NEWS
According to the Castilleja Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook, “Mobile phones should be silenced and remain in bags/backpacks...
[PAGE 2]
FEATURES
[PAGE 3]
Behind the scenes of Castilleja’s production of “The Lightning Thief”
Musical
By Vienna Farano ’26
Castilleja’s Theater Department put on a fantastic performance of Joe Tracz’s “The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical” on Nov. 8 - Nov. 9. In past years, the department wowed audiences with productions of “Mean Girls,” “Clue” and “Little Women.” This year’s musical was unique because of its physical demands and complex choreography which the cast executed with remarkable energy and dedication.
Salutations Abby,
I feel like my friends don’t respect me. COLUMN
[PAGE 5]
[PAGE 7]
“The Lightning Thief” was notably challenging as the group hadn’t recently done shows with lots of weapons and fight choreography.
“Technique needs to be incredibly precise in order to stay safe while also making the fight choreography look as real as possible,” Natalie Dang ’26 said, describing the focus necessary when using weapons. While difficult, Dang found this to be “one of the most fun and rewarding aspects” of the show. Cast members were able to “learn a new skill and take their performance to a whole different level.”
In addition to the intense fight choreo, the cast was fairly small and many people played multiple roles. For example, Zoë Friedman ’26 played three named roles plus general ensemble. She said that although the production was one of the “most taxing [she’s] ever done,” it was also “one of the most exciting because [she] was able to explore so many characters and sing in several really different styles.”
While having a smaller cast required a lot of discipline, focus and organization, Nightingale Smith ’26 reflected that “having a small cast, especially for this production, was really fun.” The show had a lot of moving parts, and the cast “all came together as an ensemble to make it work.”
Smith noted the importance of “having a close ensemble with smaller casts” and thought they really pulled it off: “The vibes and community were amazing - one of the best casts I’ve been in.”
Maitlen Suvari ’25 echoed Smith’s views, agreeing that “the cast was absolutely incredible, and having a small cast made everyone a lot closer and strengthened bond[s].” With respect to choreography, Suvari explained how Bessie Zolno, the show’s fight choreographer, led them in a “fight call,” a warmup in which the cast ran “every fight at 50% speed and 75% speed to make sure the movement was in [their] bodies and that [they’re] connected with [their] partner so everyone stayed safe.”
The set design and props were also essential in bringing the show to life. Ameena Haque ’26, the show’s stage manager, said that Yusuke, the show’s “incredible set designer,” executed the cast’s goal of creating a “dangerous and precarious set” to support the journey the characters faced throughout the musical. The set included “details like caution tape, ladders, and poles to create a treacherous feel.” Greet, the show’s “wonderful props manager, found and created all of the props for the show.” Additionally, Haque helped run the show’s lights “which, coming from running sound in previous shows, was a bigger challenge because there are several hundred cues.” Despite the challenges, Haque said, “This was probably the most fun I’ve had during a show [because]of the wonderful people involved in it.”
The physicality and staging of the “Lightning Thief” presented many firsts for the cast who embraced the challenges and delivered a fantastic performance. The Castilleja community is excited to be dazzled again by future performances.
PHOTO BY SAM PETERSEN
production features complex choregraphy, like fight scenes
This year, Peter Hatala joined the Castilleja Administration team as the Head of Upper School.
This fall, Castilleja welcomed a new sport: flag football.
Castilleja celebrates Grandparents & Special Friends Day
By Amelia Yuan ’26
Grandparents & Special Friends Day, beloved by those both in and out of the Circle, was greeted by a warm welcome again this year. The pouring rain couldn’t stop the embracing of this tradition, which kicked off with musical and dance performances for the special audience of grandparents and friends.
For all guests, the highlight of the day was simply getting to spend more quality time with their students. “I love being with Sierra and all her friends,” said Crystal Jones, who is the grandmother of Sierra Verma ʼ26.
It also gives grandparents a chance to reconnect with the rest of the family. A favorite part of visiting for the tradition every year “is actually coming to California and just spending time with family,” said Jan Rajeck, Cali Scolnick ʼ26’s grandmother. This year, Rajeck attended her third Grandparents & Special Friends Day.
Grandparents loved classes where teachers offered them chances to participate and engage. “I like the fact that we
were, as a visitor, engaged in part of the class work,” Rajeck said. “In the first class, English, reading Raisin In the Sun, we were playing Walter and we had to analyze him.” Jones shared this sentiment: “My favorite class was biology because there were the posters, and she made everything very interactive.”
Grandparents & Special Friends Day is an exciting event for both ends too. Students were eager to show their grandparents their classes at Castilleja and introduce them to their friends. “I was most excited to show my grandma how my classes operated and the interactiveness of the classes and just kind of what my day-to-day life looks like as a student here,” Verma said.
“I was excited to show them my classes and all my great classmates and teachers and how a class normally runs,” Scolnick said. The unique nature of classes at Castilleja made them an exciting experience for students to share with their grandparents or special friends.
Rajeck noted that she found Castilleja to be a truly special school. “I so admire all of you who go to school here… you have to come in and be engaged. One of the joys is that you all step up and have a
EVENTS
Students and their grandparents reflect on Grandparents & Special Friends Day 2024.
responsibility in every class and rise to the occasion,” she said. Scolnick’s grandfather, Merill Rajeck, added that “a good question is, would you rather go here or teach here?”
Bringing a grandparent with you through your day at school and showing them a different side of your life can feel a little daunting at first. But when asked if anything surprised them about seeing how their grandchildren were at school, most grandparents were actually surprised by how few differences they noticed between their students at home and at Castilleja. “Sierra’s actually the same at the house and at school. The one thing is she’s a lot more tidy here,” Jones said.
Most students attributed this to how much they are able to simply be themselves at Casti, even with their teachers.
The enforcement of Castilleja’s tech policy: How do
do teachers feel about this policy?
BY
Even students who didn’t bring a special guest appreciated the tradition. “I think it’s so cute. I genuinely have the best time ever with my friends’ grandparents. And I think it’s so sweetly designed how all the teachers kind of make their curriculum that day around the fact that there’s visitors,” Candy Fu ʼ26 said.
Grandparents & Special Friends Day warmed the hearts of everyone on campus amid the rainy weather and will continue to be a treasured part of Castilleja tradition for many years to come.
teachers feel?
lieves that her students have benefited from these tools. For example, she has seen her students’ improvements in organizational habits.
excessive for many students, but it was created to protect students’ safety.
“This is a safety issue -- a mental health safety issue, so we are going to push enforcement a little harder,” Eells said.
These rules are also a direct response to students’ actions: “I feel that students need to think about when they do things that they’re not supposed to do—they should think about the consequences that it will have on everybody else. That’s how, you know, rules get made,” Nicolaou said.
Faculty provide their insights on this year’s increased enforcement of the tech policy.
