Issue 8 Octagon 2015-16

theOctagon

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

Sacramento Country Day School

VOL. XXXIX, NO. 8

2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento

May 31, 2016

POI: Student groups choose new leaders, plan to win awards

By Jack Christian Reporter

Above left: Breakthrough students participate in a quiz bowl to test the knowledge they’ve acquired through classes. Bottom left: Senior America Lopez teaches her seventh-grade English literature class. Right: Students enter Breakthrough every morning through a human tunnel as their teachers chant “G-O-O-D-M-O-R-N-I-N-G.” (Photos used by permission of Adolfo Mercado)

Board cuts Breakthrough funds

Entering class will be half as many pupils as last year’s

By Manson Tung

program’s inception, but in the last decade the gap has grown much larger.

“The Board has to balance a lot of different financial priorihis summer’s incoming class at Breakthrough Sacra- ties, between tuition increases, faculty salaries, academic fundmento will be the smallest ever: 18 students, only half ing, and arts and athletic budgets,” Taber said.

“We have to look at the school’s budget and expenses as a as many as last year. whole.”

The smaller number of students is a reAccording to Taber, during the sult of a decision by the Finance Committee of the “We have to look at the Board of Trustees to reduce the support the school school’s budget and expenses last 22 years, Country Day and the school community have givgives from $150,000 to $75,000. en $2.1 million to Breakthrough According to Kelley Taber, president of the Board as a whole.”

—Kelley Taber, president of in direct cash support, not inof Trustees, the school has less money for Breakin-kind donations (such through because of the school’s projected falling stuthe Board of Trustees cluding as air conditioning and use of the dent enrollment next year. facilities).

Headmaster Stephen Repsher said the move was On the other hand, other programs such as Breakthrough a necessary step in maintaining the long-term viability of the Oakland and Summerbridge Hong Kong are funded, either enprogram.

“We believe in the Breakthrough program and mission,” tirely or in majority, by local public-school districts or outside sources, respectively.

Repsher said.

The average Breakthrough budget gap has been $147,000 a “But we need to work together to get (Breakthrough) to a point where it’s financially self-sustaining, which was one of the year for the last three years, according to Taber. Furthermore, the school gives roughly $170,000 worth of in-kind non-moneoriginal goals of the program.”

According to Taber, the school has funded any difference between the cost of the program and outside funding since the See Breakthrough, page 6

Editor-in-Chief

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The Medallion, Octagon and Student Council have chosen their new leaders for 2016-17.

The Medallion picked two editors-in-chief: junior Shriya Nadgauda and sophomore Nina Dym. “The editors we selected for next year were chosen based on equal parts leadership, drive and talent,” adviser Mollie Hawkins said.

“We believed they had the best levels of experience in their specialties, being design and business management.”

“Next year we are going to be changing the structure of the yearbook,” Nadgauda said. “Our main goal is to try and cover a wider variety of events, as well as getting better pictures.”

The print editors-in-chief of the Octagon will be juniors Adam Dean and Marigot Fackenthal.

“Marigot is both an excellent writer and designer,” Octagon adviser Patricia Fels said. “She’s a questioner and doesn’t always agree with me, which is what I like.

“Adam’s worked hard with the editors-in-chief and shown his potential for leadership.”

Dean has many hopes for next year.

“Obviously, our main goal for the print is to win a Pacemaker award (the highest award from the National Scholastic Press Association),” Dean said.

Fackenthal said she has big plans to redo the layout of the issues, improving their design.

The online editor-in-chief will be sophomore Sonja Hansen.

“Sonja did a really good job as business manager this year,” Fels said.

“My main focus will be on expanding the online’s media outlets,” Hansen said. “That means more videos, pictures and maybe even some podcasts,” Juniors Quin LaComb and Mac Scott will be responsible for expanding multimedia and technology.

Student Council chose junior Avi Bhullar as president and junior Alexa Mathisen as vice president.

“They always go above and beyond; Student Council is their top priority,” adviser Patricia Jacobsen said.

Bhullar wants to improve Council events.

“I definitely want to improve the Freshman/Senior Movie Night because it can sometimes be boring and scary for the freshmen,” Bhullar said.

“I also want to reintroduce Olympics Day, HighSchool Movie Night, and many other fun fundraisers.”

The Glass Knife literary magazine positions will be announced next year.

Lack of senior math options leaves advanced juniors high and dry

By Annya Dahmani

course her senior year.

“But then I transferred to Country Day and everything got messed up with my math Six juniors were expecting a change to the scheduling,” she said. curriculum when signing up for their 2016-17 Fackenthal said that she wants to take course selection. another math course because it would look strange if there They wanted an “If I don’t take math for a were no math on her transcript additional math course after finish- whole year, then it’ll be hard during her senior year.

“Also, if I don’t take math for ing AP Calculus to catch up with everyone a whole year, then it’ll be hard to BC, the highest levonce I’m in college.” catch up with everyone once I’m el course offered at —Marigot Fackenthal, junior in college,” she said.

Country Day. So Marigot FackHer solution is take linear enthal, Quin Laalgebra, in an online course ofComb, Mac Scott, Arvind Krishnan, Shriya fered by Indiana University.

Nadgauda and Zane Jakobs were all disapFackenthal is the only junior who is defipointed when this course wasn’t created. nitely taking a math course online.

Fackenthal wants to be an engineer, so not Nadgauda is taking her advanced math taking a math class in her senior year will be a course either at a community college near her serious problem, she said. house or online.

Fackenthal transferred from Mira Loma “It would be a lot easier if it were at school High School, where she was on the “normal” because then I (wouldn’t) have to work around math track. She would have taken an IB math (the school’s) schedule,” Nadgauda said.

Social Media Editor

Juniors Quin LaComb, Shriya Nadgauda, Zane Jakobs and Arvind Krishnan are four of six juniors who will complete AP Calculus BC, the highest math course offered at Country Day, this year. (Photo by Kevin Huang)

“Also, I would know that it’s going to be on my transcript.”

Courses not taken at the school are not included on the Country Day transcript.

Like Fackenthal, Nadgauda wants to pur-

sue mathematics in college.

LaComb is taking AP Physics C as an alternative to a math course.

See Math, page 6

2Feature

The Octagon

May 31, 2016

Freedom of Tweet

By Nicole Wolkov

“Then the administration called me out “If something hurts or impacts the school, on my tweet.” we have the right to take action,” he said.

Although her Twitter was still on public at He then cited the student handbook, the time, she said she didn’t believe that the which all students must sign before they atopen my laptop and rapidly type in teachers were looking at her account. tend the school. my password. I must get on Twitter.

Instead she thought that students were The handbook, under the technology reI’m frustrated about something that showing teachers her tweets. She then spectable use policy, states, “The school may happened at school today, and I want blocked everyone who she thought was intervene if off-campus use of technology to vent. close to a teacher. impacts the school in a negative way. StuNo one besides my 90 followers will see “Those people got mad at me for it, but dents will be held responsible for how they my tweets, right? it’s my social media and my privacy,” she represent themselves and the school on the Wrong. said.

Internet.

During the past year, the SCDS high“I can control who looks at it.”

“Students understand that SCDS adminschool administration has reviewed stuNeither of these students was given a de- istrators will deem what conduct is inapdents’ tweets on the basis of bullying and tention or punished any other way. propriate, if such conduct is not specified negative language toward the community.

But if they had in this agreement. Any But Patricia Jacobsen, dean of student been punished, inappropriate use of life, said that she has never looked at any this would have “After I heard that teachers were technology may result student’s Twitter account without being apgone against state reading about my tweets, I posted in disciplinary action.” proached by a parent or student first. law for both pubWells said that these For example, sophomore Annya Dahmani lic and private something critical of teachers for policies apply to both had her tweets examined when a parent ac- schools. talking about the personal lives of school-owned and percused her of bullying.

Frank LoMonte, their students.” sonal devices.

“The student’s parents emailed the ad- executive direcAccording to Lo—High-school student ministration, and the administration looked tor at the Student Monte, these policies through my Twitter, which was on public,” Press Law Center, are legal if the student she said. cites the Leonard Law, passed in 1992 and is using school-owned technology, but may Later that evening, Dahmani received a amended in 2006, which protects Califor- infringe on privacy and freedom of exprestext from Jacobsen, asking if she had been nia private-school students from being sub- sion because these policies also control the bullying this student, to which she respond- jected to disciplinary action for speech that use of personal technology. ed “no.” would otherwise be protected by the First LoMonte also said the use of the words She said the parent accused her of delet- Amendment. “negative” and “inappropriate” in the policy ing the tweet, but Dahmani said that she The law states that “a student shall have is problematic. had never posted any tweet pertaining to or the same right to exercise his or her right to “It’s too vague and doesn’t give students alluding to that student. free speech on campus as he or she enjoys fair notice of what is and isn’t allowed,” he The next day she was asked to meet with when off campus.” said.

