Issuu

THE

OCTAGON

VOL. 40, NO. 5

Sacramento Country Day School

2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento

BREAKTHROUGH RETURNS

Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sacramento, CA Permit No. 1668 @scdsoctagon

February 21, 2017

Hometown-themed auction to be held at railroad museum BY JACKSON MARGOLIS

LAUGHING LEADERS The Breakthrough Working Group - Faith Galati (new executive director), Michael Covey (former Breakthrough mentor teacher), Toran Brown, ’82, (former president of the Board of Trustees), Sue Nellis (former Breakthrough mentor teacher and current high-school history teacher), Laura Steele Monahan (former director of Breakthrough and current middle-school teacher), and Richard Mancina, ‘73 - meet at Covey’s house on Feb. 17. PHOTO BY ADAM DEAN

Working Group reintroduces long-time program, now fiscally independent of school BY ALLISON ZHANG

hen it was announced in August that Country Day would terminate its financial support for Breakthrough Sacramento (BSAC), many people thought it was the end of the year-round, tuition-free college preparation program for under-served and highly motivated students, which has been at SCDS since 1994. But now, six months later, BSAC is back with a new executive director, Faith Galati, and program manager, Amber Busby - and more than $385,000 in the bank. Galati - mother of Aidan, ‘16, and Madison, ‘14 - said the first task of the Breakthrough Working Group (created shortly after BSAC was shut down) was to get on solid financial footing. “Going forward, the success (of BSAC) and keeping Breakthrough Sacramento operating is going to be our diversifying the source of our funding, and that (is) a key part of my position now as executive director,” Galati said. Now the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC) sponsors BSAC and will provide services such as accounting, handling purchases and lending its human resources and infrastructure.

And the Sacramento Region Community Foundation (SRCF) will act as a conduit to accept and process all Breakthrough donations. Busby, the new program manager, is currently the operations manager at College Track Sacramento, a program that works with students from under-served communities from ninth grade to college graduation. She will start working full-time at BSAC in early March. “(Busby is) a wonderful young woman,” history teacher Sue Nellis, a member of the Working Group, said. “She is poised, passionate; she seemed like the perfect fit.” Adolfo Mercado, former executive director of BSAC, is now a consultant for BSAC. The Working Group is also in touch with Ying Lo-Khang, former BSAC program coordinator for the school. The Working Group plans to continue the summer program (which Mercado and Lo-Khang used to run) on the SCDS campus in the summer of 2017. There will be 36 rising seventh graders, more than 30 rising eighth graders (18 who are returning from last year) and 24 rising ninth graders. “Once the program ended in August, (last year’s rising seventh graders) didn’t get the full benefit of coming and meeting with

Annual Fund reaches participation goal due to grade reps, Cavalier Cup challenge BY SAHEJ CLAIRE To increase donor participation and reach their 88 percent goal, the Country Day Annual Fund has been trying out new fundraising methods. The goal for the past few years has been 100 percent participation from parents, according to Annual Fund co-chair Elizabeth Monasa. However, in the 2015-16 school year, the class participation average was only 68 percent and in the 2014-15 school year, 61 percent. So this year, director of advancement Carolyn Woolf decided to set the goal at a more realistic 88 percent. And it looks as though they’re going to meet it.

ANNUAL FUND page 11 >>

PANCAKE PARTY For earning first place in the high school (with 93 percent parent participation) in the Cavalier Cup, the seniors received IHOP pancakes. PHOTO BY JULIE NELSON

Breakthrough for tutors and special activities and events throughout the year,” Galati said. The Working Group is currently accepting applications for high-school and college-student teaching fellows for the summer. The last day to apply is Thursday, Feb. 23. And some of the mentor teachers (professional educators who help the teachers during the summer program) are recruiting

BREAKTHROUGH page 10 >>

Pietrasanta, Italy, is the hometown of head of high school Brooke Wells. And products from this town on the coast of northern Tuscany will fill one of the “hometown baskets” at this year’s auction. In fact, the 40th annual auction will include over 25 hometown baskets filled with items from parents’ and teachers’ hometowns. Wells’s basket will be filled with Italian food products, such as tomato sauce, olive oil, candies, wine and honey. It may also include something marble (like a cheese cutting board) since the city is famous for its marble quarries. The auction, “Hometown Journeys,” will be Saturday, Feb. 25, at the California State Railroad Museum (125 I St.). “Hometowns include places as far away as India, China and South Africa,” auction cochair Sandy Buchanan said. “‘Hometown Journeys’ hopes to applaud the details that make our hometowns so interesting,” Buchanan said. Auction participants will be on the bottom floor of the museum, allowing them to view trains such as an FP9 diesel, the classic streamliner engine of the ‘40s and the ‘50’s; a giant rotary snow-plow removal machine; the Southern Pacific cab forward Mallet, the biggest locomotive in the world; and a dining car featuring a menu, chinaware and silverware from the ‘50s although not all may be on display. Buchanan said that one of the challenges of an auction venue is finding one that’s large enough. “We chose the railroad museum because it’s spacious, interesting and in a central location,” Buchanan said. At the auction, parents will dine on foods including fried chicken, tri-tip and mac ‘n’ cheese, all served family style. For parents who have enjoyed dressing up for the auction in the past, this year is less about the

AUCTION page 11 >>

NEW EXEC Galati looks at her notes during the meeting. She was announced as the new executive director of Breakthrough Sacramento on Feb. 13. PHOTO BY ADAM DEAN

Thirteen apply for new scholarships BY SAHEJ CLAIRE

To increase diversity in the high school, Country Day will add two new scholarships in the 2017-18 school year. These need- and merit-based scholarships will be offered “to students from diverse backgrounds in the greater Sacramento region who may lack the full financial resources to access the highest quality education,” head of school Lee Thomsen said in an email on Nov. 30. Since the Board of Trustees broke off the school’s connection with Breakthrough, the school’s goal is to continue the tradition of offering

financial aid to students from under-resourced schools, Thomsen said. The scholarships will be available to incoming ninth graders and last for all four years of high school. Director of admissions Lonna Bloedau said that in addition to tuition, the scholarships will cover the costs of textbooks and class trips and other items “on a case-bycase basis.” The application deadline was Feb. 1, and Bloedau said the admissions office will have answers for the 13 students who applied by Saturday, April 1. The school’s only other merit scholarship - the SCDS Merit Scholars Pro-

gram - was started nearly 30 years ago and lasted from 1988-98. It awarded renewable half-tuition grants to five incoming ninth graders based on academic and extracurricular leadership. But this one will specifically target diverse students from low-income households. “The program will carry forth our dedication to under-served students in the Sacramento area,” Bloedau said. “It’s a hallmark of our commitment to a broader community. We want to be able to reach students who otherwise have no way of

SCHOLARSHIPS page 11 >>

THE OCTAGON

FEATURE

February 21, 2017

From marathon stars to starters

Teachers, staff share what it took to conquer the 26.2

t’s almost 1,363 miles from Sacramento to Oklahoma City, and that’s the distance that faculty and staff from SCDS have run in 32 regular and 20 ultra marathons.

