, ‘well, I don’t
Gomez posted a video paign and the Self-Esteem Project, “They’re still super, super look like that every day and even
mocking fellow TikTok star Oliva and magazines like Women’s skinny. It’s not helpful that they’re when I do try, I still don’t look like
Ponton for uploading a video Health have banned phrases like putting it out there to try to be that’.”
where Ponton, who was wearing a “drop two sizes” from their covers. like, ‘this is me. Like, this is what I Senior Craig Allen agreed and
cropped shirt, danced to a trend- Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS, actually look like’, but I’m like, it’s pointed out that many of the
ing sound with the caption “sorry whose slogan is “solutions for not helping people that are bigger photos that receive attention on
i just ate.” everyone,” creates shapewear for than you,” she said. “If I flexed I Instagram are highly artificial.
Gomez’s post was met with women of all sizes. still wouldn’t look like your picture “It’s unnatural, because like,
anger from viewers who responded “The inspiration for SKIMS when you’re relaxed, so it’s just not [they’ll] sit there, and photoshoots
that the video was counterproduc- started with finding solutions helpful. It just makes me think ‘oh, last like three hours just trying to
tive to the body positive movement for dressing issues as opposed to you still look better, even when get the perfect angle and make

s
and that Gomez was reacting ‘fixing’ or changing a woman’s you’re not trying, than how I look them look the best they possibly
hypocritically. natural shape and figure,” Kar- when I am trying.’” can, to the point where it just sets
Though Gomez later apolo- dashian said. “Having a woman Instagram in particular has such a high bar that people com-
gized, saying she meant no harm, tell me that SKIMS is the first come under fire for nurturing an pare themselves to that, and then
in the wake of the controversy, shapewear she has found that environment where young people they feel worse about themselves,
the damage to her brand was actually matches her skin tone, or feel more insecure. when in reality, the models them-
irreversible, and new headlines comes in a size that fits and feels According to the Pew Research selves don’t even really look like
questioning the body positivity comfortable, is the entire reason I Center, 72% of teenagers 13-17 that because of Photoshop and
movement – like Stylecaster’s started SKIMS.” use Instagram, and more than stuff like that,” Allen said.
“The Body Positivity Movement According to the American 40% of the app’s users are young- Even the social media stars
Is Focused On All The Wrong Psychological Association, a er than 22. themselves aren’t immune to neg-

...
Things” – began to appear across meta-analysis published in 2016 Meta, Instagram’s parent ative comparisons. Recently Kim
social media. showed a declining rate of body company, says that social media Kardashian wore Marilyn Mon-

...
dissatisfaction in women over a 31- “can have positive mental-health roe’s iconic 1962 “Happy Birthday,
year period from 1981-2012. benefits.” But in 2021, the Wall Mr. President” dress to the Met
Street Journal reported that one Gala where she told Vogue that
Things didn’t start out this way. in three teenage girls said that she had to lose 16 pounds in order
The body positivity movement Instagram made them feel worse to fit into the dress, and that night
began in 1969 with the fat accep- But are people, especially young about their bodies. the zipper still wouldn’t close.
tance movement, which sought people, actually feeling better Sophomore Rosy Higareda So, even influencers with entire
to counter the stigma and unfair about their bodies? Is body positiv- said that social media, Instagram teams can’t always live up to the

...
treatment faced by fat people and ity working? in particular, has had a negative body standards they promote on
continued to gain supporters for Junior Mary Caroline Collier effect on the way she views her social media.
decades. isn’t so sure. body.
It wasn’t until the 2000’s that In one recent trend from the “I get insecure because I have to
the term “body positivity” was body positivity movement, people see Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner,
introduced into the movement. have begun posting photos and Kendall Jenner, like these women The body type considered “ide-
Activists took to social media videos on social media of their who look nothing like me, and al” changes over time, but junior
sites like Tumblr, Facebook and In- bodies taken at less flattering then they’re the beauty standard, Mariah Nellessen believes that
stagram to show support for more angles or without posing to show which made me delete Instagram society’s current standard is pretty
body acceptance and diversity. what their bodies look like in real for months because I just could specific.
By some measures, the move- life. not go on there and see everyone “I feel … like society wants the

