By Dylan Peyton,
Staff Writer.
Over 5,000 years ago, tattoos were first being performed with needles and a primitive carbon-based ink. Tattoos have since advanced in both technology and style, with dozens of art styles ranging from traditional to cybersigilism. Some people have dreamt of getting a tattoo since they were young, while others prefer to avoid the ink. At Santa Rosa High School, we have multiple students who already have tattoos with different styles and meanings, but all are amazing.
Our school’s star football player, senior Rashai Thompson, has a tattoo on his right forearm with the Chinese characters directly translating to “I love you a lot“ or “I love you so much,” a saying his family uses with each other. The phrase, originally “wo ai ni hao da hao duo” in Mandarin, was translated by Thompson’s nightschool teacher Ms. Itskov who speaks fluent Mandarin. He got the tattoo done in 2024 as his first tattoo. The story behind the tattoo is to “show part of my heritage people wouldn’t know by looking at me,” says Thompson. On his dads side, he is part Chinese and Filipino, which is why he chose the Chinese characters. The tattoo is the first part of a sleeve that he is designing himself and will be added to over time.
Another great tattoo on campus belongs to our ArtQuest instrumental music teacher, Tim Decker. He has thirteen tattoos, each with different meanings and stories. On his right arm he has tattoos dedicated to his family. Decker’s thirteen tattoos feature three that were drawn by students from over the years and some for his grandparents. He has always loved tattoos, wanting one ever since he was young. “I think of tattoos as art, so I like to go to different artists and get different styles…it’s like collecting art,” says Decker. He got his first tattoo at 19 as a spur-of-the-moment thing with his friends while walking past a tattoo shop. He looks forward to getting more tattoos.
There are so many great tattoos at our school, with both students and faculty showing off their ink. In Santa Rosa there are multiple good tattoo shops, some even being as close as downtown. If you’re looking to get a tattoo done locally look no further than Anchor Rose Tattoo shop on College Avenue or Crows Nest Tattoo shop downtown on D Street. Both are amazing shops with different artists specializing in different styles. Keep an eye out for our campus’s great tattoos and maybe even find inspiration for your next tattoo.