BY ANNYA DAHMANI Bill Stainbrook, lower-school physical education teacher, accounts for 71 percent. Of the 17 full marathons that Stainbrook competed in, his best time was 2 hours, 31 minutes, 41 seconds in the mid ‘80s in the Old Sacramento Marathon. To put this into perspective, the average marathon time for U.S. males in 2014 was 4:19:27. But Stainbrook’s running career began long before his first completed marathon in 1978. “I’ve enjoyed running since I was very young,” Stainbrook said. “In high school I was recruited to run cross-country and track.” In fact, Stainbrook didn’t actually intend to start running mara-

“It included long miles, 100-mile-plus weeks, hill work, intervals and track work,” he said. Stainbrook was an original member of the Sacramento Buffalo Chips running club but said the club didn’t guide his training. But Stainbrook said his extensive training paid off. In fact, when Stainbrook was lined up at the Boston Marathon in 1980, he discovered that he was seeded in the top 100 runners of 5,417. “That was a surprise I didn’t expect,” he said. Stainbrook’s time was 2:52:11. And the fastest time that year was 2:12:11. But Stainbrook said he won’t be competing in any marathons in the future. “I’m not in any reasonable condition to compete in marathons presently, and I won’t run them unless properly trained,” he said. Stainbrook no longer even runs for exercise. “I am not currently running, much to my dismay,” he said.

FAMILIAR TRACK Glenn Mangold, high-school physics and calculus teacher, ran the 2016 Boston Marathon in 3 hours, 41 minutes. He achieved his fastest time - 2:59 - at the 2016 California International Marathon in December. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF MANGOLD thons, but stumbled upon the idea unintentionally. “I started marathoning accidentally when a friend and I began joking about it,” Stainbrook said. “Jokes became reality, and my involvement continued for many years.” Stainbrook’s first marathon in 1978 was the Avenue of the Giants in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. However, Stainbrook was injured during that event and wasn’t able to complete it. His first completed marathon was the Paul Masson Marathon in Saratoga, in which his time was 3:02. His training for marathons was extensive, according to Stainbrook.

But Stainbrook isn’t the only faculty member who has competed in full marathons. Calculus and physics teacher Glenn Mangold has finished four: three in Sacramento (2013, 2014 and 2016) and one in Boston (2016). Mangold’s best time is 2:59:42, which he ran in December at the California International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento. Mangold said he wasn’t surprised by the time. “That (time) was my goal,” he said. Although Mangold has been running since he was 15 and was on his high-school track team, he didn’t start running full marathons until 2013 because of their

VETERAN ADVICE

PROUD FINISH Middle-school history teacher Chris Kuipers (second from the right) finished the 2011 California International Marathon in 4 hours, 3 minutes. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF KUIPERS cost. running marathons any longer Mangold said the most mem- due to injuries. orable marathon he competed in “Running another marathon is was the 2016 Boston Marathon, not in the cards,” he said. “Road which he finished in 3:41. biking and mountain biking have “It was the biggest marathon taken its place in my exercise re(30,741 runners) that I ran in,” gime.” he said. “I used to live there, so I Unlike Covey, Kuipers, Manknew all the towns.” gold and Stainbrook, math teachMangold said his next race will er Patricia Jacobsen had no runbe the Pittsburgh Marathon on ning experience when she first Sunday, May 7. started training for marathons. Like Mangold, middle-school One day, Marco Siragusa, ‘10, a history teacher Chris Kuipers has junior at that time, came into Jarun the CIM. cobsen’s class and was very upset, In 2011, Kuipers ran it in 4:03. she said. Like Mangold and Stainbrook, “He said that he got lost on his Kuipers had been running since way to cross-country sectionals,” high school. she said. “He was going to use “I always had the idea of doing that to get him into a good cola marathon on my bucket list,” lege. But he got there late and he said. “Life, however, always missed the race and couldn’t comseemed too busy, especially for all pete.” the training. But in 2011, I saw an So Jacobsen started brainad for the CIM and spontaneous- storming ideas in order to help ly decided to sign up.” him. Kuipers said he wants to do anAt this time, seniors were reother marathon in the future. quired to do projects in the spring. “My original goal was to break The prompt for the project was four hours, but I fell three minutes that the seniors were required to short and that really bugs me,” take on a challenge and learn how Kuipers said. “It’s been impossible to face this challenge. with a small child at home. Jacobsen told Siragusa that he “But now that my daughter is could start training for a half mara little older, I am contemplating athon and use it as a senior project getting back into it.” and, possibly, as a theme for a colLike Kuipers, Michael Covey, lege essay. garden coordinator and former Although Siragusa liked the chemistry teacher, was disap- idea, his cross-country coach told pointed in his time (4:01) in his him that running cross-country only marathon, the Chevron was completely different from Houston Marathon in 1998. marathons, according to Jacobsen. “My training runs suggestSo he decided not to run the ed that I would do much better, half marathon. but hot and humid weather can However, Jacobsen had already strike any time mentioned the in Houston, even half marathon in January, and it idea to her adwas ugly weather visees - Molly ‘I ALWAYS HAD on the day of the Tash, ‘10, Anmarathon,” Covgelica Gonzales, THE IDEA OF DOING ey said. ‘10, and Marina A MARATHON ON Covey decided Serrano, ‘11 - and MY BUCKET LIST’ to run the marthey all wanted to CHRIS KUIPERS, athon because at run it with Jacobthe time he had sen. HISTORY TEACHER been running After they regularly. started training, “Several of my they decided to running buddies were into mara- run a full marathon instead of a thons,” Covey said. “They enjoyed half. them, so I thought I’d try one.” Jacobsen, Tash and Serrano ran Covey trained by increasing his their first marathon, the Big Sur longer runs each week for a few International Marathon, in April months until they were up to 18 2009. miles. The area was hilly and chal“I also entered a series of lenging but beautiful, according pre-marathon races of increasing to Jacobsen. distances,” Covey said. But Covey said he won’t be

MARATHON page 10 >>

“There are a lot of medical experts who think that kids need to be careful running long distance. I’ve been told that boys especially shouldn’t run over half a marathon until they’re done growing. I would say first talk to your parents and doctor. I think most people think that running marathons is something that only runners can do. But if I can do it, anyone can do it. You just really have to take it one step at a time.” PATRICIA JACOBSEN “I’m not a fan of students running marathons as a general rule of thumb.” BILL STAINBROOK “Gradually build up to it. If you try to do too much, you will get injured and hate it.” GLENN MANGOLD “Find a good, manageable training regimen and stick to it.” CHRIS KUIPERS “My advice to students would be to have fun preparing for a marathon by training with others, if possible. Those longer training runs are more fun and easier if you can socialize while doing them.” MICHAEL COVEY “Find a running partner. Get a beginner’s training guide online. Drink lots of water. Find fuel that works with your body for long runs.” SARAH SONG

THE OCTAGON

February 21, 2017

NEWS

Table on Trump: Political panelists reconvene

POTUS’s policies, cabinet picks, climate change, Women’s Marches polarizing

linton supporters (senior Alexa Mathisen and freshman Héloïse Schep) and Trump supporters (sophomore Blake Lincoln and freshman Garrett Shonkwiler) met on Feb. 10 to discuss the current political climate.

DIPLOMATIC DEBATING Senior Alexa Mathisen, freshman moderator Spencer Scott, sophomore Blake Lincoln, freshmen Héloïse Schep and Garrett Shonkwiler (obscured) and senior moderator Nicole Wolkov talk politics in the Octagon room on Feb. 10. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

BY SPENCER SCOTT

What’s your opinion on Trump’s presidency?