TECH By Isabelle Chen ’27 and Kaycie Nuckles ’27
According to the Castilleja Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook, “Mobile phones should be silenced and remain in bags/backpacks… [they] are not to be used inside any Castilleja buildings [and students] should only bring out the technology requested/required for the class by the teacher.”
This policy has been a part of Castilleja for years but has had little enforcement or impact within our community. However, this year marks a significant change as the policy becomes more strictly enforced in our school. While this change is important, many students are left asking, “If this has always been the policy, why start enforcing it now?”
Upon entering Castilleja, Head of Upper School Peter Hatala strived to address the detrimental consequences of mobile phones for students nationwide, specifically teenage girls.
“I was really happy to see that we had this policy in the books,” Hatala said. However, when he asked the community how the current policy was going, he was told, “It’s not going.” So, Hatala and Interim Head of School Julia Eells decided to start enforcing this policy more strictly. As technology has become a key part of many classes, this raises the question: How
Technology can have both benefits and downsides within the classroom and is a complicated topic for many teachers—“It’s a double-edged sword,” history teacher Ricardo Carmona said.
Technology can serve many uses for students throughout the school day. Laptops and iPads are commonly used to take notes, conduct research and utilize learning platforms such as Schoology and Quizlet. Nevertheless, technology can have many downsides, interfering with students’ learning and causing them to get off task, for example by browsing on a separate tab or opening TikTok on their phones.
One of the most significant disadvantages of using technology is that it can be highly distracting. “I personally think that technology can help you learn, but, of course, it can also get in the way—right? I mean, if you have 50 tabs open, and instead of, you know, taking notes, you’re shopping online, then it’s a problem,” middle school French teacher Evelyne Nicolaou said.
“Because of our habits of how we use tech and [computers], it’s really easy to start looking at Amazon or clothes or [play] a game, so it’s really easy to get distracted,” Carmona said.
Marie Martine Shannon, Upper School French teacher, believes that mobile phones are a waste of students’ time. “[The phone] devours your time, [it swallows] and eats [up] your time, and you don’t see it until the end of the week. You see, ‘What? Five hours per day on the phone!’ [and] when the time is gone, it’s gone. You cannot go back,” Shannon said.
On the other hand, Nicolaou provides her French IA and IB students with school-issued iPads. Why? Nicolaou be-
“[I feel] that with an iPad, it’s also easier for students to get organized—to keep organized,” Nicolaou said. “I tried to go back to the paper last year, and I realized that it didn’t really help their organization.” Nicolaou also believes that iPads have more capabilities than traditional classrooms and have made her classes more engaging. “For beginners, we could produce and do things with language that was a lot more fun than just writing.”
Nicolaou also touched on the environmental benefits that iPads bring to classrooms. “I think [Mr. Cortella] said to us one time that we use half a tree per year per [course]. I don’t know if it’s true or not, or if [it was just] an image he was trying to give us because we use so much paper, [but] I thought, “Oh, my God.’”
Despite the positive impact on our environment, the role of technology remains a topic of debate. A complete tech ban is a difficult task that isn’t practical or likely possible. “Banning’s not the solution— moderation is,” said Nicolaou.
While it may be hard for students to see the benefits right now, this is a much-needed change that we will all be grateful for in the future. “It’s a good thing for you. It can be frustrating, but I think the school is [making a] good decision. You’ll be thankful later,” Shannon said.
This policy isn’t final, but rather, a starting place that will continue to evolve throughout the school year. “I don’t think that [the] policy is perfect. But I do think it gives us a good framework to work from, to [establish] some norms,” Hatala said.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” history teacher Ricardo Carmona said.
“The worst thing we can do is just an outright ban on technology,” Carmona said. “We need to learn how to use technology and how to harness it, and that means we can’t fear it.”
Other teachers believe the trick to staying off our phones is to stay connected with our communities and peers. “We have to be busy. I think [that it’s] about keeping ourselves busy, but busy in a good way,” Shannon said.
However, appropriately limiting technology use is not only up to the teachers but also the students. “If we force you to [not use your phones], it’s not going to work. You guys have to be willing to give it a try,” Carmona said.
This policy can seem annoying or
As this policy had not previously been enforced, the administration was unsure how it would affect the Castilleja community. Direct implementation from the handbook may not always fully translate into the intended application.
Through an interview and follow-up email, Eells shared her views on this challenge: “If you have a handbook, there is often a gap between what’s published and what’s realistic to enforce.”
Hatala and Eells want to take a student-first approach to create the best policy. “Our hope is that students will be involved with this process and figuring out what the next steps are,” Hatala said. Moving forward, Hatala aims to adapt the phone policy, involving collaborative efforts between admin and students.
PHOTO
NOLA DOORLEY ’26
PHOTO BY ANYA DALAL ’27
FEATURES
Garden gnomes and burrowing wasps: A guide to Mr. Lai
By Deeksha
Venkat ’27 and Do you consider yourself a hunter or a gatherer? I think it depends. But probably more of a gatherer. You’re still providing for the community, but in a more peaceful way.
You may have heard of Steven Lai—the brand-new Geometry Honors and AT Calculus teacher. On the surface, he may seem like your everyday, relatable all-girls-school-educating-glasses-wearing-teacher, but he’s far from a run-of-the-mill instructor. From his love of romance movies and obsession with binge-watching TV shows, Lai is far more relatable than any of us imagined. We discussed Lai’s background, his love for “Grey’s Anatomy” and his favorite invasive species, among other fun facts.
What would you say is your background? What did you do before Casti? Did you teach anything else? Where’d you grow up?
I moved to Fresno from Hong Kong when I was almost five and grew up there all the way through high school. From there, I went to college on the East Coast, and I lived there for the last eight years. I was teaching in Boston for four years when I moved back [here] in 2019. I’ve been teaching in Daly City from 2019 to now.
What is a strange fact about you that you wouldn’t like to tell us?
Theoretically, I have slight OCD. For example, [when I’m] watching TV shows, I have to watch every episode. If I start a TV show, I have to watch it until it gets canceled or it completes. So for example, “Grey’s Anatomy” started in the early 2000s, and I’m still watching that. I don’t even like it anymore. I mean, it’s okay. I just have to watch it because I just have to finish it. So I have that little completionist in me that I’m sometimes embarrassed about. I mean, I’ve been watching for 20 years now.
What social media app do you consider your favorite?
I don’t really use social media, but I guess the only one would be Instagram, which I rarely use.
What would you consider your music taste to be? I think some people say it’s “teenage girl.” I’d say I like a lot of Taylor Swift and then, on Spotify, I’ll just play related music. So after I play a whole album, I just play a lot of artists that are similar. Then I’m like, “Oh, I kind of like this,” and then I listen to more of it. So that’s why I do like Taylor Swift adjacents—lots of similar artists.
What’s your favorite album from Taylor Swift? My favorite album is Evermore.
Who would you say inspires your style of clothing?