Tucker Foehl, assistant head of school, In one case, a senior was asked by JacobLoMonte said that SCDS is asking its stuwhere she said she told him that she had sen to take down a tweet that criticized a dents to sign away their First Amendment never posted anything. school dance and dancing styles. rights.

“I felt like the whole situation could have Jacobsen said that she didn’t force him to “In the realm outside school, you can’t been avoided if the adtake down the tweet force someone to sign away their legally proministration had asked and has never forced tected rights,” he said. me to show them my “In the realm outside school, you any student to take “I’m not convinced that this contract is a Twitter before looking can’t force someone to sign away down a tweet. legitimate agreement. at it without my perInstead, she said, “There are certain rights that are so funtheir First Amendment rights.” mission,” she said. she requested that damental that you can’t waive.”

—Frank LoMonte, he remove the tweet “I felt targeted.”

LoMonte also said he worries about the Since then, Dahmaexecutive director of the and explained her school’s involvement in students’ lives outni has set her Twitter side of school.

Student Press Law Center reasoning. on “private,” so that “I told him that “If a student were involved in an unconthe only people who his tweet could be ventional or social or political movement, it can see her tweets are hurtful to his class- could be seen as representing the school in people she’s approved to follow her. This mates, who put a lot of time and effort into an unsatisfactory way,” he said. also prevents followers from retweeting any planning the dance,” she said.

“But because it’s their off-campus life, the posts.

Although the senior wasn’t punished for school has no right policing their actions.”

Another student said she felt forced to set the tweet, he said that he felt he would be Junior Alexa Mathisen, a Student Council her Twitter on private because students had punished if he didn’t take down the tweet. officer, disagrees with LoMonte’s stance. told her that teachers were talking about her He said that he felt that this request was She said that each student is representing tweets. an invasion of his rights of free speech, but the school on and off campus.

“After I heard that teachers were talking he did eventually delete the tweet.

“No matter how many times adults tell about my tweets, I posted something critiAccording to Brooke Wells, head of high kids that what you post on the Internet cal of teachers for talking about the personal school, the administration views each situa- will be there forever, they just don’t listen,” lives of their students,” she said. tion on a case-by-case basis.

Mathisen said.

She said she believes that the administration has the right to address opinions if those opinions go against the public view of the school.

“The school should explain why they’re being addressed,” Mathisen said.

“The school needs to educate students on online conduct and what rights they have.”

But she and LoMonte agree that students shouldn’t be punished for speech that simply states a negative opinion and see the situation as a learning experience for the student.

“The administration should advise and counsel the student about online behavior even though they can’t punish the student,” LoMonte said.

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See Twitter, page 3

#act e #freedom #hat #given#expressi on ights r

#freespeech #say # ove #l #FirstAmendment

Twitter Quiz 1. Most followed person? a) Lady Gaga b) Taylor Swift c) Drake d) Katy Perry 2. Twitter’s original name? a) Twttr b) Twitter c) Twittr d) Twiter 3. When was Twitter founded? a) b) c) d)

2004 2005 2006 2007

4. What is the name of the bird (Twitter’s logo)? a) b) c) d)

Jeffrey Larry Nicky Grant

5. In which country is Twitter not blocked? a) China b) Afghanistan c) Turkey d) North Korea 6. Which link does not take you to Twitter? a) b) c) d)

TwiTTTer.com Twitter.com TwiTer.com TwiTTTTer.com

Follow The Octagon’s Twitter @scdsoctagon

Answers to Quiz 1. d 2. a 3. c 4. b 5. b 6. d

Should schools be allowed to look at Twitter accounts without permission if you are accused of bullying? Students put accounts on private mode, yet schools still find ways to access them.

May 31, 2016

The Octagon

Community

3

Public transportation: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly Light rail, bus trip from Folsom Outlets to school takes more than an hour

By Quin LaComb

but everyone seemed to follow a silently established rule that they could really fit only one person.

The train had an LED that displayed the iving in El Dorado Hills has its ups and downs (no pun intended), but next stop and had a stop request button, but the worst problem by far is the com- it remained unused because it stopped at every station. It was hard to take notes because mute.

On a good day with a carpool, it takes 20-25 the train was so shaky.

The passengers ranged from businessmen minutes. When I drive by myself, it can take in suits to mothers in dresses. anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour.

One businessman was reading “The Old However, we do have public transportation in the Sacramento region, so I thought that Man and the Sea.” Another was typing away maybe I could bypass the drive and take light on his laptop.

Some were just trying to get some relaxrail for the first time for a cheaper and quickation time with no work whatsoever. er ride.

There was no talking until a police officer I was wrong.

When I entered my home address and the boarded about 10 minutes after my departure school’s address on Google Maps, it turned somewhere around the Sunrise Boulevard out that it would take me around four hours station and asked everyone for tickets. We all grabbed ours, with the exception of a man to get to school.

On top of that, the times for the four bus- who had boarded the train about two stops before. es and the light He was a dirty man with rail lined up in a way so that “When I entered my home ad- stubble, wearing ragged I couldn’t even dress and the school’s address on clothes, and carrying a full arrive at school Google Maps, it turned out that it garbage bag with what I assume was either trash or on time.

So I changed would take me around four hours his belongings. He had also brought his bike onto the my start from to get to school.” my house to —Quin LaComb, junior train.

When the officer asked for the Folsom the ticket, the man told him Premium Outhe’d forgotten it. lets. Now I The officer reported in with his radio and could arrive at school on time, and the jourreceived a response. He then started quesney was only an hour and a half long.

On May 9, I woke up at 5:45 a.m. and got tioning the man about his name, address, ready for the five-minute drive to the Out- driver’s license number, etc. The man had lets, where I would board the light rail bound a response for all of those questions, but I somehow doubted that they were true. for Sacramento.

Clearly the officer had the same thoughts.

At the station, I bought the $2.50 ticket and waited 10 minutes for the train. The sta- He said that the man’s garbage bag and bicytion was chilly, being open to the outdoors, cle weren’t permitted on the train and told and there were only eight or so people wait- him to get off at the next stop.

After the man got off and the rest of us ing when I got there.

Everyone kept to themselves, but it was showed the officer our tickets, the rest of the still noisy because the station is located right trip was fairly uneventful.

Taking a light rail wasn’t too different from next to Folsom Boulevard, which was surprisdriving to school. I could see the freeway at ingly busy at 6 a.m. on a Monday.

The train left at 6:25 a.m., and as the depar- all times on my way into Sacramento, and the ture approached, the eight people became 18. train was going only slightly slower than the The train arrived promptly, and everyone cars.

But instead of seeing the stores on the side boarded. Interestingly enough, no one was there to collect tickets, so anyone could of the freeway from their back, I got to see their fronts. board the train.

I thought that the train would be fairly The train was clean, and there was room for everyone. The seats could fit two people, See Transit, page 6

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Twitter: How much control should schools have over students’ social media?

Area, doesn’t have the same issues as SCDS, their handbook policies are similar.

Although private schools in California are protected under Bentley’s handbook says, “Bentley also reserves the right the Leonard Law, other private schools have had issues with to consider disciplinary action when students behave in ways administrators looking through students’ social media. that damage the reputation of the school, and, by extension, “A significant part of our dean of student’s job is to look the community.” through girls’ social media,” said Marie Ybarra, a junior at St. Sarah Fields, a junior at Bentley, said that expressing opinFrancis High School. ions on social media hasn’t resulted in punishment.

According to Ybarra, St. Francis girls have been pun“One time a freshman posted a picture on her private ished for having alcohol in their pictures.

Instagram of her smoking a cigar,” she said. “People took At Country Day, Wells said this situation would screenshots, but no one showed the teacher. If you take merit punishment only if the student were wearing screenshots of someone’s private account, it’s disreSCDS attire in the photo. Otherwise, the parents specting their privacy.” would be notified, but no disciplinary action would But Mathisen said that in some circumstances, be taken by the school. showing screenshots to teachers is fine.

Although Jacobsen has never looked at a “I’ve shown tweets to teachers before, but only tweet without first being shown it by a when it’s a case of bullying,” she said. student or parent, St. Francis’s dean of LoMonte said that bullying is not “(Administrators) need to have a protected students does. under free speech or the “The dean makes it known that she strict boundary where punitive Leonard Law because it’s libel or looks through our social media, but authority is not allowed.” threatening to a student’s safety, and there hasn’t been pushback by the stuserious bullying should be dealt —Frank LoMonte, that dents,” Ybarra said. with by the school. executive director of the The technology respectable use polAlthough there is controversy icy in the St. Francis handbook states, Student Press Law Center around whether or not students’ free “Any use of technology that is contrary speech rights are restricted, Student to the Mission of the school, on or off Council members follow a different set campus, will be considered a punishable offense, including of rules, written by Student Council members. but not limited to those addressed in the policy.”