Mathisen: I am very discouraged. He’s doing things I really thought he wouldn’t. I didn’t think he’d actually take tax resources that he says are so precious and put them toward a wall. I didn’t think he would work this hard to defund Planned Parenthood. I feel uncomfortable (with) the fact that he’s checking boxes that are going to have many consequences. He’s just trying to prove a point, but it’s showing me that the path he’s going down isn’t good. It’s worse than I thought. Schep: If I could give him one thing, it’s that he did do a lot of the things he said he would. I think the wall idea is completely ridiculous, though. It’s not going to work. Mathisen: It’s a waste of money. Schep: With that money we could help so many people in need fund their education, get into college or improve public health. Mathisen: We could just get more border security. (He’s) already isolating (this) country. Look at his discussions with Taiwan and Australia! Schep: Yeah, he’s already making so many enemies. Shonkwiler: I already decided during the campaign that I supported him on most of the issues, so nothing has come as a surprise. He has done exactly what he said he would; nothing has come out of the blue. I wasn’t sure if he was going to build the wall, but he said he was going to do it. Now he’s signed the executive order. He didn’t campaign as a nice president; it certainly wasn’t kind to block the refugees from coming in. But he said he was going to put America first, and that’s what he’s doing. Lincoln: He just has PR problems. He doesn’t communicate very well, like (with) the travel

moratorium. That was one of the worst roll-outs I have ever seen in my life. He’s doing good, a lot of hard work. But the media is too ready to pounce on him. (“Saturday Night Live”), even though I love the Sean Spicer imitation, is too eager to destroy Trump.

with education and school choice. I know (Secretary of State Rex) Tillerson is not a very conventional pick, but he’s a good pick. He was the CEO of a company that does business around the world. He knows these world leaders better, and he knows how to make deals because he’s done them for billions of dollars.

What do you think about What is your opinion on Trump’s stance on cliTrump’s cabinet? Mathisen: The majority aren’t mate change? qualified. Betsy DeVos is the worst. I thought he would at least surround himself with people that knew what they were doing. And it appears that he hasn’t. Instead, he’s surrounded himself with people who look like they’ll make him feel better or benefit his personal business needs. It’s a business-oriented cabinet. Schep: I definitely don’t think the majority of them are qualified, especially Betsy DeVos. It seems random. Most haven’t had much experience in the matter that they are chosen for. Shonkwiler: I like Ben Carson for the HUD director. I also like Betsy DeVos; she supports (school) choice. Lincoln: I think they are good. I think (DeVos) is good. I think she understands where Trump wants to go

Mathisen: He’s pretending that it doesn’t even exist. He wants to get rid of the EPA. He hasn’t shown any evidence of wanting to better the environment or put resources to that. I think that if he were really saying “America First,” then part of “America First” is protecting our land, and we are not protecting our land by destroying it. Schep: I completely agree. Shonkwiler: Let’s consider the scale of this. First of all, we are talking about greenhouse gases, but water vapor is by far the biggest greenhouse gas. Humans affect only a tiny bit of carbon dioxide, which is

only 5 percent of greenhouse gases. What Obama has done to improve the environment has had a very small impact on the climate, but it has had a huge impact on the economy. It’s caused coal miners to lose jobs, and it’s shut down the Keystone Pipeline in the name of climate change. So Trump is not anti-environment but pro-economy. Schep: You can make more money, but you can’t make another Earth. We only have one. Lincoln: My argument against climate change is not anti-science. I think science is important. The problem I have is the left has already decided their answer. They have decided it’s real and there should be no more science put into the idea against climate change. It’s anti-freedom-of-speech (and) anti-discovery. Just like how schools and academic areas in the South were stopped from speaking (about) evolution. The same thing is happening here. Many scientists who researched climate change are funded by the federal government and left-wing groups. Now these scientists want to continue (being funded), so they’ll say whatever (left-wing groups) want to continue being funded. The scientists who come out against the idea of climate change are immediately torn to pieces; the rest of the science community on the left hammer them, and their funding is cut. Eventually, society will

GRAPHIC BY CHARDONNAY NEEDLER PHOTOS USED BY PERMISSION OF WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

deem them as deplorable. I personally have a problem with climate change - you can’t just wipe off half the country in the name of climate change. The government won’t be able to stop climate change, in my opinion. The only way to do it is through the economy and the free market. The government did not get us off whale oil - the free market did. The market has a way of changing our minds - the government does not.

How do you feel about Women’s Marches?

Mathisen: It’s awesome. The only issue was: there’re ways to do it better. It was a little white-oriented. It was a little higher-income-oriented; however, I was impressed (by) how many people came out and how widespread it was all over the world. I think it really showed who was ready to fight and how many people really did vote for Hillary, and I really enjoyed it as an experience. I was there with my sign and my hat. I had my reservations about whether it would work, and it really did. I was impressed. Schep: I really liked it. I agree with Alexa. It was a little white-oriented (and) upper-class, but I feel like it really unified people around the world, and that is what we need right now. We need to be unified against a president that we don’t believe is good for our country. So I liked how (the Women’s Marches) unified us. Shonkwiler: I have nothing against the Women’s Marches; I support women’s rights. Lincoln: I support the right to protest, (as) it is the bedrock of the First Amendment. But the protests that broke out during the inauguration and the Women’s March included throwing rocks at police and burning limos, which should never be tolerated. I know it’s less than 1 percent of the people, but the tea party was blamed when a few of their members said Obama was the n-word.

THE OCTAGON

SPORTS

February 21, 2017

COLD RAIN WIND

FINESSE Above: Sophomore Abby LaComb curves a pass during the Jan. 12 game against Leroy Greene. LaComb, averaging 1.1 goals per game, is one of the top scorers. Sophomore Lia Kaufman also averages 1.1 goals per game.

Below: Junior Theo Kaufman dribbles the ball in the Jan. 24 Cristo Rey game. The boys lost to the powerhouse, 0-4. PHOTOS BY KEVIN HUANG

Unpopular season change means poor fields, bad weather, too many absences BY QUIN LACOMB

orrential rain, even worse field conditions, less class time, and delays or cancellations of games: these are some of the consequences of the soccer season change that was imple-

mented this year, which moved boys’ and girls’ soccer from fall and spring respectively to winter. Among the reasons for the change were to even out the three seasons and to get a foundation for a statewide soccer championship in the future, according to Will DeBoard, director of communications for the

MUDDY GAME Sophomore Nate Jakobs reaches for the ball in the Jan. 10 Buckingham Charter game. Jakobs, averaging six assists per game, attributed the 3-7 loss to bad weather, sloppy defense and the absence of junior Theo Kaufman. PHOTO BY KEVIN HUANG