I try to go for casual or business casual. I like a lot of khakis and shorts and then polos, that kind of thing. I look up to those Golf Club Grandpas, that vibe.
What’s your favorite invasive species?
Wasps. That’s at least the one that comes to mind, just some type of them.
What kind of wasps?
There’s like these wasps that burrow inside, and they lay eggs into each other. Yeah, I think, I think that’s one of the [types of wasps]. Don’t fact-check me on that.
What was your most recent adventure?
I think the biggest thing I did over summer was just like camping in Tahoe for a week. It was just a way
Meet the new Head of Upper School: Peter Hatala
By Zoë Friedman ’26
This year, Peter Hatala joined the Castilleja Administration team as the Head of Upper School. While his initial impact may have been marked by his enforcement of cell phone and parking policies, Mr. Hatala aims to be recognized for much more than rule-setting.
Hatala has many interesting anecdotes to share. He lived as a monk for a few months when he was 20 years old, an experience he deems formative and a time of self-discovery. He is deeply interested in how people find meaning and purpose in life and schools’ roles in developing these ideas.
What shone clear throughout my interview with Hatala was his love for being an educator. Hatala grew up in Hudson Valley, New York, and attended a private boarding school for one year during high school.
During his 10 years at Emma Willard, Hatala achieved what he deems his “proudest professional accomplishment.” He started as a history teacher and department chair and eventually became the Director of Curriculum and Innovation. In this role, he shaped the academic program. He introduced academic program pillars (similar to Castilleja’s core competencies), which allowed the school to become more experiential and reflective in teaching practices and focus on faculty growth and development.
Hatala’s proudest moment is knowing that his work “helped set the school in a direction that it’s still on today.” He added, “I think that direction is really successful and I’m really proud of that work.”
Hatala left Emma Willard to work as the Director of Studies at The Webb Schools in Claremont, California.
“I think single-gender education for girls in particular remains really vital and important for the world.”
He struggled to find a strong sense of community and belonging during that time and ultimately left after a year. However, he returned to that same school to start his career in education as a learning specialist, inspired by a desire to support students who, like him, found it hard to fit in.
Following his time at his former high school, Hatala spent three years at a public high school before deciding to return to independent schools, as he preferred the “close-knit environment you can have.”
This decision led him to Emma Willard, an all-girls school in New York, where he worked for a decade.
Just a year later, he saw an opportunity to join Castilleja, drawn by the prospect of returning to an all-girls school: “I think single-gender education for girls in particular remains really vital and important for the world.”
When asked about his goals at Castilleja, Hatala expressed a desire to continue learning from the community: “I think a mistake a school leader can make – or anyone in a leadership position — is to come into a new environment, think they understand it immediately, and then start to make decisions. I don’t think that’s a successful way to lead in any organization.”
With this mindset, Hatala is still in what he calls the “seeking to understand” phase.
BY
to unplug and go out in nature. We did a lot of hikes, went to sit in the lake and then did a few 7 mile hikes, other things like that.
If you were given an elephant that you couldn’t sell or give away, what would you do with it?
Ride it around the neighborhood. That’s great, like every day. Why not? I’m sure the elephant needs exercise. Part of it would just be taking your dog for a walk. But then why not ride it if it’s an elephant? But it would definitely need to be trained. Yeah, I would train the elephant.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be, but what secret catch would you have?
Growing up, I always wanted to be a mind reader, because I think as a teenager you always want to know what other people think about you and all that kind of stuff.
Meet the new geometry teacher: Steven Lai
I guess the catch would be maybe if you do it too much, you get a nosebleed or something. If you do it too much, maybe there’s a limit on how many things. And then you get headaches. You get a nosebleed. So you can’t abuse the power, you know?
What do you think of garden gnomes? Pros and cons? I think they’re seasonal. So Christmas, okay. If you want to do it if it’s fall, maybe you can, but definitely not in the spring and summer. So I think fall and winter are okay. Once it hits like maybe February, it’s like, no, they got to go.
However, he does have a vision: “double down on what we do best.” He aims to continue weaving Castilleja’s competencies into the educational experience, saying, “We want to continue to be intentional about being sure that they are in all aspects of school life here.”
So, who really is Peter Hatala? He is certainly professionally accomplished, but beyond that, what stood out to me in our conversation was his genuine desire to establish connections within the Castilleja community.
This is Hatala’s first job in 20 years of being an educator where he is not teaching a class. When asked what he wants people to know about him, he said, “At the heart of who I am is a teacher, and in the same way that they feel comfortable approaching their teachers, I want people to know that they can and should approach me because I’m really interested in getting to know them.”
PHOTO
NOLA DOORLEY ’26
PHOTO BY NOLA DOORLEY ’26
Leela Mudumbai ’27
Castilleja’s New Head of Upper School: Peter Hatala
FEATURES
A white polo in a sea of blue
FASHION
and
By Deeksha Venkat ’27
When strolling through the Castilleja campus, there are many things to be noted. Uniform and tech violations, ping pong games, panicked studying and much more. However, one thing consistently rings true for students around campus: the popularity of the navy polo. While the school offers both white and navy polos, it seems as though students favor navy. If you, like me, are curious to discover why, then we have to start from the beginning.
The interesting thing about the polo’s lore is that Castilleja hasn’t always had it as an available option. The polo itself was only added to the school’s uniform in the late 1980s — before that, only white middy tops were allowed.
“[Students] were only allowed two options: the middy blouse that went over your head, and a blouse with what is called a ‘Peter Pan’ collar, a very round collar that buttoned up,” Liz Babb ’82 said.
The first polo added was the white polo, and a couple years later, the navy slotted itself into the uniform ensemble.
The most fascinating part of this is that there was actually a third, secret color: red. However, due to the fact that every company made a different shade of red, the polo lost popularity fast, and eventually Dennis Uniforms, the company that Castilleja sources uniforms from, stopped selling them. Elizabeth Wright ’03 said that students “could only wear Casti red polos bought from the bookstore, not just any red polo.” Additionally, since red is such a bold color, many people felt that it stood out too much, with Pratima Sethi ’94 commenting that “red [was a] least favorite color–too loud.”
Even when the navy polo was introduced to the school uniform, the white polo reigned supreme as it had been a staple in students’ wardrobes for a long time. Emily Ach ’00 noted that “white polos were easier to find in stores than navy,” an opinion held by many Castilleja alumni. Louise Honner ’95 shared that “white polo shirts were definitely favored over navy,” and its popularity continued into the 2000s, with Georgia Lewis ’18 commenting that white polos were beloved because they “made people look more tan.”
However, more recent Castilleja alumni shared the popularity of the navy polo,
with Bella Vandenberg ’20, noting that it “hid stains and wrinkles better” — an opinion echoed by Michelle Leonard ’24 and Claire Traum ’17. Valerie Hammer ’17 provided a variety of reasons for the navy’s superiority: noodle bar spills, concealing 2013 neon sports bras, and matching the pale blue uniform skirts better than the white polo. Former teacher Lauren Schryver commented that during her time teaching at Casti, “navy blue polos were more prevalent” than white ones.