Features | 13
ideal body image to be someone into a particular size of clothing
who has a small waist and curvy is damaging.
[hips], no hip dips, thick thighs,
but a big butt, [and] still a small
“If someone’s [wearing a]
large, you think ‘Oh, that’s rude,’
“If you’ve got wide hips, you’ve got wide hips,
waist, and strong but not big
arms,” she said. “If you [have
but it’s only rude because people
have made that word sound
whether or not the style becomes narrow,
larger arms], you’re too big. But bad,” she said. “Every decade slim hips. If you’ve got big breasts, you’ve
got big breasts, whether the style becomes
then if you’re trying to be skinny, there’s a new [standard]. Like
then you’re too small.” one [generation] is supposed to
This particular body type
would have been out of place just
be really skinny, the next needs
to be curvy. You look back [and] flat-chested or doesn’t.”
25 years ago, when very slender
bodies were in fashion.
it wasn’t always really curvy like
it is now.”
Ms. Leanne Ricketson
In 1996, Abercrombie and However, curves don’t always
Fitch, a traditional sporting goods equal confidence either.
store, rebranded as a preppy Higareda said that she has had
clothing store with a flair for the people comment on her body for
scandalous. From racy catalogs to years, and as a young child and women exhibit body dissatisfac- pretty big,” he said. “I feel like
shirtless male clerks, Abercrombie preteen, it was hurtful. tion, but Dean of Students Ms. being big is kind of frowned upon.
and Fitch stores became an “expe- “When I was in, like, seventh Leanne Ricketson said she hopes I know growing up big and out
rience,” and in the ‘90s and early grade, they were talking about people will embrace their bodies of shape, it wasn’t really the best
2000s wearing anything from this me like, ‘oh, she’s so developed’, just as they are. thing, because I was always made
store made you “cool.” talking about my chest and stuff, “If you’ve got wide hips, you’ve fun of for my weight.”
In a 2006 interview with Salon, and they’re like, ‘she’s the prettier got wide hips, whether or not the As a result, he now works out
Abercrombie and Fitch’s former one because she’s more devel- style becomes narrow, slim hips. multiple times a week.
CEO, Michael Jeffries stated his oped’,” she said. “And then last If you’ve got big breasts, you’ve “I feel like I put the work in to
got big breasts, whether the style not be where I was at back then,”