Sac-Joaquin Section. SCDS, which is a part of the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League (SMAL) of the Sac-Joaquin Section, voted against the change along with the rest of the league. However, the change was ultimately implemented by a close margin. According to athletic director Matt Vargo, it was the closest vote in section history. “It was not an overwhelming yes,” Vargo said. “Only one small school league (out of seven) voted for it.” The change in season affects small schools more than big ones because larger schools have a larger talent pool, so it’s easier to fill the teams. This newfound lack of players alone changed the winter sports for many schools in the league. Off the top of his head, Vargo named six schools that have dropped one or both of their soccer teams just in the northern part of the Sac-Joaquin Section. But soccer wasn’t the only sport that suffered losses. “On the other side, a lot of schools lost JV basketball,” Vargo said. “We don’t have a JV boys’ team this year, and we’re just one of many small schools that were affected.” Junior Theo Kaufman pointed out that moving soccer to the winter forced players to choose between soccer and basketball. “We lost about one-third of our league games, and the girls lost a game against Victory Christian School because they dropped their girls’ soccer program,” Vargo said. Another detrimental side effect was the weather. California had its wettest January

ever recorded - 9.92 inches of rain, which is about two-and-a-half times more than the average. “The weather is poor, field conditions are slippery and uneven, and sometimes the wind can change the direction of the ball in flight,” senior Christian Van Vleck said. However, DeBoard said that he thinks it was simply “a bad coincidence” that the year we moved also happened to be unusually wet. But despite that, the past few years have been unusually dry. For example, we had no rainfall in January 2015. And Vargo thinks that weather influenced the change. “The last two years have been droughts, so there hadn’t been much rain when the vote came,” Vargo said. Due to the poor conditions, four games were cancelled for both boys and girls and three total had to be rescheduled. “The weather affected our game,” sophomore Lia Kaufman said. “We were so used to having better fields that when we played on soggy ones it was way worse.” And teams also have lost practice time. “For schools without lights (like SCDS), practices are much shorter,” Vargo said. Senior Natalie Brown said that sometimes practice would get moved into the weight room if it was raining too heavily.

Sports Boosters’ Athletes of the Month Bryce Longoria

Longoria stepped up towards the end of the regular season. His shooting percentage is amazing; he makes most of his shots. His offense and defense have been stellar, helping the basketball team successfully close out the season.

Yasmin Gupta

Gupta is the top scorer of the varsity basketball team. She averages 22.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. She’s a great offensive and defensive asset because of her ability to crash the glass. Gupta also plays AAU club basketball.

“There’s really only so much you can do in a tiny weight room for practice,” she said. The weather has also affected student health. “With the weather and in the elements, it’s easier to get sick,” Vargo said. On top of the bad weather, students were dismissed from class earlier due to the earlier sunsets, which also made it harder for parents and other students to watch games. “I feel like I missed a lot of important stuff, and it’s really hard to catch up sometimes,” sophomore Abby LaComb said. “I missed a lot of days before tests and some labs in chem.” To combat the earlier sunrises, schools can rent lights for their practices and games. But lights are also costly. According to Vargo, Western Sierra Collegiate Academy spends about $400 per game to provide referees, a turf field and lights. “(Western Sierra) doesn’t even practice at the turf field,” Vargo said. “They haven’t had a practice since December because their regular field is in such bad condition.” Vargo said he sees only one benefit in the season change. “This year, we had enough girls to create a softball program in the spring,” Vargo said. “That’s it.”

WINTER SOCCER page 10 >>

THE OCTAGON

February 21, 2017

R E T N WI RAP-UP W

SPORTS

As the 2016-17 winter season comes to a close, here is a recap of each sport. Girls’ varsity basketball, ski and snowboard, boys’ basketball and girls’ soccer have already secured spots in the playoffs. For full game recaps from each sport, visit scdsoctagon.com.

girls’ Varsity Basketball Junior Katia Dahmani puts pressure on the Natomas point guard during the Dec. 6 pre-season game. The Cavs were defeated, 43-48. PHOTO BY KEVIN HUANG

Coach’s comment (per coach Latonia Pitts) on the Feb. 14 loss, 69-88, to Valley Christian: “(We) played three quarters of great basketball, but in the end we were shooting to catch up rather (than) playing great defense and capitalizing on that on the other end.” Despite the loss, the girls won the Feb. 15 game against Buckingham Charter, 51-43, clinching a playoff berth.

The girls’ basketball team finished with a 9-3 league record. They will play Forest Lake on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. at home.

Top player: Junior Yasmin Gupta, 22.1 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Boys’ Soccer Top player: Junior Theo Kaufman led the Cavs with 13 goals and four assists.

The boys’ soccer team finished with a 3-5 record in league. They failed to make playoffs and finished third in league.

Coach’s comment (per coach Matt Vargo): “Our wins against Sacramento Waldorf and Western Sierra and our losses against Delta and Buckingham (were our best games). “Our effort and the way we played stood out to me in those games, even though two of them were losses. We showed a lot of heart and character.”

Sophomore Nate Jakobs clears the ball during the Feb. 3 game against Leroy Greene. The Cavs ended up pulling out the win, 2-1. PHOTO BY KEVIN HUANG

ski and snowboard Senior Aidan Cunningham flies down the slope in the Jan. 16 race at Boreal. Cunningham placed 14th of 20 in men’s varsity snowboard. PHOTO BY NINA DYM

The ski and snowboard team has competed in three races. Sophomore Luca Procida is second in league, and senior Daniel Hernried is sixth. At press time, the team’s best finishes were first place Procida, fifth for Hernried, 12th for senior Aidan Cunningham and 12th for junior Nina Dym.

Player’s perspective (per senior Daniel Hernried): “The snow this year has been phenomenal compared to (previous) years. I couldn’t wish for a better way to graduate from this division and move on. “

Top racer: Sophomore Luca Procida with a best finish of first place.

Boys’ Basketball Top player: Junior Cole Johnson, 19.8 points, 13 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.3 steals per game.

The boys’ basketball team finished with a 10-2 record in league and an overall record of 17-4. They were ranked second in league, behind Sacramento Adventist Academy. The Cavs made playoffs and will get a first-round bye as the third seed. The game will be at home on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Player’s perspective (per junior Reggie Fan): “We did well this season. But we need to secure defensive rebounds and take care of the ball on offense to do well in playoffs.”

Junior Bryce Longoria begins a fast break in the Jan. 13 game against Faith Christian. He ended the game with eight points and four assists. PHOTO BY KEVIN HUANG

Girls’ soccer Senior Avi Bhullar is tripped by a Knight while rushing to the ball during a Jan. 26 home game. The girls lost to Buckingham, 0-3. PHOTO BY KEVIN HUANG

The girls’ soccer team finished with a 7-3 record overall and 5-3 in league. They were tied for second in the league with Western Sierra but lost the play-in game, 0-1, on Feb. 15.

Player’s perspective (per senior Avi Bhullar): “My favorite game was our first one against Western Sierra. Even though we were missing two super-valuable players, the team pulled together, communicated and won, 1-0. We were so happy at the end of that game, and we were all so proud of each other.”

JV Girls’ Basketball Top player: Sophomore Chloé Collinwood, nine points per game.

The girls’ JV basketball team finished with a 1-7 season record. They did not make it to playoffs.

PLAYER PORTRAITS TAKEN BY JACQUELINE CHAO

Coach’s comment (per coach Latonia Pitts): “They definitely improved throughout the season. Granted it’s hard to see because we only had eight games. Their confidence and fundamentals really improved.”

Player’s perspective (per sophomore Emily Hayes): “Our season started off a little rocky with everyone building their own skills, but we quickly improved.”

Sophomores Yanele Ledesma and Emily Hayes fight for the ball with a Lion during the Jan. 13 homecoming game. PHOTO BY KEVIN HUANG

Top player: Sophomore Abby LaComb, eight goals and 10 assists in league.

THE OCTAGON

EDITORIAL THE OCTAGON

February 21, 2017

My Angle

“One-upped by Winter” by Mohini Rye

PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ADAM DEAN MARIGOT FACKENTHAL

By Emma Boersma

ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SONJA HANSEN

Who am I gonna call?