This poses the question: Does history always repeat itself? Did we as a school continue to grow in favor of the navy polo over the white? Do we value comfort or style more? In order to answer this colossal question, I conducted some research. Over the course of two weeks, I interviewed 100 Castilleja students on their polo preferences. The data was shocking.
Even
Kang ’27 shared that she prefers “the way the navy polo looks” as it appears “clean paired with jewelry and looks better with [her] hair and skin.” Color matching remained the strongest reasoning behind navy polo love. Kaathya Seshaadri ’27 highlighted this as her main reason behind her navy polo preference, explaining that she likes “how navy goes with the skirt better.” This idea was repeated by many people who appreciate the contrast in color between the light blue skirt and dark blue polo. Nikita Ganesh ’27 went so far to say that “[the navy polo] is a symbol of connection, because [everyone wears it].”
While the polo is a symbol of Castilleja’s history, it represents far more. The white polo personifies danger and is the idealist and dreamer’s choice of shirt: fragile yet luminous. On the other hand, the navy polo is the realist’s choice.
when the navy polo was introduced to the school uniform, the white polo reigned supreme as it had been a staple in students’ wardrobes for a long time.
Out of the 100 students, only seven supported the white polos over their navy counterparts.
This only further sparked my curiosity — I had to figure out why. I asked students about the logic behind their preferences and received a variety of answers. Poppy Scott ’27 remarked that the white polo was “too formal.” This sentiment was echoed by many people interviewed on this subject. Joan Lonergan, former Head of School, explained another take, sharing that middle school students tended to lean towards the navy, while Upper School students preferred the clean cut white.
Additionally, the shade of the polo plays a huge role in the choices of students. Adya Chowdhury ’27 shared that white polos “start looking old really fast.” Ellie
It exemplifies and hides the wrinkles of imperfection. While the white was originally preferred because of its virtue, the navy has risen to the top due to its protection — we as a school are slowly valuing our defense from stains over the illusion of a tan that the white polo creates. Essentially, the polos are not polos. They represent choice between beauty and comfort—and the struggle to balance them with the other Castilleja shirts—represents more than just a decision about the uniform itself. This preference for navy over white, practicality over purity, explains how as a school, we are leaning toward what is durable and what truly accommodates the complexities of living, rather than what is pristine but precarious.
Processing a historical moment: How Castilleja faculty chose to navigate the 2024 election with students
By Zoë Friedman ’26
In the wake of the 2024 election, the Castilleja community grappled with the challenge of processing a significant moment in history while maintaining a sense of normalcy for students. Teachers, administrators and students approached this balance with thoughtfulness and care, recognizing the emotional weight carried by many.
Carly Fox, the 11th-grade history teacher shared her initial thoughts going into Wednesday morning: “I wanted to acknowledge [the election] because it felt like it would be a disservice to students not to. I wanted to both acknowledge it and give students the space to process it in a way that felt safe, however much we can facilitate that.”
Other teachers, however, desired to use their classes to create a sense of normalcy for their students. “When I came in, I planned to leave my space as that math-neutral space, but also not shut down conversations that my students wanted to have amongst themselves and let my students kind of navigate that space,” Angela Price, a pre-calculus and calculus teacher, said.
Despite different approaches in how they decided to address their classes, all teachers noted a palpable shift within the community on Wednesday. “Just feeling the room felt kind of tense. It felt off from a normal day. So, just checking in with students, making sure that everyone was OK, and then kind of taking it as a chance at normalcy,” Jaimie Wang, a biology teacher, said.
Price echoed this sentiment: “I could see that the tone was different than any other day. It was obvious there was a quieter energy and when I picked up on that quieter energy, I thought that maybe having that quieter space to not have to share thoughts was going to be a healthy space for them to have.”
In addition to the teachers, the Castilleja administration took proactive steps to handle student reactions to the election. In the weeks leading up to the election, the administration announced that on Wednesday, Nov. 6, Community Time would be dedicated to processing the 2024 election. Students were given six options of workshops, led by Castilleja teachers and administration, ranging from yoga and mindfulness, to understanding the path to the presidency.
Both students and teachers appreciated this gesture: “I think Casti put a lot of
effort in preparing us and handling the situation from all different aspects, and really having an open mind and thinking about how each student does have different perspectives, different emotions, and they’re going to take it differently. I think the school did a really great job making sure that we [the teachers] were prepared and aware,” Wang said.
For Price, the school’s approach highlighted a stark contrast to her teaching experience at a public school in Utah before starting this year at Castilleja: “At my last school, we didn’t talk about elections. I was in more of a conservative-leaning state, and a lot of people just assumed people were conservative. It was really cool to see here how open we were to talking about it and letting students have that space because it was just not discussed where I was previously.”
As well as more involvement from the administration to encourage conversations surrounding difficult topics, Fox observed other differences between the Castilleja community and her previous job as a teacher at a boarding school in Vermont: “I think the difference is there was more diversity, perhaps in visible thought. I don’t want to suggest that there’s not diversity of thought here, but there was more expression.”
Because of Castilleja’s unique position as an all-girls school, the community felt particularly moved by the election. Fox described seeing students cry in her classes and wanting to communicate her support for them: “There was obviously a lot of rhetoric in this particular election, and I know for some students who are most marginalized in society, those messages could be really harmful. I wanted them to just see and hear an adult in their life who cares for them and doesn’t stand for those values, and is an adult who is still managing and showing that there is still going to be a normal class to the best we can.”
As Castilleja continues to nurture a supportive and inclusive environment, the response to this election serves as a testament to the school’s and faculty’s dedication to open dialogue, emotional well-being and resilience in the face of challenges.
ILLUSTRATION BY DEEKSHA VENKAT ’27
A deep-dive into the history
current trends of the Castilleja uniform polo.
PHOTO BY NOLA DOORLEY ’26
A guide to the Castilleja staff and faculty lunch
By Kaycie Nuckles ’27 and Deeksha Venkat ’27
PHOTOS BY KAYCIE NUCKLES ’27 AND DEEKSHA VENKAT ’27
Every day, Casti students line up for lunch, excited to see what’s on the menu. Casti students love lunchtime, with every student having their own favorite meal, but what do teachers like to eat for lunch? Over the past week, we’ve spent our lunches hunting down teachers to find out the secrets behind their delicious meals.
Ian Van Wert eats the salad every day as he tries to eat as many vegetables and greens as possible. He abides by the following rule: “Eat food, mostly plants, mostly leaves.” SCIENCE MATH
Nicolas Jerrald only had one word to describe his plate: “Greens.”
Bryan Valek tries to eat balanced meals daily. One of his favorite options is pork: “If they have pork, then I get the pork,” Valek said.