...
intentions for his brand. year, I had gained weight, and
“We hire good-looking people in they’re saying, ‘oh, well, you don’t becomes flat-chested or doesn’t,” he said.
our stores. Because good-looking want to be as skinny as this one she said. Ms. Ricketson, who taught both
people attract other good-looking [or] be be as fat as her but like, this high school and middle school
people, and we want to market [girl] is a good size, [and] that one English before becoming dean of
to cool, good-looking people. We isn’t,’ talking about me. And so it students, said she is familiar with
don’t market to anyone other than just hurt a lot whenever they’d say Ms. Ricketson said she believes the pressures on boys as well as
that,” Jeffries said. “Candidly, that about me.” the body positivity movement has girls.
we go after the cool kids. We go Social pressures like these can made a difference in the media, “I’ve seen sort of firsthand
after the attractive all-American take their toll, Nellessen said. focusing largely on uplifting girls where puberty and being too skin-
kid with a great attitude and a lot “When I was coming into high and women. ny or not muscular enough can
of friends. A lot of people don’t school, one big thing was girls that “The media has gotten better impact boys,” she said.“I think for
belong [in our clothes], and they would get attention from guys. If than it used to be in terms of in- boys we don’t talk about it much.
can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? they would be like, ‘Oh, she has corporating more body types and But I know that it’s there and that
Absolutely.” such a great body.’ I would look at celebrating them [for women],” they make similar comparisons,
Prior to 2013, Abercrombie and her body and be like, ‘What does Ricketson said. “But men aren’t and that, you know, locker rooms
Fitch’s largest available sizes for she have that I don’t have?’ And talked about as much.” are hard for boys, too.”
women were size L or size 12. It start listening to those things in my Allen said he believes that both Johnson said that a supportive
was only after sustained pressure brain and thinking like, ‘Oh, they girls and boys have body image network helped him to maintain
from body positive campaigns and like her flat stomach. I need a flat issues, but the way that they deal confidence in his body, and now
boycotts that they changed their stomach or no one’s gonna want with them is different. he tries to instill that in others.
sizing to include up to size XXXL me’.” “I feel like it’s more vocalized “I feel like my parents are really
or size 24 (although many clothing A study published by the [for girls], but it’s the same thing body positive, and they preach
items still stop at size XL). National Library of Medicine on both sides,” he said. “[Howev- about loving yourself, loving how
Nellessen said that trying to fit approximates that up to 84% of er,] guys have a natural tendency you look, and pretty much saying
to keep their insecurities to them- that as long as you’re healthy, and
selves.” you feel healthy and you’re happy
In a study published by the with the way you look then you’re
National Library of Medicine fine,” he said. “I know how it feels
in 2019, 90% of male US to be big. And I know other people
“I feel like being big is kind of frowned upon. students in one survey described struggle with being bigger, so I

I know growing up big and out of shape, it

themselves as being dissatisfied always try to push them towards
with respect to muscularity, and doing better things for them-
wasn’t really the best thing, because I was 69% were dissatisfied with their
weight.
selves.”
Ms. Ricketson hopes that stu-
always made fun of for my weight.” Senior Lincoln Johnson, who
has struggled in the past with
dents feel like they are supported
at school.
Lincoln Johnson weight issues, said that being “Your body is the body you’re
overweight weighed on him born with, and it’s not going to be
psychologically, too. able to adjust just because fashion
“When I was younger, I was or style does,” Ms. Ricketson said.
14 | Features
 Letter From the Editor

D
ear staff and readers,

In my time at the Lodge I’ve had the opportunity to do some incredible things and learn from a plethora of experiences
both good and bad. I would like to believe that I have been able to grow, mature and find myself as a person largely due
to this magazine. Many of the stories that I have been blessed enough to work on have taught me more than one might
think. This year in particular I have learned three very valuable lessons that I would like to pass on: flexibility, accountabil-
ity and forgiveness.

What I’ve come to realize is that these lessons have served to make me a better person and peer.

I’ll be the first person to admit that I prefer things to go my way. Turns out, the Lodge has taught me time and time
again that, one the first idea isn’t often going to be the best, and two more often than not – I end up liking other people’s
ideas better than mine anyway. It’s amazing what we can do with an extra voice.

Accountability has become more important to me than ever. The phrase “I messed up, I’m sorry,” is a tough one for me
to say. However, in my position this year, I realize that I’ve messed up plenty of times. I found that simply acknowledging
my own mistakes has helped me to build, maintain and even repair many of the relationships I have come to really value.
Mistakes aren’t easy for any of us to own up to, but I truly believe that accountability is a huge step towards a positive
future.

Finally, I wanted to share with you something I’ve come to realize the value of recently. Forgiveness.

And I know what you’re thinking — how cliché. But bear with me. I’ve realized that forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting
the past, but it does mean setting aside grudges and letting myself be happy.

I understand that not everyone is ready to forgive and that is totally valid. Sometimes things are too fresh or too painful,
and it’s okay to accept that, too.

But forgiving past transgressions feels so much better to me than having the weight of the anger and the grudges on my
shoulders.

Thank you for being my community these last four years. It’s been beautiful.

Signing off,
Madeline Sisk

MS

Opinion | 15