BUSINESS MANAGER CHARDONNAY NEEDLER PRINT COPY EDITOR QUIN LACOMB ONLINE COPY EDITOR SAHEJ CLAIRE NEWS EDITOR MARIGOT FACKENTHAL FEATURE EDITOR ANNYA DAHMANI OPINION EDITOR KATIA DAHMANI SPORTS EDITOR ADAM DEAN SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR JACK CHRISTIAN PAGE EDITORS JACK CHRISTIAN ANNYA DAHMANI KATIA DAHMANI ADAM DEAN MARIGOT FACKENTHAL CHARDONNAY NEEDLER MOHINI RYE NICOLE WOLKOV ALLISON ZHANG REPORTERS LARKIN BARNARD-BAHN EMMA BOERSMA BRI DAVIES ANNA FRANKEL MEHDI LACOMBE BRYCE LONGORIA JAKE LONGORIA JACKSON MARGOLIS RIYA RAMPALLI HÉLOÏSE SCHEP SPENCER SCOTT GARRETT SHONKWILER DAVID SITU CARTOONIST MOHINI RYE MULTIMEDIA & TECH QUIN LACOMB PHOTOGRAPHERS JACQUELINE CHAO KEVIN HUANG BENETT SACKHEIM ADVISER PATRICIA FELS The OcTagOn is The high-schOOl newspaper Of sacramenTO cOunTry Day. iTs purpOse is TO prOviDe a reliable sOurce Of infOrmaTiOn On evenTs cOncerning The high schOOl anD TO fOcus On TOpics Of significance anD general inTeresT in OrDer TO infOrm anD enTerTain The enTire schOOl cOmmuniTy. The sTaff sTrives fOr accuracy anD freeDOm frOm bias in iTs sTOries. significanT errOrs will be nOTeD anD cOrrecTeD. The OcTagOn shall publish maTerial ThaT The sTaff Deems in The besT inTeresT Of The schOOl cOmmuniTy. The sTaff recOgnizes The impOrTance Of The reaDership’s having accuraTe anD reliable infOrmaTiOn in OrDer TO be well infOrmeD anD On which TO base DecisiOns anD OpiniOns. The OcTagOn will publish all Timely anD relevanT news, subjecT TO The fOllOwing excepTiOns: ObsceniTy; slanDerOus Or libelOus maTerial; maTerial cOnTrary TO The besT inTeresTs Of The schOOl cOmmuniTy, as juDgeD by The newspaper sTaff anD aDviser.

eDiTOrials shall be vOTeD On by The enTire sTaff. cOlumns anD cOmmenTaries shall be clearly labeleD as such anD represenT The OpiniOn Of The auThOr Only.

in The inTeresT Of represenTing all pOinTs Of view, leTTers TO The eDiTOr shall be publisheD, space permiTTing, unless OTherwise requesTeD by The auThOr. all leTTers musT be signeD anD cOnfOrm TO The abOve resTricTiOns On publisheD maTerial. The sTaff reTains The righT TO make changes in grammar anD puncTuaTiOn anD TO abriDge leTTers fOr space cOnsiDeraTiOns.

EDITORIAL: Unwanted change to winter soccer needs to be reversed ASAP

oving girls’ and boys’ soccer to the winter was a terrible decision for SCDS and other schools in our league. Actually, the decision to switch seasons was highly unpopular with small schools from the beginning: only one small-school league (the Southern Athletic League) voted for the change. And all seven schools in our league voted against it. The boys’ and girls’ soccer season change was suggested by several schools in our SacJoaquin Section. After being brought to a vote on April 6, the season change was implemented in our section. That meant that the boys’ season switched from fall to winter while the girls’ moved from spring to winter. But we are not a school that can benefit from the season change; in fact, it has harmed more than helped our soccer programs, as well as other winter sports. To begin with, because of the schedule change we’ve lost JV boys’ basketball, since an additional sport in the winter challenges the limited pool of athletes at our small school. That’s not a problem for big schools, where filling teams isn’t a battle, but it is for SCDS, where we usually struggle to fill teams like boys’ lacrosse (and now boys’ basketball). Not only does the season

change impact our sports programs, but it also impacts students. Soccer games must be started earlier due to early sunsets, so students miss more classes. This means more absences, which often result in students falling behind academically. Teachers are also affected by the increased number of early dismissals, as they often have to plan lessons and tests around these absences. Before, students occasionally missed part of last period, but now they’re often dismissed at 2 p.m., meaning they miss both afternoon classes. Furthermore, the winter weather creates terrible field conditions and deters fans from attending games. Few are willing to brave the freezing, rainy cold to watch a high-school soccer game. The cold, wet conditions have also increased the risk for student illness. Moreover, there was no homecoming soccer game this year because of the sodden field. The ground was so mushy that rolling in the field lights would have left deep grooves in the ground, making the field dangerous and unsuitable for play, according to athletic director Matt Vargo. And it’s not like we’re the only school in our league suffering from the changes.

Faith Christian, New Life Christian, Trinity Prep, Freedom Christian, Sacramento Waldorf and Victory Christian have all dropped one or both of their soccer programs. Some schools in our league have even been financially burdened by the season change, such as Western Sierra Collegiate Academy, which has to rent a turf field for games because their own gets ruined by the winter weather. Ironically, one motivation for the season change was to align our section’s soccer season with the others’, which meant there could finally be state soccer championships. Now it turns out that this state championship is supposed to happen “sometime in the future.” So the CIF implemented a season change for a state championship that can’t even take place this season. In other words, one of the reasons the season was changed - a championship game - isn’t even happening this year. Our league has voted to make a motion to go back to our original soccer seasons for boys and girls if no other league does so. If a majority of schools vote with us, the CIF can grant our return to the preferred soccer seasons. Let’s just hope that happens.

CAMPUS CORNER How do we get more people to bring snack to class meetings?

Did you like the auction video?

I like having class snack because (students) don’t have to go to their locker to get their food (as) there’s already a snack (in the classroom). It saves a lot of time. But if people want class snack, we should organize it at our advisory meetings: have a list and assign snack weekly.

Having a class snack is a good idea, but not a lot of people bring it. I think everyone should give Student Council money at the start of the year to afford class snack if people don’t want to (bring) it.

I thought the video was really funny. I liked how they used irony by telling (parents) they shouldn’t go to the auction. It’ll (convince) more people to go. The acting was pretty good, and the teachers seemed convincing.

I think it was a clever idea and that we should do videos for the auction in the future, but the execution of the video was below what the school is capable of. It was too long. The joke ran itself out.