Elaine Middleman shares a similar mindset to Valek regarding evenness, prioritizing “a balanced meal” with a “tall cup of water,” as seen in the photo below.
COLLEGE COUNSELING
College counselor Gabrielle McColgan expressed gratitude for the convenience of Castilleja’s lunch: “I’m [grateful] to have food prepared for me,” McColgan said. She also does her best to make use of Castilleja’s wide selection of foods and makes “sure to take advantage of the salad bar.”
Registrar Heidi Gallegos has a unique method when it comes to lunch. She uses her own salad bowl from home to create a salad with “lots of colors” and tops it with “a good sauce.”
greens to
Lora Saarnio echoed the same sentiment, sharing her personal view on healthy foods: “eating lots of vegetables justifies a little desert.” Saarnio likes to eat her lunch while grading tests and assignments to maximize her time.
Additionally, Steven Lai loves to eat “lots of vegetables and some fruit.” Looks like the math department is getting their veggies in!
ADMIN
Interim Head of School Julia Eells adores Castilleja pasta: “Pasta, pasta, pasta, pasta, pasta,” Eells said. However, in order to keep a healthier and more balanced diet, Eells tries to eat as many leafy greens as possible.
Just like us, Head
Marie Martine Shannon tries to eat lots of protein, with one of her favorites being fish. Similar to Saarnio, she likes to be productive and work during her lunch periods. LANGUAGE
Other teachers choose to bring food from home. Due to his onion allergy, Cam Kaplan occasionally has to bring his own lunch in his Pokemon lunch box. He shared his personal opinion on what Castilleja food needs: “More flavor.”
Matt Callahan likes to have fiber-filled meals and either a plate of salad or a plate of fruit on the side. Recently, Callahan had dental surgery, so the meal pictured consisted of soft and easy-to-chew foods.
ATHLETICS
From a fitness and health viewpoint, Interim Assistant Athletic Director (and former Olympic beach volleyball player) Lauren Fendrick prioritizes the fiber she eats with every meal. On top of this, she takes advantage of Castilleja’s wide variety of foods: “I like to try something new every day,” Fendrick said.
Ask Abby: Disrespected Affinity Group Leader
By Abigail Kim ’25
ILLUSTRATION BY ABIGAIL KIM ’25
Salutations Abby,
I feel like my friends don’t respect me—whatever shall I do?? More broadly, how shall I motivate those in my affinity group to actually participate in our activities? #thanks #byeee
- Disrespected Affinity Group Leader
Dear Disrespected Affinity Group Leader,
What a relatable concern! As an affinity group leader as well, I can totally relate to the struggles of trying to get friends (who seem to think they can get a pass from participating just because they’re friends with the leader—how rude!) to cooperate during important meetings.
This is a very important issue that probably affects several student leaders. Let’s start by identifying the issue. In my experience, getting your group to participate fully is an issue of one, or a combination of, the following root problems.
1. They don’t understand the profundity/importance of the work the group is doing.
This one is quite self-explanatory. In general, it can be hard to take anything a friend does seriously, which I believe is separate from respect. I do think that a fundamental requirement for friendship is respect, so if that isn’t there, you’d probably be having other issues. Therefore, rather than a problem of disrespect, I believe that the decreased participation of your friends may have to do with a lack of understanding for why they have to do a certain activity. As a very laugh-y person myself, I like to take care of this issue by completely changing my demeanor when I ask the groups I lead to do anything serious, so that they get the point. Aside from putting a slight frown on your face and using a deeper voice, you may also want to signpost activities and their importance before starting.
2. They’re surprised by the tone of the meeting.
Now, something that may happen when you take the advice from #1 is that friends will become flabbergasted by your new and unfamiliar behavior, and they will joke and act up to get you to stop being serious (because, again, it is characteristic for us teens to make jokes of serious topics to lighten the mood). In order to prevent this from happening, it is imperative that you begin your first few meetings with serious topics, setting the tone for the whole year. You can slowly lighten the load once you see that your group has adjusted to the kinds of activities you want to accomplish and incorporate some more fun, relaxed activities—the group will still be prepared to jump into something serious without any surprise. It’s like how people say teachers grade harshly at the start of the year, but relax over the course of the year so as to not hear complaints about how their grading has gotten harder.
3. They’re disconnected from the rest of the group.
Having your close friend as a leader gives you this mental elevation (no shame, it happens to all of us) that makes them think they are in this in-between level of power below the leads but above everyone else. They’re associated with a lead, but are not one themselves, detaching themselves into this bubble which can ultimately lead them to goof off on their own, even if others are engaging perfectly well. I find that this can be solved when you yourself collaborate with them in small group activities, or (even better) when you force them to feel like they are just as close to everyone else in the group as they are with you, so they subconsciously break the idea of being on a separate level. This would probably take lots of icebreakers and forceful intermingling, but I know you can do it!
I hope that these three insights give you a better idea of how to handle “disrespectful friends.”
As always, thanks for Asking Abby!
Love to be of your assistance, abby
Need advice? Ask Abby!
ENGLISH
of Upper School Peter Hatala loves froyo! Pictured below is Hatala with a freshly swirled froyo.
OPINION
BookTok and Cool Girl Novels: How trends are shaping modern literature
By Deeksha Venkat ’27
In 2020, amid peak isolation and a need for connection, BookTok was born. Most of the books veer into the genres of romance or fantasy, and oftentimes a combination between the two (e.g. “A Court of Thorns and Roses” – Sarah J. Maas or “The Cruel Prince” – Holly Black). I’m not here to dissect the origins of this community, or explain its legitimacy. Instead, I want to explore what I like to think of as the “anti-BookTok,” a movement created entirely to promote ‘real literature.’ This campaign popularized a specific type of book: I call this the Cool-Girl Novel.
Over the past few years, I’ve seen a spike in literary fiction novels about unfulfilled women, failed relationships and incredibly flawed people. BookTok, which celebrates escapism and swoon-worthy plotlines, is painted as elementary compared to the ‘Cool-Girl Novel,’ which demands introspection and reckons with life’s raw edges.
These novels don’t belong to a distinct genre, but they often intersect with contemporary, coming-of-age and literary fiction. Instead, they are a cultural phenomenon, exposing us to societal disillusionment and pervasive senses of melancholy. Books like “Boy Parts,” “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” and “Cleopatra and Frankenstein” are some of the most popular books in this genre, but nearly every other novel that’s based in literary fiction falls into this category.
A defining characteristic of Cool-Girl books is that the protagonists aren’t likable – that’s essentially the point. The women leading these stories are oftentimes apathetic, even cruel and are forever grappling with their personal struggles. Mostly, they come from privileged backgrounds, often marked by fractured relationships or dysfunctional family dynamics. This style of characterization is meant to appeal to a specific audience: women who reflect the characters they read about. They resonate with readers who see echoes of their own struggles in these flawed, melancholic characters.
