Body modifications are becoming more and more popular with SCHS students. A rising number of students have appearing steel and ink in their bodies each with personal meaning.

A popular face with an inked arm would be none other than senior Isaac McMullen.

“They have a lot of deep personal meaning to me regarding my childhood,” McMullen said, standing with an almost finished sleeve of flowers and a snake on his left arm. “I decided that I want to get red on it so the snake’s belly and the snake’s eye and probably his tongue is also gonna be like a super bright red.”

A lot of time and  money goes into tattoos of all kinds. With such a large area being covered, there was quite a large bill. 

“The first spot on my forearm was $400 plus a $100 tip. The outline was $500 plus a $100 tip, then the shading on the first part was $400 with a $100 tip,” McMullen explained.

His experience with his ink turned out so well he’s already planning for more. 

“(I want) So, so many. I wanna get my right arm sleeve done, more personal meaning behind that, and then my full back that like stretches down to my legs, like over my shoulders and like the back of the neck, I want that to be a giant oak tree, like the world tree because I’m a norse pagan.”

McMullen has one more session at Iron age studios for his sleeve to be finished, but he’s not the only senior with big plans.

 “Whenever I was younger I’d always see all the guys with tattoos and thought it looked cool – it’s like a form of art and I just really liked them,” Kevin Budden said. “I plan to get sleeves. On the arm that I already have stuff done I’ll probably stay black and gray but on my other arm it’s just whatever happens.”

The healing process for some students was not the best either. 

“(It was) Horrible, I had to put lotion on it everyday almost, and I had to wash it really well to make sure it did not get infected,” senior Elizabeth Brooksher said.

There are only a few teachers with tattoos as well, but it’s not nearly as common.

“I wanted a fine line tattoo with my kids’ names on it but I also wanted it to be something pretty,” FACS teacher Daniele Munzer said.

Many of the student body have piercings as well.

“I just kept going,” junior Abbigail Trauterman said, “I like gold a lot, I love the gold.” 

Trauterman thought through her piercings and wanted to continue her streak. 

“I wanna get another cartilage, I used to have it pierced but I got it pierced at Claires.”

On the other hand there were a few students, such as sophomore Lilly Hagadon, who have a different story, said that her bridge piercing was an “impulse decision.” Still there is always more to come. “I need to get my septum redone and both my nostrils.”

As more and more students get tattoos and piercings it adds more and more diversity to the looks of the student body.