If you are active on social media, you probably know that “Chaboi Tuffy” has become the unofficial voice of the School, yet almost no one knows where the account title came from.
“chaboi_tuffy” is an Instagram account for the student body that posts everything from sports updates to spirit week reminders and showcases. Although this account is the original, almost every student-run account affiliated with the school has been titled “Chaboi [insert group name here].” So while this name is everywhere on Instagram, most students have not heard the origin story
The founders of the Instagram account are Henry Yeary and Natasha Skov, the spirit captains for the class of 2016. Yeary and Skov decided to run for spirit captains at the end of their junior year, writing a speech to give to the Upper School on why they should be elected for the upcoming year. However, when asked to recall the moment, Yeary said, “I was holding this piece of paper in my hand, and I’m just feeling like it’s not speaking to me…this isn’t what the people want.” Yeary remembers being on the stage in the MEW, trying to give his part of the speech before going completely off script, saying, “We’re going to make an Instagram account, and it’s just going to be Chaboi Tuffy.”
After the speech, students came up to them asking to pursue the idea of the Instagram account. As promised, Yeary and Skov created the account, with the first post being an eagle head edited on the body of a jaybird to represent the jayhawk. The caption was just “Cha boi.” They started by creating countdown videos for the first day of school, getting the student body excited for the year. They continued making content throughout their senior year, including news, fun videos, and spirit updates, before passing the account on to the class of 2017.
When Yeary and Skov graduated, Chaboi Tuffy was the only account in the Chaboi family, but now there are over 40 accounts, spanning across sports, clubs, theater, dance, and more. In fact, Yeary was shocked to hear that his Chaboi legacy had spread so far and across so many areas of the School.
So next time you check in on the Chaboi Tuffy Instagram, remember that it all came from one student who decided to take a risk. Yeary made an improvised promise that led to the primary way we communicate as students, proving that sometimes the best ideas are the ones you don’t plan for.