So what exactly makes this the “anti-BookTok?” This type of novel is a quiet rebellion against the bright colors, simplified writing and engagement of BookTok—Cool-Girl Novels rely on elaborate prose, plain yet beautiful covers and introspection. These books themselves are a way for people to establish themselves as ‘real readers,’ and a method of discerning themselves from the ‘common reader.’
However, I argue that these types of novels are intertwined with aesthetics themselves and often prioritize the energy of the book rather than the plot behind it. That in itself isn’t a bad thing, as literature thrives on diversity of form and content, but the detached characters and existential angst feel performative, especially considering how often they are repeated.
Additionally, these books often blur the line between being real about unhealthy lifestyles and unknowingly—or sometimes knowingly—promoting them. Most of the characters in these novels are economically secure, spend their time lounging in Manhattan or abroad and typically develop forms of addiction, whether to drugs, alcohol, love or beauty. Not only does the sheer amount of these books regularize this lifestyle, they also romanticize it. This has become a clear trend nowadays—with the re-emergence of trends like Indie Sleaze, hedonism as a lifestyle, glamourizing partying and aestheticizing burnout.
At its core, this trope is both alluring and potentially dangerous: beautiful, tragic women who ruin their lives, yet always emerge unscathed. Most readers are unlikely to experience this glamorous chaos firsthand, and for young women, who make up a huge portion of the audience for these books, these characters can seem like idealized versions of themselves. While this doesn’t directly encourage harmful behavior, it can make destructive lifestyles feel more like a “rite of passage.” The line between realistic depiction and passive promotion is incredibly thin here, and it poses the question of how exactly to tell stories like these without giving indirect endorsements to living this way—an answer left up to the author. We as readers can use these novels as a way to stretch our thinking and understand what situations and circumstances lead to someone to take on this way of being.
However, it is important to note that idolization of risky manners of living has been normalized, and whether or not they intend to, many of these books now slot themselves, and the people who read them, into a certain aesthetic. I’m not saying that we should never read books like this in fear of them making us unhealthy—that’s limiting the stories we could surround ourselves with. Instead, we need to understand the difference between reading Cool-Girl books amongst many types of novels, using them to expand our outlook, and reading only books like this, entirely because of fads. When reading these books the second way, it surrounds us with an echo-chamber of sorts, where we only consume specific novels marketed towards us, and do this only for the vibe that is connotated from it.
These books becoming trends is leading to further and further overproduction of one specific genre. Production of literary fiction novels increased by 25% from 2020 to 2021, and as “Cool-Girl Novels” are a subset of them, we can safely assume that their making has significantly increased. Additionally, marketing of novels in this genre has exponentially grown over the last few years, specifically targeting teenage girls and young women. Currently, carrying around a book like this is almost a fashion trend, and is becoming a performative act, with readers using them to signal taste. Initially, performative reading described men reading ‘female literature’ to seem more intriguing. However, performative reading has now severely expanded, and these books have taken on a kind of social cachet – becoming less about the substance of the stories and more about the status associated with reading them.
Using novels as a way to increase your social status and sort yourself into a specific category goes against the fundamental basis of artistic expression; it limits your view and renders you unable to inhabit different mindsets and see through multiple lenses. Creating the same copy-paste novel repeatedly only to cater to a singular audience waters down the point of creating these books in the first place.
It flattens the experience and makes every work we read feel as though they are duplicates of each other. The market dictates exactly what we read: producing and aggressively marketing the same books takes away the actual nuance and originality of the original novels in the Cool-Girl genre.
However, these books themselves aren’t entirely bad. Some works, like “Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” or “Intermezzo,” are not only beautifully written, but they also display stories that are far more developed than just their energy and atmosphere. Genres of novels like these aren’t all pretentious, but it’s all about balance between the stories we tell.
Ultimately, Cool-Girl Novels and their BookTok counterparts exist as contrasting expressions of the same literary landscape. One offers escapism and indulgence; the other promises gritty realism and reflection.
Yet when literature becomes a trend, it risks losing its depth and is reduced to an accessory or a status symbol. Instead of treating books as aesthetic props or cultural markers, we should embrace their true purpose: to challenge, expand and connect us. Whether through fantasy or literary fiction, the value of stories lies in their diversity, reminding us that great literature is not about fitting a mold but breaking it.
ECOPOINT
The paper plate problem
By Amelie Bellemans ’27
and Kaycie Nuckles ’27
Castilleja students and faculty face the important decision of choosing between paper and ceramic plates every day at lunch. While many opt for paper plates due to their convenience, others choose to stick with traditional ceramic plates. However, most don’t consider the environmental factors when making this crucial decision.
Despite often being labeled and marketed as a “sustainable option” and “eco-friendly” by sustainable companies like Green Paper Products and Ecovita, paper plates have many environmental downsides in comparison to ceramic plates, such as contributing to deforestation and being single-use. Paper plate usage has a cost, so here are some reasons why you should make the switch.
Recycling and Compostability: Despite being recyclable or compostable, paper plates produce more waste than ceramic plates.
Castilleja’s paper plates are compostable, so they can’t be that bad, right? Wrong. In fact, many paper plates end up in the recycling or landfill. Recycling programs can’t process these plates because they are food-soiled, so they are eventually sorted into the landfill. In turn, this contributes to the paper waste that already makes up 25% of American landfills. Once in these landfills, paper plates take an exceptionally long time to break down. Compostable paper plates can take up to five years to decompose, while other paper plates, such as recyclable and especially wax-coated paper plates, can take up to 50 years to break down. As these paper plates break down, they produce and emit methane. While methane is better than other greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, it is still highly toxic and harmful to our environment.
OPINIONS
Deeksha analyzes what she calls the
Carbon Emissions: Manufacturing paper plates produces more carbon emissions than ceramic plates.
Manufacturing just one paper plate can produce up to 3.8 grams of carbon emissions. Additionally, the preparation needed for manufacturing, such as setting up a wood logging site, logging the wood and transporting it to a mill, produces, on average, 36.1 kg of emissions per cubic meter of wood.
Paper plates can only be used once; therefore, Castilleja kitchen staff must constantly order more to replenish their supply. Paper plates must be transported from factories to warehouses before eventually reaching our school. The total transportation required produces significant carbon emissions that ceramic plates do not produce, as Castilleja does not need to purchase them as frequently. On average, the manufacturing of each ceramic plate produces around 600 grams of carbon emissions, and after 158 uses, each ceramic plate would have less net carbon emissions than paper plates.
Water Use: Manufacturing one paper plate requires more water than washing ceramic plates.
While it might seem like ceramic plates require a lot of water, as they must be washed frequently, paper plates require even more. On average, sinks dispense around two to five gallons of water per minute. One dishwashing cycle can use anywhere from three to fifteen gallons of water. This may seem like a lot, but producing just one paper plate requires eight gallons of water. Therefore, washing just three dishes in the dishwasher or hand washing a little less than one plate a minute requires less water usage than the amount it takes to produce paper plates.