“Student Council members sign bylaws saying that they Although Bentley School, a private K-12 school in the Bay must represent the school in a positive way,” Jacobsen said.

(Continued from page 2)

Junior Quin LaComb gets off the bus, located 0.3 miles away from Country Day. The bus ride was 10 minutes long, and his walk from the stop to school was three. (Photos

by Ethan Hockridge)

“It doesn’t mean that they make up things, but they’re not allowed to publicly speak badly of the school.”

Mathisen said she believes SCDS is correct in placing these restrictions on its Student Council members.

“Student Council officers need to represent the school positively because that’s part of the job we applied for,” she said.

“We need to be a positive reflection of the student body.”

According to Mathisen, “the administration can’t tell us what to post, but they do have the right to tell us what we can’t post. If you break those rules, then Student Council can remove you.”

However, LoMonte said that these policies are “preparing people to be citizens of North Korea.”

“They can only be considered as un-American and inconsistent with American values,” he said.

Rose Brownridge, a junior at Christian Brothers High School, experiences similar rules as a student ambassador.

Brownridge says she is not allowed to swear and must follow a strict dress code in order to “represent the school well and conduct herself in an appropriate manner.”

According to LoMonte, vague language such as “appropriate” in the handbooks of SCDS, St. Francis, Bentley and Christian Brothers invites “some degree of abuse of power by the administration.”

Although LoMonte said he believes the vast majority of provisions in the handbook is standard and good, he also says he thinks that “the administration needs to tighten up on language about off-campus speech or eliminate it entirely.”

“They need to have a strict boundary where punitive authority is not allowed,” he said. “Anything that is clearly not prohibited should be allowed.”

Headmaster Stephen Repsher said that he wants to make the school a safe environment from bullying while also protecting students’ freedom of speech.

“We would love to have input for the handbook from students,” Repsher said. “If they feel it needs to be refined or updated, we welcome information to be considered and added.”

4Feature

The Octagon

May 31, 2016

Gender-neutral bathrooms divide community

Administrators search for solution to deal with controversial national issue

By Alexa Mathisen

vidual restrooms much like a family restroom.

The latter of these solutions seems like the most practical solution because there are already many single-stalled rell public schools in the United States must allow strooms on campus, although now all of them are currently transgender students to use the bathroom match- for faculty use only, according to Brooke Wells, head of high ing their gender identity, not necessarily their school. This is because there are two bathrooms in the highborn sex, as directed by a joint letter written by school area and two in the midthe Departments of Education and Justice sent to all govern- dle/lower school area.

“For athletics, we (Wells and ment-funded schools by the Obama administration as of May athletic director Matt Vargo) are 12.

This comes as no surprise following the controversial considering to use the bathroom House Bill 2 in North Carolina, which requires all students to in the PE office for students who wish to use it as a restroom, use the bathroom of the gender in shower or locker room,” Wells which they were born.

“It will make the campus said.

Although the letter is not a law Wells also said the PE bathsafer for students wishing or any kind of legal statement, it threatens to cut federal funding to come out or looking into room would be a good consideration for all student accommodato those schools who do not abide coming to the school.” tions, not just athletes; however, it by the guidelines. needs to be a more well-known and —Isabelle Leavy, junior So where does Sacramento advertised as an option for students, Country Day fall when it comes not just for faculty, as it is now. to this issue?

Michelle Myers, physical education curriculum First of all, the letter was not received by nor does any action have to take place in our school because it is privately cordinator, said she was not told this was the decided solution for athletics. funded and not affiliated with the government.

“In order for students to use that bathroom, they Second, the letter does not affect any public schools in California because governor Jerry Brown signed the Schools have to go through our office and things,” Myers Success and Opportunity Act (which went into effect on Jan. said.

“This PE office is a faculty area, and it would be unfair and 1, 2014), allowing transgender students to participate in the inappropriate for both the students and teachers if this bathsport and use the facilities matching their gender identity.

Although Country Day is not legally obligated to take any room was the designated solution.

“Over five years ago, I worked to bring this to the attenactions, more than half of 127 high-school students said they tion of the administration and athletic department; however, believe gender-neutral bathrooms should be provided in the I have not been included in any further discussions. I do think school community, according to a May 10 Octagon poll.

In a telephone survey of 20 California independent schools maintenance, athletics, physical education and the adminissimilar to SCDS, 17 said they had gender-neutral bathroom tration all need to be involved in the conversation,” Myers said. options.

Junior Austin Talamantes president of MOGAI (MarginThese gender-neutral facilities were available for transgenalized Orientations, Gender Alignments and Intersex) Club der, gender-fluid and cisgender students and faculty. said it’s important that the school makes it known there are There are two options for gender-neutral facilities: absolutely gender-neutral bathrooms in which all genders go into options for all students, instead of waiting for a request from the same bathroom with multiple stalls, or single-stalled indi- an out-of-the-closet transgender or gender-fluid student.

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“By allowing the use of the pre-existing, single-stalled restrooms on the campus, (the school) would be showing support and creating a safe space for all in a not difficult, inexpensive way,” Talamantes said.

Furthermore, a single-stalled restroom accessible to everyone on campus is an advantage for families with small children and babies.

“It is crazy that we don’t have a place for families to privately go in together and change diapers,” junior Avi Bhullar said.

“My mom couldn’t attend a lot of my games and performances when my little brother was still in diapers because there was no place for her to properly change him.”

Junior Isabelle Leavy agreed.

“It will make the campus safer for students wishing to come out or looking into coming to the school,” Leavy said.

“Plus, if there are never any gender issues that arise, it seems reasonable to simply have a family restroom since this is a school.”

Most students who disagree with or are hesitant regarding transgender rights and lifestyle said they have no problem with another bathroom being added or labeled as gender neutral.

Other students in the high school believe multistalled bathrooms for all genders and students are the best option.

The most common opposition to the second solution is the privacy and protection of women.

“We cannot force people to accept gender-neutral and trans people, and we are doing so by compromising their privacy if we were to have only gender-neutral restrooms,” a junior said.

Although senior Amelia Fineberg agrees that having only gender-neutral bathrooms is the best solution, she acknowledges this argument.

“I just think the most basic solution is having a bathroom everyone can use,” Fineberg said.

College counselor Jane Bauman remembers being at UC See Bathrooms, page 11

California Primary 74% of upperclassmen registered Democrat 22% of upperclassmen registered Republican Hillary Clinton

John Kasich

Donald Trump

44%

28%

13%

8%

Statistics from a poll distributed on April 26 to 61 upperclassmen.

*One senior will vote for Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party) Registered Independent: 2

Graphic by Mohini Rye and Nicole Wolkov

Bernie Sanders

May 31, 2016

News

The Octagon

5

Multi-restaurant lunch program popular with students

By Madison Judd Editor-in-Chief

A

fter changing the lunch program four times over the past six years, the school has finally established a popular program, nicknamed the Cavalier Café.

Now, instead of an outside group organizing the lunches, the Café distributes meals from Boudin, Noodles & Company, Noah’s Bagels, Chili’s and Pizza Guys in the MP Room during lunch.

Since the program was launched at the beginning of the year, ordering lunch has become increasingly popular among students, according to Bill Petchauer, chief financial officer.

In May, there were 208 orders submitted to the Café. Of the 208, there were 92 lower schoolers, 78 middle schoolers, 34 high schoolers and four employees, according to Petchauer.

In comparison, GoodFellas dipped as low as about 50 people in March of 2015, Petchauer said.

“Last year (with GoodFellas), there wasn’t nearly enough food,” junior Kevin Huang said.

“Even when I took (middle schooler) Joe White’s lunch because he was absent, there still wasn’t enough food!”

Huang, who orders from the Café every day, said that the food is far superior this year.

“It’s nice food because it’s from actual restaurants, and there are a lot of different options to choose from,” he said.

Junior Jesus Galindo agreed.

“So far, I don’t have any complaints. I would definitely give it a 10 out of 10,” Galindo said.

“I especially like (Noodles & Company’s) spaghetti and meatballs with the Caesar salad.”

The two-and-a-half year partnership with the old program, GoodFellas, was terminated last spring by Petchauer and the management team.

“It just wasn’t successful,” Petchauer said.

According to Petchauer, the change was also triggered by an Octagon article (“Students say no to GoodFellas: only 5 percent of high schoolers ever order lunch,” Feb. 17, 2015) that concluded that students weren’t satisfied with GoodFellas’ portions and quality.

