Students and teachers may have seen senior and head prefect Sope Adeleye on her phone in the hallways and in classrooms on Tuesday, Sept. 8, but she did not receive a single referral. She was not texting or making phone calls, but rather she was taking pictures of her daily life at school for the St. George’s Instagram account.

Adeleye was one of the many representatives chosen for the St. George’s Takeover Tuesday initiative that took flight at the beginning of this school year. This gives students, faculty and teachers the opportunity to run the St. George’s Instagram account, @SGISGryphons, for an entire Tuesday. The participant can post photos of whatever they want as long as it reflects the spirit and atmosphere of the school.

“We began this campaign as a way to engage our current students with the school’s social media presence,” Mrs. Sarah Acuff, Coordinator of Development and Associate Director of Communications, said. “The campaign has been so successful, and it has helped spread the St. George’s message to the larger Memphis community as well.”

The initiative was inspired in part by other national organizations, such as when various Olympic athletes shared photos of their time at the events on the Olympic Instagram account.

Before the school’s Instagram account began, news and photos were primarily shared via Twitter and Facebook. These tools were beneficial in reaching alumni and parents, but the communications department felt the need to establish something that current students could relate to. The Gryphon Instagram page was created early last school year in an attempt to involve people with the school and create excitement for upcoming events.

Communications admitted they had a difficult time engaging people with the Gryphon Instagram in its first months online, but it increased in popularity with the Takeover Tuesday startup. Now with over 350 followers, the page is more popular than it has ever been.

Both students and faculty have shown their enthusiasm pertaining to the school’s revamped Instagram page.

“It’s a great way for us to give outsiders an inside view of the school and to do so in a way that’s free and allows for a lot of really unique perspectives,” Head of the Upper School Mr. Tom Morris said. Mr. Morris took over the Instagram account on Tuesday, Oct. 6, where he shared photos of upper school classes and the junior class gearing up for the annual Ali’s Way event.

Sophomore Maggie Vento is excited to see what Takeover Tuesdays will bring in the future as well.

“I loved when Sope Adeleye took over the Instagram because she’s a student, and it’s more fun to see what she is doing and to relate,” Vento said. “It’s fun seeing my classmates in posts.” Vento has also expressed interest in possibly taking over the Instagram herself one day and hopes to help prospective St. George’s students “see what being a student here is like.”