This isn’t just about plates—the same applies to choosing which utensils, cups and bowls you use. While choosing a ceramic plate won’t magically save the planet, as a school and community, small choices like these are great ways to reduce waste, carbon footprint and water usage, and collectively can help us make a change. The next time you have to decide between a paper and ceramic plate, make a choice not just for yourself but also for the planet.
ILLUSTRATION BY DEEKSHA VENKAT ’27
“Cool-Girl Novel.”
The coach’s dilemma: Playing time in winter sports
PHOTO BY ANYA DALAL ’27
SPORTS
By Anya Dalal ’27 and Emma Siegel ’27
As fall sports wrap up and winter sports begin pre-season, many basketball and soccer players are thinking about the same thing: “What will my playing time look like this season?” Some athletes spend countless hours a week giving 110% during practice and individual training yet receive minimal playing time during games. Meanwhile, athletes with more natural abilities put in less effort—yet still get a significant amount of playing time. Coaches are faced with the challenge of balancing commitment with skill when determining playing time, which is no easy task, and players may also find these policies frustrating and unfair.
The two 2024 winter sports at Castilleja are basketball and soccer, both of which have one varsity team each. Jacklyn Brode coaches the basketball team, and Andy Lichtblau coaches the soccer team.
Although Castilleja sports are D5, Brode and Lichtblau noted that their central policies revolve around playing the players that will help them win, with a preference for highly committed ones. “There are no issues with commitment because you’re either in or you’re out,” Brode said. At the end of the day, Castilleja sports are high school varsity sports, not participation or intramural sports. Coaches want to put out the best team, even if it means being inconsistent with playing time and not rewarding commitment the way players would like.
Coaches are often faced with a dilemma when determining “fair” playing time. If players are more skilled than others but show less commitment, it can complicate things for the coach. “If you reward that lack of commitment, I worry about what that message sends to other players,” Lichtblau said. In sports, it is always preferred to make things fair and equal in terms of
opportunity, but it doesn’t always work out that way—especially in teams with large rosters. Brode—who has a roster of 16 but can only play five players at once—addressed this by saying, “I want to get them all in a game… and it’s not that we don’t want to put these people in. It’s just—a lot goes into it.” Furthermore, both coaches said their lineups heavily depend on their upcoming opponent and who will give them the best chance to win.
Mistakes happen constantly in sports; they are part of the game. Without mistakes, it’s impossible to grow to become better players. Some coaches value the learning that comes from mistakes—therefore keeping them in after the mistake— rather than immediately taking them out and decreasing their playing time, because this will ultimately negatively affect their confidence. On the other hand, some coaches worry that leaving the player in for longer can lead to more mistakes, potentially costing them the game. Lichtblau acknowledged how some players “avoid putting themselves in situations where they might make a mistake to the detriment of the team, or they get so worried about making a mistake that they play worse,” recognizing the impact that mistakes have on a player’s mentality and confidence. After the player is subbed out, Lichtblau has a conversation with them, addressing the mistake and later giving them another opportunity to incorporate the feedback, emphasizing their growth over the mistake.
Brode takes a different approach, caring more about the player’s reaction after the mistake. She tells the players to “make up for it,” acknowledging that mistakes are extremely common in basketball. She encourages players not to look back and to simply keep going: “Next play, next play, next play.”
When it comes to athletes’ perspectives on playing time, it gets more complicated. On some teams, inconsistency is prevalent, leading to increased playing time for some players, even if they aren’t as committed as others and don’t follow the coach’s playing time policies—coaches are willing to bend their policies for the more skilled players. As Taryn Johnston ’27 discussed, her coach typically shows more leniency to the “good players,” but ultimately, those players would play either way because of
Congratulations to our signed senior athletes!
In November, seniors Claire Sun ’25 and Ella Detter ’25 officially signed to play Division I athletics at Stanford University.
Sun will be joining the women’s beach volleyball team next year, while Detter will be swimming for the Cardinals.
From their accomplishments academic and athletic, the Castilleja community is beyond proud of these two seniors.
Go Gators!
their abilities. Seniority can occasionally contribute to inconsistent playing time since many teams value their leadership and organization. Yet, not all players agree that players should automatically receive playing time simply due to their grade, especially if other players put in more work.
“I think we should care about skill, putting our best foot forward. But… the most important thing is showing up to practice and trying your hardest,” Zoe Friedman ’26 said. When asked about her thoughts on coaches bending the rules for certain players, Friedman said, “It implies that some people are above the rules, and then it’s hard to enforce rules because… the coach is kind of losing credibility.”
Being a communicative and transparent coach is vital to a successful team and ensuring the players feel supported. On the basketball team, many players note that Brode is transparent and clear about her playing expectations. Brode values commitment and showing up to practice; if a player doesn’t, they won’t start. Johnston states that even if a player is a normal starter, without full commitment and 100% effort, they will stop starting.
Players also note that Lichtblau is transparent regarding his expectations and policies, but doesn’t follow through with them as consistently as Brode does. His policy entails that missing the practice before a game results in the player not starting. When coaches make exceptions for players, it becomes challenging to “level the playing field for everyone,” Friedman said.
among the starting players. “The goal is to see how the starters play together,” Agnich said, but inevitably, this dynamic leads to increased competitiveness within the team. Everyone wants to be on the team of starters, so to some players, “it gives them motivation… but at the same time, it’s not the greatest for [team] morale,” Agnich said. In basketball, all drills are done as a team. However, in soccer, players do completely different drills depending on their skill level, which correlates to whether or not they are starters. Some see this as problematic since it is harder to improve when playing with people at the same skill level. This “hurts the team, and then it also makes a weird dynamic within the players, which is not good,” Kaylin Yip ’26 said. However, Licthblau said, “When I design any drill, I’m trying to develop something in the players.” His approach is based on making the training more personalized to players based on their skills versus the skills they lack. It can be frustrating to put effort into earning playing time but still not see the results. Some advice that older players would give players seeking more playing time is to cultivate open communication with the coaches and to continue to put in the work to demonstrate commitment and the desire to improve. “Talking to [the coach] about that, showing up to practice, trying your hardest and… playing hard no matter what” is Agnich’s biggest piece of advice.
If players are more skilled than others but show less commitment, it can complicate things for the coach.
On both sports teams, it is common for the starters and the non-starters to be grouped together, leading to a disruption of team culture. Casti players acknowledge this divide but also emphasize how the team is still close regardless. However, on the field, playing time divisions can affect the team chemistry, thus affecting their team performance. Antonia Vlahos ’25 highlighted the importance of understanding individual roles on a team. Even if players aren’t in every game, they still have an important role in their practices, which are just as important as the actual game. “Each person kind of knows… what their role is for [the] team,” Vlahos said.