“Even though it’s more difficult (to maintain), (the Cavalier Café is) worth it because it’s more successful and we’re breaking even (moneywise),” Petchauer said.

Petchauer submits the orders, which are ordered by the students a month in advance, to each restaurant, Each company delivers the lunches to school on a different day of the week, and students receive the same entree on the same weekday for a month.

An Octagon poll distributed to 103 high-school students on March 22 showed that of the 26 people who ordered lunch in March, Tuesdays (Boudin) were the most popular day of the week with 21 orders.

Senior Emma Brown used to order the Turkey and Havarti sandwich from Boudin.

“It’s one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had,” Brown said.

“It’s also really filling.”

(Brown stopped ordering from the program in May only because seniors ended school on May 11.)

Even though the lunch program is more popular than its predecessors, the March poll Freshman Gabi Alvarado enjoys a plate of buttered noodles and a Caesar salad reveals that some tweaking is from Noodles & Company. (Photo by Adam Ketchum) necessary.

For instance, six high-school students who ordered lunch (the middle schoolers) eat so quickly, there’s never any left by in March had a problem with how Noodles & Company and the time I get to the MP Room,” senior Sydney Michel said.

“But since it’s buffet style, I always just get the mac and Pizza Guys distribute their food.

While Boudin, Noah’s Bagels and Chili’s label each lunch cheese.”

Even though Petchauer hasn’t heard complaints about the with students’ names and grades, Noodles & Company and program, he said that students can give their suggestions to Pizza Guys serve their food buffet style.

Since the middle-school students get out for lunch 10 min- either him or Jennifer Adams, previous head of the lunch proutes earlier than the high-school students, if they eat their gram and current distributor of the lunches. lunches and get back in line before the high schoolers reach He also said that because all of the restaurants have been the MP Room, they are able to get free seconds. successful, he doesn’t anticipate any changes to the menu next “I order spaghetti from Noodles & Company, but because year.

Technology (iPad and Macbook Air programs) increased the tuition.

The funds for technology, which came from various academic additional revenue support programs (part of Academic Program Support Services), were used to pay for the new expenses caused by their implementation.

13%

The school matches employee retirement benefits in the 403B program.

While employees are at the school, that's part of the benefit package, but once they retire, additional earnings stop. An employee can contribute up to six percent to his or her retirement plan, and the school will match the contribution up to six percent.

10%

campus upkeep

1%

other

Where does tuition go?

teachers’ salaries

sources.

Of the contributions, 75 percent come from three sources: capital campaigns (24 percent), auctions (23 percent) and the Annual Fund (28 percent).

Only three percent of contributions come financial assistance from the Boosters (incidentally the program same percentage as endowments).

Breakthrough raises nine percent, Gifts-inCaptions by Chardonnay Needler; Kind gets five percent, and graphic by Marigot Fackenthal; statisscrip brings in one percent. tics courtesy of CFO Bill Petchauer

14%

3%

The school is currently $10 million in debt, which is not unusual for private schools.

59%

paying off debt

Tuition and other tuition-related fees account for 89 percent of the money that Country Day receives.

Contributions account for seven percent, and four percent comes from other

6Remainder

The Octagon

May 31, 2016

Breakthrough: Despite summer cuts, scholarships to be unaffected (Continued from page 1) tary support to Breakthrough annually.

News of the impending cuts was first relayed to Breakthrough director Adolfo Mercado in late February at the end of the student recruitment process.

“I was shocked when the conversation was brought up, because although there were concerns about the budget and we’d discussed increasing fundraising in the past, we’ve never been told to cut down on the number of students like this,” Mercado said.

“I feel like I was not being honest with our partner (recruitment) schools, because at the last minute we are only admitting half of our original estimate - only 18 percent of all applicants.”

Mercado added that this year’s applicant pool was exceptional.

“There were a lot of amazing applicants that we simply weren’t able to take on,” Mercado said.

“Twenty-seven semi-finalists had perfect scores on the written application and interview!

“It’s a wonderful group that’s really hard to select from.”

The sudden cutback in student numbers is due in large part to the outsized role the school plays in keeping Breakthrough in the black, according to Mercado.

Country Day’s previous contribution ($150,000) represented the largest individual source of funding for the program (60 percent), with the remainder originating from a variety of sources (foundations, individual donations, corporations, etc.)

Mercado said the $150,000 support that the school gives Breakthrough is only 1.3 percent of the school’s yearly budget After Mercado was notified of the reduction, he approached the Sacramento City Unified School District for funding.

SCUSD previously supported Breakthrough, but for the last four years hasn’t given the program money. Fifty-eight percent of Breakthrough Sacramento’s students come from Sacramento Unified schools.

In March, Mercado was promised a $50,000 grant from the school district.

He hoped that it would be enough money to add a few more students.

However, his requests for an expanded program were denied by the Board of Trustees.

Repsher explained that this decision was due to long-term financial planning.

“There’s no way to know whether or not the $50,000 grant would become an annual gift, so we must be conservative with spending,” he said.

Repsher likened the situation to the planning before the Great Recession.

“We don’t want to make overly optimistic assumptions,” he said. “This way we can ensure we aren’t caught without the

Although the school is scaling back its financial commitment to Breakthrough, the number of Breakthrough students offered scholarships to Country Day will be unaffected.

Historically, Country Day has enrolled, through a partial scholarship program, a total of eight to 12 Breakthrough students in the high school each year.

Repsher explained that all scholarships given to Breakthrough students are granted via the school’s Financial Aid Committee, which is independent of Breakthrough. funding.

Although they will not be affected, some current Country “This mentality has protected our community financially Day and former Breakthrough students reacted negatively to for a long time.”

Taber added that the grant money had not yet been re- the news of program reductions.

Senior America Lopez is one. ceived.

“Those students aren’t going to get that life-changing op“We’ve gotten a commitment of $50,000, but we won’t be portunity,” Lopez said. able to confirm the funds until we sign a mem“I wish that someone could step orandum of understanding with the school dis“Those students aren’t going in to fund the program and scale it trict, and the new budgetary calendar begins on to get that life-changing op- back up.”

July 1,” Taber said.

But Repsher stressed that the Mercado said that within two years, the pro- portunity.” school is still committed to the program will have a total of only 36 students. (The —America Lopez, senior gram. number of returning students will be unaffected “We want Breakthrough to stay for the 2016 summer program.) an integral part of our community,” That means that by 2017, Breakthrough Sacramento will be one of the smallest sites in the collaborative if Repsher said.

“Breakthrough is a important on-campus reminder of our the cut continues, according to Mercado.

“We’ll be smaller than Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano school’s commitment to support education in Sacramento.

“We have and will continue to support Breakthrough asor Breakthrough Norfolk, both of which service communities siduously.” far smaller than we do,” he said.

Breakthrough students converse with teacher and senior America Lopez in the middle-school quad during a short break between classes in the 2015 summer program. (Photo used by permission of Adolfo Mercado)

Transit: Bus ride caps off extreme morning commute (Continued from page 3) dirty, but in reality it was nearly spotless.

I got off the train at a bus station at 65th Street and then waited 20 minutes. The station had four separate places for boarding buses, but each arrival point had enough seats for only two people.

The bus station was more or less a collection of four or so benches spread out in a square so buses could pick people up.

I paid another $2.50 to get on my bus and was on it for only 10 minutes. There were six other people on the bus even though it could have fit at least 20 people.

There was a yellow pull cord on my left side that allowed passengers on the bus to request the driver to stop.

When the bus was finally travelling up Munroe, I pulled the cord and it stopped.

I finished off the morning by walking to school. Ironically, the walk was shorter than the one I normally have to take when I drive.

It was quite the morning. My normal commute was at least doubled - but more likely tripled - by using public transportation. I left my house around 6:00 and arrived at school around 7:40.

But I’m not the only student braving public transportation.

Senior Vanessa Previsic, one of the few students that frequents public transportation, said that she takes it two weeks of every month.

“In November, I had a car crash,” she said. “My parents didn’t want to drive me to and from school, so it was the only alternative.”

Her experience is very similar to mine. She takes two buses and a light rail to get to school each morning, and the 20-minute drive from Land Park has turned into an hour-and-a-half ride.

“Theoretically it should take the same time at night, but it ends up usually being between two-and-a-half to three hours long,” she said.

“I usually just catch a ride home with someone else.”

After having tried the commute, I can’t blame her.

Math: Plans for new course shelved And in an Octagon article last year (“High school adds new online STEM courses,” April 28, 2015), reporter The issue of adding another math class emerged in the Madison Judd wrote, “Wells expects that the new math middle of the 2014-15 school year. class will be popular, but it won’t start until the 2016-17 Jakobs, at the time a sophomore, organized a group of school year because it is being created specifically for the students to talk to Brooke Wells, head of high school, class of 2017.” about adding another class.

