THE
OCTAGON
Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sacramento, CA Permit No. 1668
VOL. 41 NO.1 • Sacramento Country Day School • 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento • September 19, 2017
PICASSO PAINTED OVER BY JACK CHRISTIAN
L
ines of blue Scotch tape that read “ART?” and “MURAL?” were pasted on the blank, beige gym walls on Sept. 6. It was a message - a message from the AP Studio Art class to the school that new murals should replace those that had been painted over. “It was a peaceful protest to get people to think about a new mural,” AP art student Michaela Chen said. However, within minutes the tape was taken down in preparation for Back-to-School night, according to head of school Lee Thomsen. But Thomsen said that he wasn’t angry about the protest. “I love that our students care about things and would do something that is
ADIÓS, PABLO Chris Dale, ’92, led the creation of this mural, entitled “Homage to Picasso,” on the wall next to the weight room. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF LEE THOMSEN
non-destructive,” he said. “It tells me a lot about our kids about how much they understand and respect the value of our campus and want to make a statement.” But what caused the protest in the first place? On the night of Aug. 26 and the morning of Aug. 27, three student-created murals on the gym’s outdoor walls were painted over by the custodial staff at the direction of Thomsen. Thomsen said in an Octagon article (“Community has mixed reactions to school’s painting over 21-year-old mural,” Aug. 28) that the murals were painted over because they were weatherworn and “did not show the school
MURALS pages 6-7 >>
Conference period extends day Thirty-two percent of high school students say they’ve used the extra 15 minutes to get help from teachers BY HÉLOÏSE SCHEP Say goodbye to using your precious free period, elective, break, or lunch to meet with teachers - starting this year, you can meet with them after school during the new conference period. From 3:25-3:40 p.m., students can meet with their teachers if they have questions or concerns regarding that teacher’s class, according to head of high school Brooke Wells. Though the conference period is voluntary, the faculty encourage students to stay. Parents were first notified about the new conference period in a July 2017 letter from Wells. Wells said dean of student life Patricia Jacobsen, head of school Lee
GHOST WOMAN Alexis Grinbold was set to be the new middle and high school art teacher. But she never showed up for the job. The school then had to go to plan B for 2017-18. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF BROOKE WELLS
Thomsen and he created the conferHowever, so far only 32 percent of ence period this summer for three students said they have used the conreasons. ference period to meet with teachers, First, Country Day wanted to give according to a Sept. 12 Octagon poll students another opof 124 students. Sixportunity to meet with ty-eight percent said teachers. Sometimes they have not used the “Sometimes it’s hard conference period yet. it’s hard for for students to meet Junior Abby La(with their teachers),” students to meet Comb said that, in Wells said. “Lunches (with their teachtheory, the conference can be really busy, and period is a good idea. many students have ers).” However, LaComb —Brooke Wells said “it might be betelectives.” Second, according ter if students set up to Wells, the period conference times after was added to function as “anoth- school so teachers don’t have to stay er layer of support,” since full-time until 4 p.m. if nobody is coming.” teachers are at school for a longer time if students need them.
CONFERENCE page 4 >>
CAN I HELP YOU? Spanish teacher Patricia Portillo meets with senior Ulises Barajas during the end-of-the-day conference period to discuss his questions about AP Spanish Literature and Composition. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO
What ever happened to the art teacher? BY SAHEJ CLAIRE When prospective art teacher Alexis Grinbold was referred to Country Day for the open position last spring by Carney Sandoe & Associates, a faculty recruitment company, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. “She came for an interview and her references checked out,” head of high school Brooke Wells said. Everything was going well - until Grinbold stopped responding to communications from Wells and head of middle school Sandy Lyon.
Lyon said she emailed Grinbold sometime in May to ask if she’d like a copy of the book that the school’s faculty and staff were reading together over the summer. “She never replied,” Lyon said. “Ever.” Wells said the last communication he received from Grinbold was in June, before the AP Art History institute she had been signed up by the school to attend. The institute was through AP by the Sea, Wells said, an organization in San Diego that teaches summer courses to teachers new to dealing with an AP curriculum or looking for a refresher after curricular changes.
Grinbold had been registered for the June 20-23 session for AP Art History. The summer institute costs $775, and the school paid for her to attend. After Grinbold failed to respond to multiple communications, Wells called AP by the Sea. “When she didn’t show up to the AP institute, that was the red flag,” Wells said. “I thought maybe she had lost her phone, and then she didn’t show up.” According to Wells, Carney Sandoe & Associates had placed Grinbold in two other schools prior to Country Day among the thousands of teachers they place every year into independent schools. The job search began quite normally.
MIA page 4 >>