MONET COOK, FRESHMAN

YASMIN GUPTA, JUNIOR

DARIUS SHAHBAZI, FRESHMAN

CHARDONNAY NEEDLER, SOPHOMORE

“Emma,” said my friend Lauren Berry (a former Country Day student) over FaceTime. “I promise you your house is not haunted.” I had called her for two reasons: for reassurance that I was just being paranoid about my house being haunted, and so I would have a witness if whatever demon that was lurking decided to murder me while I got ready for bed. My family moved into my house while I was in sixth grade, and before now, nothing very suspicious has happened. I had never believed in ghosts or haunted houses before - well, that is, until a week ago. As much as I want to believe otherwise, I have some pretty conclusive evidence to prove my case. The first sign was on Jan. 22. It was getting late, so I stopped doodling in my notebook to take a shower. I remember putting the notebook and pen on my lounge chair after debating whether or not to put them on the desk. (I decided against it because I figured I would continue drawing in my lounge chair after my shower.) About 30 minutes later, I came back to my room to find that my notebook and pen had been moved off of my chair and placed neatly onto my desk. Of course, this was suspicious, especially when I so clearly remembered leaving them on the chair. But I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, so during dinner on Tuesday evening, I confronted my family. “Was anyone in my room on Sunday while I was taking a shower?” I asked my parents and younger brother Hayden, who’s in the eighth grade. Everyone shook their heads no. So I explained to them what had happened on Sunday, and that my current hypothesis was that our house was haunted. As I predicted, my parents scoffed at me, brushing my misgivings off as superstition. But then Hayden looked up from his meal and said that he agreed. Encouraged by his support, I told him my second (and weaker) piece of evidence: that I kept getting that creepy-crawly feeling one gets when they’re being watched. To my horror, my brother nodded and said he got the same feeling. But our parents didn’t believe us. My final piece of evidence is perhaps the weakest, but it’s evidence nonetheless. Usually, particularly during the cold winter nights when my mother refuses to turn on the heater, my cat will jump into bed with me and try to steal some of my body heat. But lately, she hasn’t been doing this. It may seem as though she has simply chosen some other bed besides mine, but my parents’ room is closed, and she would never enter my brother’s room willingly (not after he tried to shoot her with his Nerf gun). In addition, she is extremely shy and doesn’t reveal herself to strangers. If there is something strange in my room, it would make sense that she’d stay away while it’s there. But though I’m scared of my haunted house, I’m even more scared of being proven correct. After my parents laughed off my superstitions, my father jokingly asked if we should install security cameras to catch the culprit. Immediately, I responded with a resolute “No,” because when it comes down to it, if I were offered the blue pill (to continue living in ignorance) or the red pill (to know the horrible truth), I would chose the blue pill in a heartbeat. I’m actually fine with having a haunted house - as long as whatever is haunting my house doesn’t make its presence so obvious. I’d rather live in blissful ignorance, thank you very much.

THE OCTAGON

February 21, 2017

’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember. So when the Oculus Rift was first announced in May 2015, I was excited to say the least.

BY JAKE LONGORIA The Oculus Rift was a pioneer in virtual reality (VR) gaming with the intent of bringing the player inside the game. VR has been proclaimed by many experts in the gaming community to be the future of video games, a future that a typical joystick and button controller can’t compete with. VR was the first step toward a truly immersive experience: something players have longed for for decades. But with a steep entry price and poor consumer-grade products on the market, VR was not

practical. But now, after two years of being on the market, VR has finally become affordable and accessible to the general public. So to see if VR truly lived up to its hype, I set off to Zion VR (1140 Exposition Blvd., no. 600), a virtual reality game center, with my most knowledgeable video-game-loving friends: sophomore Benett Sackheim and juniors Harkirat Lally, Miles Edwards and my brother Bryce. Zion allows for booking only by the hour. Since we didn’t know if one hour would be enough to truly experience all VR has to offer, we opted for two. You can book directly through Zion’s easy-to-navigate website by selecting the number of stations and a time slot. The stations are set up like bowling lanes, except each person needs their own “lane” to play. It costs $30 for one station, $55 for two and $27.50 per station for three or more. They recommend showing up 15 minutes prior to your reservation to get accustomed to the VR controllers and headsets. When we arrived, owner Sean Le greeted us and took us to a station for a demonstration. He walked through the controls and configured our headsets to let us talk to each other in-game. Although Zion has over 40 games, we wanted to start by playing Super Hot, a fighting game in which the game’s speed is dictated by how fast you move in real life. And it was a great choice. It is one of the few games where the player controls the movement in-game by moving their body. As we got into Super Hot, it was clear our experience with traditional video games didn’t translate to VR. “How do I grab the ninja star?” Harkirat asked. “I don’t know,” Benett said. “I just grabbed the gun.” “How did that hit me?” Bryce shouted through the microphone. “I can’t get past this level.” “It’s like ‘The Matrix,’” I replied. “If you move slowly, you can dodge the bullets.”

“Wow! That’s crazy!” Bryce said as he dodged and weaved like Neo from “The Matrix.” “How do I get into the game?” Miles asked, still struggling to figure out how to load in. I took off my headset and went to his station to help him. As I walked past Benett’s station, I saw him crouched over on his knees. “What are you doing?” I yelled so he could hear me over his headset. “Ducking behind cover,” he replied, still trying to maintain focus. Over the next 30 minutes, we all became proficient at knife throwing and dodging in slow motion. Then we decided to move to Zion’s most popular game, Arizona Sunshine, which has a two-player campaign and a four-person zombie survival mode called Horde. Harkirat, Miles, Bryce and I opted to start with Horde. After we loaded into the game, we were dropped into a canyon with a scoreboard counting down. “10! 9! 8!” the in-game announcer boomed. “What do we do?” I shouted, panicking. “Pick up the ammo on the ground,” Harkirat replied. “I can’t grab it,” I said, the ammo being just out of reach. “You have to get on the ground,” he explained. I knelt down and picked up a clip, but I couldn’t load my gun. There was no button to load. “You have to load it like you would in real life,” Harkirat said. And that’s what makes Arizona Sunshine so popular: it truly is a virtual reality. So I loaded my gun and prepared to fight the incoming hordes of zombies. “Watch out!” Harkirat screamed. “I’m throwing a grenade.” “Shoot the propane barrels,” Benett advised. “They do more damage than the grenades.” Each zombie killed meant we were closer to the next round. But each sequential round just meant

Left: Junior Bryce Longoria plays Super Hot, a game where its speed is dictated by the player’s speed. PHOTO BY ALLISON ZHANG Right: Junior Jake Longoria uses two controllers to play a VR video game. PHOTO BY BENETT SACKHEIM

REVIEW

more zombies trying to kill us. “I’m out of ammo!” Harkirat shouted over the microphone. Click. I continued pulling my trigger, but nothing happened. I was out of ammunition as well. “Does anyone have ammo?” Benett said. “Nope,” Bryce replied, sensing our impending doom. It felt like hours before we were taken down. But it was just the longest 10 minutes of my life. Taking off my headset, I went to the monitor to watch the replay. There I was greeted with a recording of me crawling on the ground looking for ammunition in the final moments of our survival. But I didn’t remember crawling (let alone getting on the ground). The longer the game went on, the more I had gotten lost in the virtual reality and forgotten that it was exactly that: a game. After our disappointing defeat against zombies, we moved onto Gorn, a single-player fighting game where you are a gladiator forced to fight in an arena. Gorn was by far the least realistic. First of

all, the “crowd” is just floating heads. And the gladiators have the upper body of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson but the legs of a chicken. Second, the gameplay itself didn’t seem real. A warhammer twice the size of the fighters took dozens of swings before taking down the opposing gladiators, but a bow and arrow that looked dull enough to bounce off a piece of paper was a one-hit kill. Nevertheless, it was definitely the most amusing game. There is something about fighting funny-looking gladiators with completely unrealistic weapons. About five minutes into the game, I heard Benett shouting over the microphone. “You can pick them up!” he yelled. The gladiators, he meant. You can pick up the opposing gladiators. There was no use for the provided weapons because they were nowhere near as effective as this newfound strategy. So all five of us began swinging the chicken-legged gladiators until time ran out. “That was so funny,” Benett said while taking his headset off. “We have to come back,” Harkirat said. I personally would go every day if I could. There is something about VR that makes it entirely different from traditional video games: you are no longer controlling a character in the game - you are the character. But if games aren’t your thing, there is still a plethora of VR experiences for you. Whether it is exploring the streets of New York through Google Earth or painting in your personal art studio in Tilt Brush, VR provides a real-life experience like no other.