But Wells said that the math department had deter“He thought it was a good idea and said that he would mined that there were not enough students who wanted see what he could do about it,” Jato take the advanced math class because kobs said. of “too many different interests.”

Jakobs wasn’t the only one who “I was disappointed. I feel like Wells said that it’s possible that there assumed the class was going to there was a lack of commu- may be an alternate math course provided happen. nication and a lack of follow in the future.

LaComb said that they were “Students should talk to the math deunder the impression that there through.” partment or (math teacher Chris) Millswould be a math class.

—Zane Jakobs, junior back,” Wells said.

There was a meeting about “If the department feels that it’s neceswhat class the students wanted, sary, then we’ll do it.” and the two suggested were multivariable calculus and According to Wells, AP Microeconomics is the math linear algebra. class that was designed for students to take after com“When we had the meeting with Wells, he said, ‘Yeah, pleting AP Calculus BC and Physics C. we are going to have the class,’” Nadgauda said. “We all Krishnan, Jakobs and Nadgauda all said they will take kind of assumed that it was going to be one of our classAP Economics next year. es.”

In a poll taken on May 10 of 33 freshmen and 35 sophIn February of 2016, Jakobs asked Wells again about omores, 18 said that they will finish all the math courses the progress of the new class.

“He said that it was most likely going to happen and offered by the end of their junior year.

And five freshmen and four sophomores said that they that they had the budget and everything for it,” Jakobs would take an additional math course if it was offered. said. “The only problem was trying to find out which Three freshmen and five sophomores said maybe, and class we would be taking.”

Yet again, Jakobs returned to Wells in March and asked one sophomore said no.

Sophomore Atuso Chiu, who is one of 10 sophomores him how the plans were going. who will finish all their math, said he wants to take a math “He told me that it was still on,” Jakobs said. class after AP Calculus BC. Then the class didn’t happen, according to Jakobs.

“I was disappointed,” he said. “I feel like there was a “I like math, and I don’t want to forget it when I go to lack of communication and a lack of follow through.” college,” Chiu said.

(Continued from page 1)

May 31, 2016

The Octagon

Opinion

7

Student chefs venture into unexplored areas of food Sophomore cook rolls right through new sushi recipe

By Katia Dahmani Page Editor I’ve always considered myself a good chef. I’ve successfully made a whole variety of foods, such as chicken parmigiana, burgers and cupcakes.

But when making tempura shrimp rolls with my Cooking-in-the-Cave buddy (freshman Ben Miner) challenged my cooking skills, I realized how inadequate a chef I really was.

I love sushi because of its great taste, so I’ve always wanted to learn how to make it. During my visits to sushi restaurants, I’ve watched the chefs make the rolls and thought, “It can’t be that hard!”

Boy, was I wrong. Thankfully the recipe I came up with (with some help from a Food Network webpage on how to cook a California roll) is relatively inexpensive.

Now let’s get cooking!

I started by putting the rice in a pot with about two cups of water.

Strike one: apparently, this was too much water, which my friend sophomore Nina Dym kept telling me when my rice turned out too sticky. But I’ll get to that later.

Then I tried to shell the large shrimp I had purchased only 30 minutes before cooking.

Strike two: the shrimp were still frozen, so I had to soak them in hot water.

While I was carefully shelling my now un-frozen shrimp, my rice needed stirring. I then had to race through shelling, so I could get back to stirring my rice, to prevent it from burning in the pot.

When my rice was finally done, I put it in a large glass bowl so I could deal with it later.

Then I began to prepare the tempura batter for the large shrimp.

After drenching the shrimp in the batter, I realized that I had overcooked my rice, a critical mistake.

I slowly folded the flavored rice vinegar into my rice, and stirred it until all of the rice had an even amount of vinegar.

Next I fished the tempura shrimp out of the oil and set them in a paper-lined basket.

While taking the shrimp out of the scalding oil, I asked Ben to start thinly slicing a cucumber and avocado for the sushi filling.

I was too focused on the tempura shrimp to prepare the vegetables, so luckily Ben could do the job.

Now I had all my ingredients, and it was time to roll the sushi up.

This, I would come to find out, would be one of the most complicated things I have ever attempted.

I used a bamboo sushi mat and wrapped it with plastic wrap to prevent the rice from sticking.

I decided to make two types of rolls: a hosomaki roll (with the seaweed on the outside) and an uramaki roll (with the rice

Sophomore Katia Dahmani cuts a completed hosomaki roll, one of two types of sushi she and freshman Ben Miner tried to make. (Photos by Nina Dym)

on the outside, also known as an inside-out roll).

For seaweed on the outside, I put the seaweed down first, then rice on top, followed by a thin layer of the cucumber and avocado slices, and tempura shrimp. Because I had no idea how to roll the roll, I went to the best source of information: YouTube.

After watching a two-minute video, I felt like the sushi-rolling master.

Strike three: I put in too much filling and rice, which made my roll too thick and almost impossible to roll.

But, as a chef, it’s important to learn how to work with your mistakes, and that’s just what I did.

Again, the roll was too thick.

Inexperienced freshman layers on new skills while preparing brownie trifle

By Ben Miner Reporter How much does it cost for two mediocre cooks to make a Rolo ice-cream trifle from scratch?

Twenty dollars.

Although the sweet dessert may have looked like a trifle, we really didn’t have the time or talent to make a true masterpiece.

The recipe we used called for homemade whipped cream, caramel and brownies, but that’s just too much work.

So sophomore Katia Dahmani and I invented our own recipe.

We used the same ingredients, but instead of making whipped cream and caramel, we bought some from the store with-

out guilt.

We were so excited to get home and start cooking that we forgot one thing: how little time it takes for ice cream to melt.

By the time we realized that the ice cream had leaked all over the other groceries, we were almost to Katia’s house.

When we arrived, I ran to the door with ice cream dripping down my arm, waited politely for Katia’s sister Annya to open the door, and then rudely ran by her and headed to the freezer.

“We’re good!” I yelled.

After all the commotion had ended, we relaxed, listened to music, and then started the preparation.

Graham crackers needed to be crushed, Rolos unwrapped, brownie mix made, and

However, as I rolled more and more rolls, I gradually became better.

When Ben and I finally tasted the sushi, we were surprised, mostly because it tasted good despite how it looked. We were also surprised by how sticky and hard it was to eat!

The first bite was nice, but swallowing it was so hard that Ben had to rush for water.

This stickiness was a result of my adding too much water to the rice and overcooking it.

Other than this mistake, my rolls were surprisingly visually and kind of edibly pleasing, once you got past the fact that it was almost impossible to swallow them.

Ben can vouch for this.

whipped cream and caramel sauce washed I grabbed a spoon and started loading the after the ice cream incident. first layer of brownies.

It was time to put the brownies in the Then I layered the ice cream and repeatoven, but not before Katia rubbed brownie ed again with the brownies. mix on my cheek for a “cute photo.”

We topped off the dish with whipped We set the oven to 325 degrees and put cream, crushed graham crackers and a the brownies in for 45 minutes. touch of caramel sauce.

I was taught by my mother that to It looked as though it could be on the know when cover of Bon Appétit cookbrownies magazine.

“We were so excited to get home and ingWe are done, grabbed two spoons you need start cooking that (Katia and I) forgot set up for a quick photo, to stick a one thing: how little time it takes for and then dove in on the toothpick dessert. ice cream to melt.” in the midIt was by far the best desdle to test sert I have ever made. how well the brownies cooked.

So we decided to be nice and let our Apparently Katia’s mother didn’t teach friends - sophomores Nina Dym and Annher the same thing. ya, and juniors Adam Dean, Emil Erickson Great, no toothpicks. and Aidan Cunningham - try our masterSo with nothing to test the brownies I piece. used my last resort, my finger.

Then there was silence, just the murmurs I ended up burning my fingers and mak- of satisfaction in the crowd as they chewed. ing a mess.

It was by far the best part of the night.

10 Editorial

The Octagon

May 31, 2016

“Private” by Jake Sands

My Angle

By Annya Dahmani Campus has abundance of vandals, not enough cameras

EDITORIAL: School needs uniform approach to social media concerns Let’s be honest. This year hasn’t been the best for the school’s handbook. From issues of academic honesty to senior requirements - and now to appropriate technology usage - problems have been handled in a non-cohesive way due to a lack of clear protocol.

Currently, the Student Handbook’s guidelines are vague and allow for the administration to deal with problems case by case. Some have argued that this results in bias, and that the handbook should be changed to a more regimented list of offenses and their respective punishments.

However, the definition of bullying, “unwanted aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance,” can be taken from many angles. Consequently, it would be futile to try to make the handbook any more specific than it already is and expect it to solve problems on its own.

