“A prickling sensation,” “consecutive cat scratches,” “bee stings,” or much worse may be felt as the needle approaches the bone. What could be worth these painful piercing vibrations?

Tattoos. For some, it’s an art of self-expression. Others take part in the adornment to permanently carry the legacies of passed loved ones. 

Enrollment Specialist Kelly Benson honors her Hawaiian heritage on her forearm, like wearing her heart on her sleeve.

“It’s the word ‘Puna,’ a shortened version of the word ‘Kapuna,’ which means grandmother in Hawaiian,” Benson said. “My grandchildren call me Puna. I also have the birth dates of each of my five grandchildren tattooed on my arm, and ‘Honu” is the Hawaiian word for sea turtles.”

Like prominent placement of Benson’s colorful arm piece and countless other tattoos alike serve as great conversation starters, senior Devin Summers uses the attention-grabbing nature of tattoos to spread God’s word with a tattoo of the burning bush from the book of Exodus.

“I fell in love with this story when I began volunteering in church, and I wanted to be able to share the amazing works of God at any place or time,” Summers said. “In the flames of the burning bush in my tattoo, you can see a faint image of the Lord. God used the bush covered in flames to grab Moses’ attention. Once Moses came up to the bush instead of running away in fear, God was able to call Moses to save the Israelites in Egypt. The tattoo represents the indirect signs God give us in order to hear from Him.”

Using body art to be a disciple of God making more disciples is not entirely unique to Summers, though. The first tattoo Benson ever got was an Icthus, also known as the Christian Fish, inscribed with the word “faith”.

Religious tattoos are just one type of ink reminder to stay true to one’s core values. Senior Trinity Hogan got a tattoo of the number “222” to remain feeling balanced. 

“It’s an angel number that means ‘alignment,’” Hogan said. “It reminds me that everything happens for a reason, and to never give up and keep pushing no matter the circumstances. I added butterflies to the tattoo because they are a symbol of growth and new beginnings.”

Other impressive imprints include English teacher Rachel Allen’s ode to horror films.

“I wanted to come up with a half sleeve of ‘sweetheart’ horror icons,” Allen said. “One of my students, Raymon Marion, drew the designs and I was fortunate enough to book with Nate Beavers to get the first two done. I still need Freddy Kruegar and Ghost Face added, but I have to save up some more money.”

Tattoos often serve as a permanent reminder to honor the memory of lost loved ones. In remembrance, junior Isaiah Walker tattooed a profound heart emblem with the letters “A” and “K” on his left ankle on New Year’s day.

“I got it with my ex-girlfriend’s sister after my ex-girlfriend and her mom passed away from cancer,” Walker said. “It reminds me we don’t have long, so we have to praise every second we have.”

Although the needle may hurt in the moment, meaningful tattoos act as a gentle guide for the soul in hardships.

“My mom and I got tattoos in each other’s handwriting that say ‘;I love you,’” senior Madeline Aulbert said. “We added the semicolon to commemorate our shared struggle with our mental health. I got a second tattoo for my dad. I had him draw a star and then had that tattooed as a shooting star. Both are on my ribs so I can always have my parents close to my heart.”

In an act of pure love and parental pride, Principles of Animation teacher Brad Threadgill went beyond hanging his three-year-old son’s fingerpainting of a firetruck on the refrigerator and had it tattooed on his side.

“The firetruck was Nevin’s second painting ever,” Threadgill said. “I also have his first painting tattooed on my other side.”

English teacher Michaela Eisman got a symbolic tattoo of a monarch butterfly on a bouquet of wildflowers in honor of her mother.

“My mom’s favorite thing to do on road trips was pointing out all the different wildflowers we passed on the road,” Eisman said. “When she read about the monarch butterfly population decreasing, she made it her life’s mission to save them. She had my dad screen in half of our porch and she created her own butterfly garden where she bred, raised, and released monarchs. After she passed suddenly in 2018, I wanted something that represented what she loved about the world and what I loved about her.”