Most of the time, the reason for separating starters and non-starters is to put players together based on their skill level or, in basketball, to better prepare starters for a game. This can be extremely helpful in basketball, as the non-starters can imitate the opposing team in a game scenario. Brode believes this strategy is also important because it helps build team chemistry
Brode said she “welcome[s] those conversations” because it is then easier to communicate specific areas players could work on as individuals. She recognizes it can be difficult to initiate those conversations but wants all of her players to know she is always “an open door.”
Friedman also emphasized that having conversations with the coach about how you feel, and hearing what they say, is helpful. “Ask [your] coaches… what [you] can do to improve and things to work on, and… doing the work but also planting this thing in their mind: ‘Hey I really take this seriously, and I care about this team and I want to work harder,’” Friedman said. It is universally agreed upon that keeping a positive outlook is key. As Sophie Profit ’25 said, “If you’re not on the field, there’s so much you can still do to contribute to the team, and it’s the people that bring the energy, that bring…the fun, the vibes to the game, that are just as important as the people on the field. Every single player has an important role in the team.”
Castilleja welcomes new flag foot-
ball team
By Anya Dalal ’27 and Emma Siegel ’27
This fall, Castilleja welcomed a new sport: flag football. Over the past year, many high schools throughout the country have added flag football teams for girls. Inspired by this trend, previous Director of Athletics Mary Jo Pruitt introduced the idea, and seniors Sophie Profit and Camryn Nuckles showed Pruitt that many students were interested in forming a flag
football team. In spring of 2024, Pruitt reached out to English teacher Matt Callahan, the current coach, to ask for coaching help.
This year’s varsity flag football team is coached by Matt Callahan, Steve Rochlin (also a football coach at Paly), James Hall and Steven Lai. Callahan and Lai primarily focus on offense, while Rochlin and Hall are more defensively minded. The captains are Violet Yick, Noor Maraqa, Cali Scolnick and Nola Doorley, all juniors in the class of 2026.
Read
Players and coaches weigh in on the various factors that influence playing time.
PHOTO BY CLAIRE SUN ’25
EDITORIAL TEAM
Caitlyn Lee
Priscilla Chan
Editors-in-Chief
Sara Flexer
Zoë Friedman
Managing Editors
Abigail Kim
Editor of Special Projects & Editor of Arts & Entertainment
Amelia Yuan
Editor of News & Editor of Campus Developments
Nola Doorley Editor of Photography
Maddie Park Editor of Opinions
Vienna Farano Editor of Features
Matthew Callahan
Faculty Adviser
WRITING STAFF
Alana Ma
Alice Tolland
Amelie Bellemans
Anaika Walia
Ananya Nukala
Anh-Khue Nguyen
Anne Kelley
Annika Agrawal
Anya Dalal
Candy Fu
Chloe Chiang
Deeksha Venkat
Emma Siegel
Erin Gunawan
Isabelle Chen
Kaycie Nuckles
Lauren Jene
Leela Mudumbai
Lizzie Ren
Maddie Park
May Chen
Mili Reddy
Natalie Goler
Nyx Patel
Poppy Scott
Rachel Jiang
Saige Sefcik
Saina Priyadarshi
Sara Flexer
Sarah Zhou
Taarini Kadambi
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Chloe Redon
Lila Cole
Nola Doorley
Stella Tenta
ARTISTS
Allison Prakalapakorn
Chloe Cheng
Lizzie Ren
Michelle Huang
Sabrina Wallgren
ENTERTAINMENT
Dear Reader,
We are delighted to bring you the first print edition of the 2024-25 school year.
This semester, Counterpoint has added two columns, and we have expanded our focus to capture more features. We will continue to support our student journalists’ agency in exploring topics that are meaningful to the community, and we encourage you to engage in these discussions thoughtfully as a reader.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this new print edition of Counterpoint.
Sincerely,
Caitlyn Lee and Priscilla Chan, Editors-in-Chief
Cas Fall Print
47. Yes or __
49. ** Student parking lot currently under construction
51. One by Sunken Patio recently fell down
52. Advanced Topics (abbr.)
57. New history elective
Down
1. Chinese teacher Hwai
2. Flag football senior night parody song
3. New Casti student portal website
4. English teacher Valerie
6. What we do at school
7. Meaning of “Lichtblau”
8. Temporary parking lot for the seniors, familiarly
10. New librarian on campus
17. Fro-__
18. New Director of Operations and Compliance Nikki
19. What Percy Jackson is accused of stealing
21. The _________ Thief
22. Exam
61. Jill who retired
62. ** Reddest spot on campus, Stent replacement
63. 2024 Arrillaga Speaker Scott
66. Director of Student Equity and Inclusion Mame
68. Orange County (abbr.)
48. What the starred (**) hints all involve, starting with the same letter
50. This is Counterpoint’s first one of the second volume
53. Math teacher who likes ultimate frisbee
54. Algebra, Geometry, or Calculus
55. What the doors on Kellogg are made of
56. Walkable creamery originally founded in Santa Cruz
58. Thus
59. International Relations (abbr.)
60. Registrar Gallegos
63. “Lay on the ____ to prove that it haunts
me”
64. Did well on a test
65. Assents
Across
5. Former Casti teacher and father of three Casti alums
8. Casti Dance Production theme, 2-Down artist’s opening track in debut album
9. Gatorbotics award that celebrates appreciation for engineering (abbr.)
11. Taiwanese Affinity Group, colloquially
12. Cookie franchise that features weekly new flavors
13. Fall Caledonia theme
14. New store in Stanford Shopping Center with a restaurant (abbr.)
15. FDD is the biggest one of the year
16. Palo Alto, Cupertino, or Los Altos
18. Magazine, briefly 20. Tech ______
23. Senior black and white photo
24. ** Quilt ______
28. ___ Org
29. Category
30. ** Dawn activity for ’25
33. What Affinity Groups celebrate
36. Current phase of construction
37. What Casti offers in the summer
40. How some students get to school every day
43. Blue skirt and collared shirt
44. New Casti College Counselor 45. New ____
69. Coldplay’s “A ___ Full of Stars”
70. Adminstrative Assistant to the Head of Upper School Jessica
71. About
72. Math teacher who likes ultimate frisbee
67. Infinite Series (abbr.)
25. Former Chemistry teacher soon-to-be relocated in Zürich
26. Come As You ___
27. Senior-junior tradition
31. Editor-in-Chief (abbr.)
32. Three-story facility at Casti
34. Theater teacher Hanson
35. Famous play in AT Shakespeare curriculum
38. ** 12th grade AT English classes
39. Director of Events and Parent Engagement
Ellen
41. AEA, minus the Activities
42. Noel-Pierre
46. ** Plaid bottoms worn by the oldest on campus, informally
Crossword By Abigail Kim ’25, Lila Cole ’25, Priscilla Chan ’25