What needs to be set in stone aren’t the rules or penalties, but the protocol for identifying whether or not an accusation has merit. The handbook is like the Constitution. The Constitution has a good set of rules, but it can’t speak for itself. It needs to be interpreted by a court and a judge. Each offense is ultimately dealt with on a case-by-case basis, but goes through the same procedure to reach the verdict.

In the same way, Country Day should establish a universal protocol for dealing with accusations. We suggest that when an accusation is brought to the

the Editors-in-Chief Madison Judd Manson Tung

Online Editor-in-Chief Zoë Bowlus

Business Manager Sonja Hansen

Feature Editor Madison Judd

Opinion Editor Marigot Fackenthal

Sports Editor Zoë Bowlus

Copy Editor Amelia Fineberg

News Editor Manson Tung

Social Media Editor Annya Dahmani

Page Editors

Adam Dean Amelia Fineberg Annya Dahmani Katia Dahmani Madison Judd

dean of student life or the head of high school, the administrator should meet with the student accused before proceeding with investigative measures.

For instance, if a student is accused of bullying on Twitter, the administrator should talk with the student first. If the student acknowledges wrongdoing, he or she will be dealt with accordingly. If the student denies the offense, or has a different interpretation, the administrator should at that point take action and go through the accused’s Twitter account. And, if the dean finds tweets that support the accusation, the student should face appropriate punishment.

This clear protocol can help the school avoid the confusion students face now when accused of an offense. By dealing with cases the same way (even if the school operates on a case-by-case system), the administration’s approach to solving problems will be uniform for all cases, regardless of severity.

We acknowledge the difficulty of dealing with social media, but if it is impossible to lay down the specific rules, the school should at least have standard protocol to approach all offenses.

As social media changes, the handbook starts to lack more and more procedural conduct. If we establish a clear-cut protocol now, then dealing with social media as it progresses will be easier.

The protocol may not make the punishment decisions easier for administrators, but at least it promises fairness for all students because everyone’s cases will be dealt with in the same way.

On April 27, I had my school-issued laptop stolen from the music room during a night-time band performance.

So how did this happen exactly?

The room had been left unlocked with all of my stuff inside, including my phone, money, laptop and backpack, along with the belongings of my sister Katia and senior Sydney Michel.

They had their laptops stolen as well.

Obviously, this event could have been avoided if the room had been locked in the first place.

The music room was left unlocked in order for the musicians to be able to go in and out of the room without having to get keys from someone.

And in the unlocked room our belongings sat there on the ground, easily accessible for anyone to take.

But maybe if we had cameras around campus, we could have identified the person who walked in and grabbed the computers.

Here’s the thing: I’m not the only person who has experienced this firsthand.

There has been lots of crime on campus, varying from the occasional stolen TI-89 calculators to electric guitars from the music room to a van in the parking lot.

On Dec. 29 foreman Sailendra Singh noticed one of the three school vans normally kept in the parking lot was missing.

Eight days later, Jay Holman, director of the physical plant, reported the theft to the California Highway Patrol.

That same night, the CHP notified Holman, saying that they had found the van at the California Fitness Center.

Not only school property has been stolen, but many students have experienced this first-hand thievery.

An example is sophomore Harkirat Lally.

Lally had his lacrosse equipment stolen when he left it overnight by his locker.

“I think it would be a great idea if we had cameras,” he said. “I completely support the idea. Right now our campus is so open, and anyone can easily walk in and out without anyone knowing.”

Even worse, the school has been vandalized before.

That’s something that a lock or two wouldn’t fix.

On Oct. 27, vandals graffitied initials on a few walls after stealing orchestra teacher Felecia Keys’s monitor.

And let’s not forget about the devastating vandalism of the garden that occurred in late April of 2013.

Two rose arbors were broken, as well as a birdbath. The fences and signs were all smashed.

When will we stop these thieves (or thief) from stealing our possessions?

They’ve already stolen $500 worth of copper wire on Jan. 20, 2014, a school van, multiple purses, wallets, musical and sports equipment, as well as teacher and student laptops.

If we had cameras around campus, the school could have caught these individuals, or at least seen what they looked like and given that information to the police.

On college campuses there are cameras everywhere.

Cameras like theirs could help identify who is stealing items from our campus and who is committing these acts of vandalism.

Octagon Manson Tung Marigot Fackenthal Sonja Hansen Ulises Barajas

Reporters

Alexa Mathisen Allison Zhang Ben Miner Chardonnay Needler Grace Naify Jack Christian Jake Longoria Mac Scott Mohini Rye Nicole Wolkov Quin LaComb Sahej Claire

Graphic Artist Jake Sands

Photographers Adam Ketchum Kevin Huang Ethan Hockridge

Adviser

Patricia Fels

The Octagon is published eight times a year by high-school journalism students of Sacramento Country Day School, 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, Calif. 95864. Phone: (916) 481-8811, ext. 347.

For more information (including The Octagon’s mission statement and policies for editorials, bylines, corrections and letters to the editor), visit scdsoctagon.com.

Orchids

&

Onions

O

rchids to. . . the Parents’ Association for organizing the headmaster’s farewell party. The variety of foods was amazing, and the mariachi band was a nice touch. nions to. . . the Arts Boosters for not funding T-shirts for the band and orchestra at the Forum Festival.

It was hard to differentiate us from other schools.

O

O

nions to. . . so many leftover churros at that same farewell party; many boxes went uneaten. The churros were so delicious, it seemed a shame to waste them. rchids to. . . the decade-long friendship between Rulindo and Country Day, and to Father Onesphore for visiting our school.

We appreciate the time you’ve spent with us.

O

May 31, 2016

The Octagon

11

Remainder

Bathrooms: Religious, financial objections raised (Continued from page 4)

Administrative assistant Erica Wilson walks out of the gender-neutral faculty restroom in the front office. (Photo by Kevin Huang)

Santa Cruz in 1973 and having a coed bathroom in her coed dorm.

“The first floor was a boys’ bathroom, the second the girls’, and the third was coed,” Bauman said.

“If somebody really had a difficulty with it, they could go to another floor, but when you think about it, it was almost like using a bathroom in a family home and people were fine with it.”

The first regulation requiring separate facilities for men and women in the United States came in 1987, when women were more commonly joining the workforce, an article from Time Magazine Online stated.

Terry Kogan, a law professor who has done extensive research on segregated bathrooms, said in that article, “One might think that it makes perfect sense, that bathrooms are separated by sex because there are basic biological differences. That’s completely wrong.”

According to Kogan, gender-specific bathrooms were a result of men’s anxiety regarding women’s place in the hierarchy of the workforce and world.

Others are against the idea of any gender-neutral restroom solution.

Senior Diego Perochena said he feels this way for privacy, protection and religious reasons.

“I believe that if you were to have a bathroom for men and women, where would the privacy and security be?” Perochena said.

“For example, if there’s a man who is pretending to be a woman and he attacked the real woman that would be bad.

“I believe that God made us a certain way, and we were given different characteristics. If you go against that, it is not right, and therefore people should have to go into the restroom of the gender which they were born.”

Junior Christian Van Vleck said no adjustments should be made for financial practicality reasons.

“It would be different if we were a bigger school, but we don’t have any problems right now, and if we did, it would only be one or two people, so it is not worth the thousands of dollars and time to build a new bathroom,” Van Vleck said.

Christy Vail, head of lower school, said that although there aren’t any particular programs that deal with gender identity, there are gender-neutral, multi-stalled restrooms in the prekindergarten and kindergarten, along with some adult bathrooms that could be used on both floors of the lower-school building.

“I know we would work with the children and their parents to make sure each and every child in our school feels comfortable if necessary,” Vail said.

Sandy Lyon, head of middle school, said that no problems have arisen so far and declined to comment.

Wells, speaking on behalf of the high school, said, “Although it is well outside our realm of expertise, it is a fascinating question.

And bottom line, we have to figure out what to do to make every student comfortable.”

12Sports

The Octagon

May 31, 2016

Ankle injuries cripple players in four sports

Former athletic trainer recommends taping, wearing preventative braces

By Katia Dahmani

and field team to receive an injury. But again it was an ankle injury.

At her first meet during the high jump, Johnson tried to go nkle injuries send a million people in the United high without conditioning before the season.

Because of the curve during the run-up for the high jump and States to emergency rooms each year. And those injuries have affected every high-school spring sport ex- over-striding, Johnson pulled a ligament in her ankle.

She later went to a sports chiropractor, who told her to do cept for lacrosse and swimming.

Senior soccer players Emma Belliveau and Madison Judd and exercises to strengthen and heal her ankle injury.

“I didn’t wait enough time before going back to high jump, so freshman Michaela Chen were injured and either missed several I re-injured my foot about three times throughout the season,” games or the rest of the season.

