Name Games
NEIRAD enilno edition
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Have you ever wondered why, when you are walking down the hallway, you hear, “Hey Lunchbox!” or “What’s up Elmo?” I’m sure you’ve asked yourself, “Who would name their child Elmo?” But what you probably don’t know is that there is an interesting story behind this name and many other off-beat nicknames given to various students at DHS. Neirad went behind the scenes to uncover their identities.
Everyone knows senior Tally Thorén, from his appearances on Blue Wave News, involvement in Student Council, and his undeniable charm in the DHS halls. But what many people may not know is that Tally is not his real name. The name bestowed to him 17 years ago by his parents was Peter James Thorén. However, his name soon changed upon arriving home from the hospital and being introduced to his older sister Laura. At the time, Laura was just learning how to talk. “When I was in my mom’s womb,” Thorén said, “my sister Laura would call my mom’s stomach ‘towelly’ for the towel that was wrapped around her stomach. When I was born my parents came home and said, ‘Here’s Peter!’ and my sister looked sadly at them saying, ‘What about towelly?’” The name stuck and evolved into Tally. When asked if he would prefer the name Peter over Tally, he said, with enthusiasm, “Hell no! Tally’s the way to go!”
First grade was when it all started for sophomore, Alex McGuire whom most of us affectionately call Elmo. Jeff Salvatore, a former student at DHS who is now a freshman at Portsmouth Abbey, was the one to christen Alex as Elmo at a soccer camp. “Apparently my laugh sounded like Elmo’s,” Alex said. While all of his classmates call him Elmo, it depends on the teacher, he says, as to whether or not they call on him in class as Alex or Elmo. Yet, the ultimate question is whether or not he likes being compared to the fuzzy red Sesame Street character. “I like it. It sets me apart so I’m not just another Alex.”
Everyone at DHS has seen senior “Fridge” Geddes walking around the school with shorts and a T-Shirt in the middle of winter. The majority of the DHS population fails to recognize that he has another name besides Fridge. By the way, it’s James. When asked if he has a preference, James or Fridge, he said, “I don’t really care. They’re about the same.” According to Geddes the name started in sixth grade and originated from his muscular physique. “The name came from football. I would always wear shorts and a t-shirt and hit people really, really hard. I am the size of a Fridge,” he said. His younger brother, sophomore Matt, has earned the name Freezer.
Sophomore Ryan Dirvin got his unusual nickname for no specific reason. Kevin Green, now a senior, was the first to call him Lunchbox at soccer during Ryan’s freshman year. “He didn’t know my name basically”, says Dirvin. Nonetheless, the name has stuck. “I have some teachers that call me it”, says Dirvin, “like Mrs. Brown.” The nickname was first used just at soccer and then slowly spread to more of the DHS population. “I think the name Lunchbox suits him well because he’s really small and gives people food,” said fellow sophomore Elizabeth Crafford. Ironically, Dirvin doesn’t even own a Lunchbox.
With the last name Bone and first initial R, freshman Robin Bone has found herself with obvious but unfortunate nicknames. “Everyone calls me Boner and Bonehead”, says Bone. When asked if she was offended by said nicknames, she replied, “Oh, I don’t care.” Bone was very upbeat and nonchalant in her responses and didn’t seem to care at all about the seemingly demeaning nicknames.
Some have no reason behind them and some are just fun ways for our peers to identify us based on personality or character traits. Either way, the nicknames at DHS allow students to set themselves apart and be identified as something other than just another Peter, Alex, James, Ryan or Robin.