THE OCTAGON

REMAINDER

February 21, 2017

Marathon: Running lets Jacobsen escape from responsibilities (continued from page 2)

FIRST TIMERS Math teacher Patricia Jacobsen finished the Big Sur Marathon in April of 2009 along with Molly Tash, ‘10. Tash was part of Jacobsen’s advisory during high school. It was the first time both of them had run a marathon. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF JACOBSEN

Winter Soccer: Reversion not in immediate future (continued from page 4) But DeBoard sees other positive effects of the change, and many affect more than just the small schools. DeBoard said that the main reason for the change was that the fall and spring sports calendars are both very crowded. However, in winter, the only sports were basketball and wrestling. “Moving the boys and girls evened out the three seasons,” DeBoard said. Furthermore, he said that all of the other sections in California play in the winter, even the ones north of us that have even worse weather. “This means that there is a potential push for a state championship,” DeBoard said.

Jacobsen said she took over five hours to complete the marathon. “Some people said it wasn’t a good idea for me to run the marathon,” she said. “All the girls were athletes. But my goal was just to finish it.” Since then, she’s run seven others. Jacobsen said the hardest part for her is at mile 18. “When I hit mile 18, I know that I’m almost done,” she said. “I have only an hour and a half left. So I get really excited. “And then three miles later, I realize I have another

“A lot of schools have turf fields and strong teams, so they know that they could play in a championship title. Some are very excited about it.” Senior Emil Erickson said that he thinks that the change is worth it for the championship despite the other disadvantages. There was actually no state championship for soccer this year, but according to Vargo a championship for NorCal will probably be implemented next year with a statewide championship the following year. So will the season ever revert back to what it once was? DeBoard said that it won’t happen for at least another year, and nothing will be voted on regarding this issue until October at the minimum. “I know some schools will bring the vote to bring soccer back to its original season, and it will be voted on again,” he said. “It’s up to a majority of schools to decide.”

hour to go. So that range in there is really hard.” In addition, Jacobsen has asthma, which once was a major setback in her marathon running. “Sometimes I would have to stop running and get my inhaler and take breaths,” Jacobsen said. “It’s really scary. (PE department coordinator Michelle) Myers said that I needed to run at a pace that was comfortable. And now I hardly run with an inhaler anymore.” Jacobsen said the best part about marathons and training for them is that she has time to herself. “It helps me disconnect from my phone and my re-

And our school may be one of those to propose changing back. “Our league voted to make a motion to vote on it again if another league doesn’t do so,” Vargo said. But he said there’s a rumor circulating that the Delta League, which includes Jesuit and St. Francis, is go-

sponsibilities as a teacher and mom,” Jacobsen said. “I don’t have to think about anything besides my run.”

Kindergarten teacher Sarah Song ran the San Francisco Marathon in 2011 with Jacobsen in 4:38.

“I like setting goals, and I have many friends who are runners,” Song said. “Jacobsen and I trained together.”

Breakthrough: Office now at Encina High

Song said she doesn’t have a marathon planned in the near future because of a bad roller skating accident that still hinders her running. However, Jacobsen will be running the Shamrock’n Half Marathon with her marathon-running elective on Sunday, March 12, in Sacramento.

And in a coming-full-circle sense, on Sunday, May 7, she’ll compete almost 40 years later in what was Stainbrook’s very first marathon: the Avenue of the Giants.

ing to make a motion to vote again. Even so, it’s no easy process. “First they’d have to make a motion,” Vargo said. “Then there’d have to be discussion and public input. “It will probably be about two years before we implement it.”

STANDING TACKLE Senior Adam Dean stands up a Buckingham Knight as sophomore Bennet Sackheim is ready to help.The Cavs lost the game, 3-7, on Jan. 10. PHOTO BY KEVIN HUANG

(continued from page 1) rising seventh graders from the Sacramento City Unified School District, Laura Steele Monahan, a middle-school math teacher and a member of the Working Group, said. She said there will also be new outreach into the San Joaquin School District. Interviews with students and teachers will be done either over the phone, at a local coffee shop or on the SCDS campus. But BSAC’s office space is no longer at Country Day but instead at Encina High School, which has offered free space to the Working Group. Nellis said she is optimistic about the program and the progress that has been made in a short time. “Sure, there have been huge hurdles to overcome because we started from scratch after the program was closed,” she said. “But so many people have come forward and been instrumental in getting things up and running again.” Galati agreed, saying that one of the main reasons BSAC was able to come back was because of the BSAC community’s strength and desire. When the Working Group first gathered, the members had to examine whether BSAC was still needed in the community and if it could be brought back, Galati said. “We found that BSAC is unique in both whom it serves and how it serves,” she said. Unlike other local organizations, which focus on remedial educational services for high-school students and operate predominantly during the school year, BSAC serves academically motivated youth from under-resourced schools and also provides mentorship to aspiring teachers, Galati said. Ninety-six percent of BSAC graduates go on to college, and 94 percent of them are the first in their families to do so. These reasons have helped BSAC raise over $385,000 after the Working Group started with no money, no office, no employees and no fiscal sponsors. “(Members of the community) all reached into their pockets, and they all volunteered,” Galati said. “And here we are, back in business.”

We Thank Our Sponsors for Keeping Us in the Black!

Schep Family

BarnardBahn Family

Dahmani Family

Grieve Family

Scott Family

Boersma Family

Davies Family

Hansen Family

Shonkwiler Family

Chao Family

Dean Family

LaComb Family

Situ Family

Christian Family

Fackenthal Family

Needler Family

Wolkov Family

Claire Family

Frankel Family

Sackheim Family

Zhang Family

THE OCTAGON

February 21, 2017

REMAINDER

Annual Fund: Competition among classes increases participation (continued from page 1) “I’m sure we’re going to hit 88 percent,” Monasa said. “We’re at 87.5 right now. We could probably hit over 90 because we have until June 30.” The Annual Fund collects donations until June 30, the end of the fiscal year. However, their fundraising starts in September. One new fundraising method, grade representatives, actually began in the 2015-16 school year under previous director of advancement Jon Cormier. The grade representatives are parents from each grade who communicate information from the development office to the rest of the parents in their grade. “The whole grade rep concept had been around for a couple of years and talked about, but it was never implemented before Jon,” Monasa said. “When you’re getting emails from parents that you know, it just has a little bit more of an impact than getting emails from the development office.” However, in November of this

Auction: Golden Ticket returns (continued from page 1) outfits and more about the experience. “The dress code is dressy casual,” Buchanan said, “formerly known as ‘Wear what feels good.’” As for high-school students, the auction is still looking for volunteers. According to Julie Nelson, director of communications, the volunteers will assist at the registration table, help with the silent auction tables, show class projects to the audience and work in finance, where parents pay their auction bills. Auction tickets are $125 and can be purchased at scdsauction.org. Besides the admission tickets, the Golden Ticket will return this year. This is a drawing that gives the winner the opportunity to select