In the March 17 practice game, Judd received the team’s first Johnson said.

According to Johnson, she was never able to compete at her ankle sprain.

During a scrimmage in practice before the Victory Christian full potential this year or improve in the high jump.

“Fortunately my injury didn’t affect my other track events game, someone stepped on her right ankle, causing it to twist (such as the 4x100-meter relay, long jump and inward, she said.

300-meter dash), so I was still able to compete in “Then I played with an already-weak ankle and sprained it “Someone who doesn’t have as other things,” Johnson said.

In tennis, freshman Chardonnay Needler sufwhile fighting for a ball on the bumpy much experience was required fered an ankle injury in the March 8 game against Country Day field,” Judd said. to come off the bench.”

Highlands High School.

As a result, Judd got an ankle brace —Emma Belliveau, senior “(Doubles partner sophomore) Zihao (Sui) and a couple days after the game, and she’s I were playing really well, and then when I hit the been wearing the brace ever since. ball, my ankle landed incorrectly,” Needler said.

“I’ve also had to do ankle exercises She wasn’t able to get up, so coach Jamie Nelson had to carry like writing out the alphabet in the air with my foot and jumping her to the bench. in shallow water to strengthen my ankle,” she said.

“I was told that my shoes weren’t right for tennis because they In the March 19 game against Western Sierra, Belliveau was didn’t have enough ankle support,” Needler said. the next to suffer an ankle injury.

When Needler saw a foot specialist, she learned that she had Belliveau was shadowing an opposing player, who suddenly turned to pass her, and Belliveau’s foot became stuck in the grass. sprained her ankle. She had to wear a boot on her right leg and “I was trying to move, but my foot was stuck in place,” Belli- crutches for two weeks.

“I lost my mobility,” Needler said. “I couldn’t walk, run or do veau explained. anything I wanted without major difficulty and pain.

Her knee turned inward, and she fell forcefully on her ankle.

“The crutches even hurt my back and underarms.”

“The combination of my being clumsy and not being able to In addition to a bruised and sprained right ankle, Needler said move caused me to get a third-degree sprain,” Belliveau said.

Consequently, Belliveau has been on crutches for more than a her left ankle became overused.

It took her two months to fully recover, but even now she can’t month, and she missed about eight games.

“It’s unfortunate that my injury took someone away from their run as well as she used to, she said.

Needler missed about three-quarters of the season. position in order to fill mine,” Belliveau said.

“It took much longer than I expected to heal from a minor “This meant someone who doesn’t have as much experience was required to come off the bench to be the new center de- accident,” Needler said.

“Tennis is a non-contact sport. The worst injury I was expectfense.” ing was to maybe get a bruise from getting hit by a tennis ball.”

Chen was the last to go down.

Even golfers aren’t immune from ankle injuries.

Near the end of the season, Chen rolled an ankle and learned Senior Ben Felix, who plays for the golf and boys’ varsity basethat her other ankle was swollen at the end of the game “It turned out that I strained a tendon in both of my ankles, ball teams, injured his ankle at a golf match at Rancho Solano about a month ago. but I kept playing,” Chen said.

As Felix was walking to a different hole, he misstepped and After a few more games, she went to a check-up with her doctor, who told Chen to rest for four weeks, ending Chen’s season. tripped, rolling his ankle.

“I thought I wasn’t going to be able to play (my next baseball “I was a midfielder, so (my absence) might have left a gap in our starting lineup, but (junior) Elizabeth (Brownridge) and other game), but I just had my ankle taped to limit its movement and midfielders were able to play in my place,” Chen said.

Freshman Heidi Johnson was the only member of the track See Injuries, page 15

Page Editor

A

Top: Senior Emma Belliveau remains on crutches since hurting her ankle in a soccer game over two months ago. Right: Freshman Chardonnay Needler is carted to her car after injuring her ankle in a tennis match. Bottom: Assistant girls’ soccer coach Gabriella Foster checks on sophomore Evann Rudek. Rudek hyperextended her knee in a game against Delta High School. (Photos by Adam Ketchum, Jacqueline Chao and Ethan Hockridge)

May 31, 2016

Sports

The Octagon

girls’ volleyball

FIRST

boys’ soccer

league championship

13

boys’ baseball second post-season win

fourth section title

boys’ ski

FIRST

division 2015 championship second consecutive league championship 2016 SPORTS ACHIEVEMENTS

boys’ basketball

From left: freshman Lia Kaufman, sophomore Nina Dym, and freshman Abby LaComb; sophomore Katia Dahmani. (Photos by Kevin Huang) Junior Adam Dean; freshman Nate Jakobs. (Photos by Ethan Hockridge)

coed tennis

second

girls’ basketball

advance to playoffs

FIRST

INDIVIDUAL SECTION CHAMPIONS

away playoff win

Johann Dias TENNIS

girls’ track & field FIRST section title in 26 years

school’s first individual male section champion

Amalie Fackenthal SWIMMING

school’s only three-time section champion & section record breaker

Sports Boosters’ Athletes of the Month Johann Dias Dias has shown consistent excellence in tennis and became Country Day’s first individual male section champion this year. He also won his fourth league title.

Amalie Fackenthal Fackenthal won her second and third section titles in the 50 and 100 freestyles, respectively. Her 100 freestyle time of 49.26 seconds is the fastest in the nation among 16-year-olds this school year.

Athletes of the Month are chosen by the athletic department on behalf of the Sports Boosters.

Heidi Johnson TRACK & FIELD Graphic by Marigot Fackenthal

14 Community

The Octagon

May 31, 2016

That’s all for now, folks!

Photos by Adam Ketchum

Editors reflect on ‘The Good Wife,’ sailing lessons, changing relationships Manson Tung

Zoë Bowlus

Madison Judd

Seven years. That’s how long my favorite television show I’ve always worn flowers in my hair.

It’s that time of year when old faces start to resurface at “The Good Wife” was on air.

I have a drawer full of different clips to match almost Country Day. When it first premiered, my mother would cover my face anything in my closet, which is full of dresses, skirts and flats.

Alumni on summer break journey back to their alma mawhenever the show became brazen in its adult content.

I’ve always done Octagon. ter to visit old friends.

I also vividly remember the withering looks I received Senior year, what I affectionately dubbed But this was only the beginCase in point, as I sit in the from my friends when I preached about the show’s virtues.

“Online Time” became my world. As online ediCave (The Octagon’s workroom) I would quickly discover that “The Good Wife” rated as tor-in-chief, I’ve spent many hours at all times of ning of the grit development. writing my final article for the “mommy television,” and was the sort of weird personal idio- the day (and night!) writing, editing and posting —Zoë Bowlus newspaper, in walk former Ocsyncrasy better left unsaid in the judgement-fueled and often stories, struggling with basic coding and Phototagoners Grant Miner and Aishcannibalistic world of middle school. shop, and leading an enthusiastic group of young warya Nadgauda, both ’15.

At its core is the story of a spurned political wife forced reporters.

Now I can confidently say that I am friends with the to relaunch a legal career after her philandering husband is I’ve always sailed. Some people know this, but it’s a side pair of them. We have shared countless inside jokes during sent to the slammer. of me I’ve kept rather hidden. the many late nights spent at paste-up, and if I saw them in It’s a coming of age for Alicia Florrick - and me.

Vito Dumas, an Argentinian who sailed around the world public, I would definitely strike up a conversation.

In its first season, Alicia was naive, letting the rest of the by himself in the 1940s, said, “It’s out there at sea that you However, as we catch up, the exchanges start to lag after world affect her. The same phase applied to me in equal mea- are really yourself.” a few minutes. sure.

On the water, I’ve gained what I like to call “grit.”

I absentmindedly resort to asking the questions every In its third season, the show became my family’s favorite It all started at St. George Sailing, a small camp in Ten- college kid gets bombarded with: “How’s your food plan?” pastime. It was one of few activities we could do together, as ants Harbor, Maine, and it didn’t start well.

“How’re your roommates?” “Obviously the ‘freshman 15’ my father’s brain tumor had grown so large he was bed bound.

My parents like to tell this story. (I’ve historically avoid- didn’t affect you. How?!”

In its fifth season, the show blew itself up, in lockstep ed it.)

Our conversation feels familiar and fun, yet as we chat, I with my personal life. Several months after, I lost my father A little concerned about 9-year-old me braving the At- can’t help but feel...off. to brain cancer, Alicia lost her mentor lantic Ocean in a boat, my parents waited Don’t get me wrong, I adore both of them, so I can’t put Will Gardner to a gunshot, and the I, too, progressed, growing in around after dropping me off. my finger on what’s making this interaction different from show became my sounding board.

Soon they were greeted by shrieks. past ones. age, maturity and cynicism.

Meanwhile, over the years, the “I. Can’t. Do It!” After a few moments of deliberation, it finally hits me: —Manson Tung titular character climbed the ranks I wasn’t even in a boat yet. It was the once a student graduates, their role at Country Day is never from junior to senior associate, then swim test. the same. onwards to equity and partner. I, too, Now, I knew how to swim. That had This may seem painfully obvious, but it never occurred progressed, growing in age, maturity and cynicism. never been a problem for me before. to me that my high-school relationships would change so radMany times this past year, Octagon adviser Patricia Fels However, for some reason (maybe it was the chilly wa- ically after I left for college. has remarked that of the three editors-in-chief, I’m the fastest ter, the new surroundings and the scary, tall teenaged boys As a student, school consumes your life. You eat, work, to doubt someone’s plan or see an ulterior motive. in charge), I shut down, and an instructor had to hop in the stress, cry, laugh and occasionally even sleep there. School es“You’re the cynical one,” she said. frigid water to help me out. sentially becomes your second home.

And the show played a big part in making me that way.

Luckily, my less-than-satisfactory swim-test completion Country Day has been my second home for the past 13 From the beginning it was about balance: work and family, self wasn’t held against me, and I was allowed to stay. years. It’s part of the fabric of who I am. and others, power and truth.

But this was only the beginning of the grit development.

It has also witnessed the many awkward, yet enterOver the past four years, I’ve learned that balance is unI once overzealously pulled my sail in so tight that I lost taining, phases of Maddy Judd, including the middle-school tenable, no question simple, no answer succinct. The truth control of my small nine-foot dinghy and capsized. phase: blue pants, plaid shirt, purple UGGs, a thick block of See Farewell, page 15

See Farewell, page 15

See Farewell, page 15

The Illustrated Interview with Octagon cartoonist Jake Sands

What’s your favorite movie?

Which superpower do you want?

What high-school food will you miss?

What do you wish you’d drawn for Octagon?

“Interstellar.”

Airbending’s the most practical.

The BBQ’s Ms. J and Mr. Wells gave.

A doodle of birds.

May 31, 2016

15

Remainder

The Octagon

Farewell: Seniors end their 12 years on staff (Continued from page 14) Manson Tung resists characterization and easy packaging.

On the show once Alicia came to that realization, the narrative began to wobble. Fellow fans agree with me that the last two seasons were weak.

The last few years have left me bewildered as well.

What is the point? What do I want to do? Who do I want to be?

But these years have also made me resilient.

It’s fitting that after seven symbiotic years, as I let go of this chapter in my life, I’m also letting go of “The Good Wife.”

Just like Alicia, I’ll walk into the future more cynical, sensible, pragmatic and (possibly) in tears.

But I sure as hell won’t break.

Injuries: Myers says conditioning could help athletes (Continued from page 12) let me play,” Felix said.

Felix said he didn’t miss any games due to his injury.

According to former athletic trainer Michelle Myers, many of these injuries could have been prevented to a certain degree if the athletes had done more conditioning.

(Continued from page 14) Zoë Bowlus Or how about the time I T-boned a dock at full speed, reddening my face and eliciting choice words from onlookers? (“Swearing like a sailor” isn’t an expression for nothing, you know.)

I was once a timid and hesitant sailor, afraid of waves and more interested in telling the instructors stories and studying the tides.

However, I’ve grown into a more tenacious seafarer as I’ve come to relish the thrilling moments: sailing in high winds and open ocean and cruising by bobbing seals.

I received my final paper-plate award in six years and became a junior instructor the next.

The grit accumulation has only continued.

I’ve learned to drive (and doggedly tried to dock) a motorboat. I’ve trudged through mussel shells and mud to rescue sailors who’d run aground at low tide.

This summer, I will be a senior instructor in my ninth year, and I will take my sailing skills and the confidence, strength, determination and grit I’ve gained from navigating the ocean

to UC Santa Barbara.

Now, to find matching flowers for my athletic shorts and T-shirts…

(Continued from page 14) Madison Judd bangs, and braces. Yikes!

So, my exchange with Grant and Aishwarya forced me to reflect on what I would eventually miss, including the many lunch periods spent howling with laughter in Ms. B’s room, sprinting to Peet’s Coffee for a lastminute caffeine fix, and the hours over the phone cramming for tests on a three-way line.

The more I deliberated, the more I also realized that neither Grant nor Aishwarya seemed bothered by the change in our dynamic. In fact, they were as confident as ever.

So when I create a new home at UC Santa Barbara, I won’t be breaking up with Country Day, I’ll really just be fine-tuning my relationships. Those that are important and meaningful will stay so, and the others will fade.

I can’t wait for my next chapter, which will hopefully be more successful than my middle school phase.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll bring the bangs back.

“Conditioning can help big time (in preventing sports injuries),” Myers said.

“Athletes get fatigued and tired, so if they don’t get enough rest between practices or games, they’re more prone to get injuries.”

She said that junior colleges, colleges and almost all big high schools have athletic trainers.

These trainers meet with the coaches and athletes pre-season, during the season, and postseason to help prevent injuries by treating athletes and giving them programs.

Less expensive options, she said, include getting taped and wearing preventative braces.

Thank you to our sponsors for keeping us in the black The Barajas Family The Bowlus Family The Christian Family The Claire Family The Dahmani Family The Fackenthal Family The Fineberg-Chiu Family The Hansen Family The Judd Family The LaComb Family The Longoria Family The Mathisen Family The Naify Family The Needler Family The Scott Family The Tung Family The Wolkov Family The Zhang Family

Girls’ soccer teammates watch assistant coach Gabriella Foster help sophomore Evann Rudek up from an injury during the May 12 home game against Delta. (Photo by Ethan Hockridge)

16Feature

May 31, 2016

The Octagon

School Smorgasbord Has an annual watermelon drop

Hosts the largest mud volleyball tournament

Tortilla toss at every soccer game

Library at site of first Gold Rush nugget found

Dr. Seuss was a member of the class of 1925

USD

UCONN

UCSB

UC BERKELEY

DARTMOUTH

Has a road thought to be haunted

Ranked third in “hottest girls” by niche.org

Has a live mascot: a horse named Chase

Course called “Chado: The Way of Tea Practicum”

Orville Redenbacher was in the class of 1928

UCSC

SANTA CLARA

CAL POLY

U OF HAWAII

PURDUE

Park bench scene in “Forest Gump” filmed here

Students call squirrels “jobless English majors”

Rains 154 days of the year

Tree mascot costume is remade every year

Bates’s dining is ranked eighth in the country

SCAD

VASSAR

U OF PORTLAND

STANFORD

BATES

Has a total of 3,500 trees on campus

Michelle Obama gave her first grad speech here

Football team is the first to try every Nike product

Mardi Gras beads hang from most trees

Students build a giant dragon that is lit on fire

SAC STATE

UC MERCED

U OF OREGON

TULANE

CORNELL

Sprinklers respond automatically to local weather

Has a total enrollment of only 378 students

The creator of Spongebob went here

Dorms have memory foam mattresses

One-tenth as old as Octagon adviser Patricia Fels

LMU

THOMAS AQUINAS

CSU HUMBOLDT

WASH U

NYU ABU DHABI

Front row: Zoe Dym (University of Hawaii, Manoa), Adam Ketchum (University of Portland), Elinor Hilton (Savannah College of Art and Design), Aidan Galati (UC Santa Barbara), Sydney Michel (University of Oregon), Emma Brown (UC Berkeley), Madison Judd (UC Santa Barbara), Jenny Kerbs (Vassar College).

Middle row: America Lopez (UC Merced), Vanessa Previsic (CSU Humboldt), Amelia Fineberg (UC Berkeley), Colby Conner (Dartmouth College), Zoë Bowlus (UC Santa Barbara), Grace Strumpfer (University of San Diego), Manson Tung (NYU Abu Dhabi), Emma Belliveau (University of Connecticut), Serajh Esmail (UC Berkeley), Jag Lally (Bates College), Julia Owaidat (Loyola Marymount University), Elie Kuppermann (Stanford University).

Back row: Diego Perochena (Thomas Aquinas College), Dakota Cosgrove (UC Santa Cruz), Saachi Sikaria (Santa Clara University), Keaton Ochoa (Cornell University), Anthony Swaminathan (UC Berkeley), Ben Felix (Purdue University), Jacob Durante (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), Bradford Petchauer (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), Jacob Sands (UC Santa Cruz), Akilan Murugesan (Tulane University), Max Schmitz (Washington University in St. Louis).

Not pictured: Nathan Chan (UC Santa Barbara), David Liu (Sacramento State University), Johann Dias (Santa Clara University).

Graphics by the Octagon staff; photo used by permission of Julie Nelson