CHAMPIONS Above: The sixth grade class celebrates earning the Cavalier Cup for middle school. Their 98 percent participation was rewarded with Pinkberry. Right: Baxter promotes the Cavalier Cup challenge during morning drop-off. PHOTOS BY JULIE NELSON

school year, participation was at only 55 percent, still not where Monasa, Woolf and co-chair Ethan Jackson hoped it would be. So they started the Cavalier Cup challenge, a battle between the grades in each section of the school (lower, middle and high). The game pitted class against class to see which three grades could reach the highest percentage of participation.

any Live Auction item before the auction starts. Golden Tickets cost $100, and only 150 total are sold. Some of the most interesting offerings this year are tickets for Bruno Mars, U2 and Ariana Grande concerts, as well as tickets to Rivercats, Kings and Red Sox games. There will also be getaways from Mexico to Monterey and some pieces of designer jewelry by Tacori and John Hardy. Besides items, donations are a big part of the auction as well. One of the largest donations has been the Last Cavalier Standing, a bid competition to see which bidder will donate the most money to the Breakthrough program. However, this title no longer applies. “No one stands anymore,” Nelson said. “It’s all done with bid cards. We changed the name last year to ‘Fund-a-Need.’” And this year, the Fund-a-Need benefits the school’s new Scholars Program instead of Breakthrough.

The winners received different prizes: Cookie Connection cookies for the lower school, Pinkberry yogurt for the middle school and IHOP pancakes for the high school. Although the Cavalier Cup challenge and grade reps increased participation, Jackson also attributes this year’s success to getting an earlier start and putting out a higher volume of information.

“(Parents) were better informed about what the Annual Fund means, where the monies go and what their participation means for the overall goal,” Jackson said. “I think there were misconceptions before (this year), and a lot of people had this feeling that, ‘Wow, I pay all this money to go to this school, and now you want more?’” Woolf agreed.

“The Annual Fund is a delicate balance. We hope that everyone will see the value of participating, but we also want to respect people’s personal choice.” So where do the money go? A brochure sent to parents in September stated that the 2016-17 Annual Fund monies will go to student-centered support, faculty professional growth and community engagement. These categories include things like “social and emotional learning” for students, enabling faculty to “collaborate with peer schools” and “providing (students) opportunities for real-world career exploration,” like the summer internship program for high-school students. “The Annual Fund isn’t used for paying the electric bill,” Monasa said. One use for the money came last summer, when third-grade teachers Anita Kassel and Kristi Mathisen attended a weeklong colonial conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, to learn how to enhance their students’ Colonial Day experience.

Scholarships: SCDS aims to recruit students from varied backgrounds (continued from page 1) otherwise attending an independent school.” Although it’s designed for under-served students, the scholarship’s guidelines have been left purposefully vague. “Strength in academics, entrepreneurship, anything (could be the deciding factor),” Thomsen said. However, Country Day will not recruit or give scholarships to athletes, a result of a rule created by the California Interscholastic Federation. According to Bloedau, the scholarship application follows the same guidelines as a normal application with a few key additions. “We’re going to ask the scholar candidates for a different essay - a more reflective essay,” said

Bloedau. “We are looking for students to demonstrate an aspect of their lives that goes beyond academic capability.” The additional information includes evidence of participation in extracurricular activities and community service. The creation of the scholarship was charged to Thomsen as one of his first tasks as head of school. Thomsen explained that the idea stemmed from Rowland Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was principal of the upper school until the end of the 2015-16 school year. Rowland Hall was given a grant by the Malone Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is “to improve access to quality

DILIGENT DIRECTOR Director of admission Lonna Bloedau reads over a packet in her office. PHOTO BY ALLISON ZHANG

education ... for gifted students who lack the financial resources to best develop their talents,” according to the foundation website. Although similar in its purpose, Country Day’s scholarship is supported by donors. “Scholarships are a wonderful fundraising opportunity,” Thomsen said. “There are donors in the community who want to change a child’s life.” An advantage of a donor-supported scholarship over a grant-supported scholarship is that Country Day can set its

own parameters for who might receive it. Thomsen said students in the program would receive support for the cultural transition from a public to private school, skills such as studying and note-taking and other tools for academic success. To introduce the Scholars Program to the community, director of technology Tom Wroten and director of advancement Carolyn Woolf have created a promotional video that will air at the annual auction on Saturday, Feb. 25.

THE OCTAGON

FEATURE

The upcoming 89th Academy Awards ceremony signals the end of the film season. It’s the Super Bowl for cinephiles. And just as the Patriots were predicted to win, it seems like “La La Land” is the popular favorite. It’s been nominated for over 182 awards

in various ceremonies, including the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards and Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards. But “Moonlight,” an African-American LGBTQ+ film and the creative underdog, is proving to be formidable competition. Drama teacher Brian Frishman is a SAG

“

Moon on award for Best Picture:

I think the Academy will love (‘La La Land’). It has it all: the acting, the excellent score, the cinematography, the directing; it was perfect. It was also able to be because its budget allowed it to be. It’s something they haven’t seen in 60 years: a good musical on screen. And they like those revolutionary pieces. (Damien) Chazelle makes (film) in a way so that with the camera movement, especially (with) his panning, and the characters he directs, it’s just all one big musical number. The audience is involved, and it’s beautiful. Personally, I think that ‘Moonlight’ is the better film. But knowing this award season, it seems like they’re going to choose ‘La La Land.’ It’s the popular film. But compared to ‘Moonlight,’ it just wasn’t at that level of depth.”

“

Nellis on award for Best Picture:

Everyone, including me, clapped at the end (of ‘Hidden Figures’) while still in the theater. It was such a good story and so well portrayed. And I think that was shown by the audience’s reactions to it. (People in the theater were saying) things like ‘Oh, that’s right,’ or ‘Oh, really?’ in response to what was happening on screen. I teared up two or three times. It’s one of those (films) where you just shake your head. How do you choose between a movie that is entertaining and has wonderful cinematography (‘La La Land’) or one that has amazing acting and a storyline that I just loved (‘Hidden Figures’)?“

“

February 21, 2017

Award committee member; history teacher Sue Nellis attends an annual Oscars party with friends; sophomores Harrison Moon, amateur filmmaker, and Luca Procida, amateur film producer, are self-proclaimed movie aficionados.

—Chardonnay Needler

Frishman on award for Best Picture:

If I was betting, ‘La La Land’ would win. It’s self-referential about Hollywood, and Hollywood loves itself. I didn’t like how they changed the genre (sad ending but you’re in a musical romance). Compared to great musicals in the past, the singing and dancing didn’t hold up. I thought the choreography was very weak, especially the opening number. (And) ‘Manchester by the Sea’ was overrated. The script wasn’t extremely original. ‘Captain Fantastic’ was phenomenal, dramatic and funny. There are a lot of great movies out there, but they don’t always get nominated.”

Procida on awards for Best Actor/Actress, Supporting Actor:

“

I think Emma Stone deserves best actress for ‘La La Land.’ She has risen so much as an actress in the past year, whether it be (in) a comedy or a superhero movie. She’s developed so much as an actress, and she’s really shown the industry how much she can do. I think Michelle Williams (will win best supporting actress) for ‘Manchester by the Sea’ because she had a really small part, a B-list part, but there’s one scene in the movie that plays with your emotions so much. The emotion that Dev Patel put into ‘Lion’ was just incredible. From what I’ve seen - the way (Patel) brought that character to the screen - that character went through so much in his life. He should win best supporting actor.”