Octagon 2017-18 Issue 5

THE

OCTAGON

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

VOL. 41 NO. 5 • Sacramento Country Day School • 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento • April 10, 2018

Mural portrays women of color, changing times

I

STREET ARTISTS Senior Lea Gorny and Emil Erickson, ’17, stand in the heat as junior Grace Naify paints a woman of color’s blouse. PHOTO BY MICHAELA CHEN

I could trace it at night.

“We then had to gather all the paints and other supplies.”

According to Gorny, the maintenance department paid for all the paint, and the rest of the supplies were paid for with the $2,000 left in the art department budget.

The first step was tracing the design on the wall.

“It was really difficult because it was at th e d esi gn night, and the ladder was really unstable,” Gorny said.

The n e x t day three AP art students began the painting process.

“We started by busting out all the base colors,” Gorny said. “( Junior) Grace (Naify) and (senior) Riya (Rampalli) came to help with those base colors.”

The first day the students worked from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The next two days they worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Other students that worked on the mural were juniors Sophie Naylor, Mohini Rye, Bella Mathisen and Michaela Chen.

Naylor said she learned a lot from the process.

“When you’re painting on a big scale, you have to learn to be bold and just put colors out there,” Naylor said.

“You have to freehand mostly, which is a great experience.”

Chen added that she learned how to use spray paint, a technique she had never done before.

Cunningham said there is great value in painting on such a large scale.

“It’s huge when you think about it,” he said. “It’s a whole different space and medium that you’re working in. You don’t get

er

cluded an excerpt from a critical review article about the representation of women in art. t’s 8 p.m. on March 28. Most Gorny decided on the gym Country Day students are wall behind the P.E. office as the either touring colleges back optimal location for her mural. east or visiting Aunt Sarah “We were told the other loin Hawaii. But one remains at cation, where the old mural was, school. Behind the physical edwas too upfront,” Gorny said. ucation office stands senior Lea “So this was the next best opGorny, tirelessly tracing her new tion. The wall is in a more cen280-square-foot mural under tral location and can be the stars. seen from both ny , On March 21 the Board G or the middle a of Trustees approved Gorny’s school Le mural proposal, which she had q u a d spent weeks designing, discussand the ing and planning. h i g h “It began in December with school a meeting about possible locascience tions,” Gorny said. building.

“After that, I came back to “ I t (head of school Lee) Thomsen seemed with a design and proposal on perfect as why the school should allow me it was also to paint the mural.” spacious and Gorny said that her goal was quite flat.” to come up with a design that After submitting was cohesive with the Country the proposal and a phoDay community. toshopped picture of the mural “I went through a lot of trial on that wall to the administraand error,” Gorny said. “I knew tion on March 2, Gorny waited I wanted to represent women of weeks for a response. color, so I started there.”

“It takes a while to get evThe final design contained erything organized,” AP Studio the faces of two women of colArt teacher Andy Cunningham or on a background filled with said. “You got to come up with moons and gala design, argue axies. with people and “The moons When photoshop berepresent changfore you even get you’re ing times,” Gorny to the point of painting on a big said. painting.”

“And the two scale, you have to Thomsen said faces represent learn to be bold. ” that Gorny hanthat it is time for —Sophie Naylor dled the whole women of color process extremely to be a part of art well. and the world.”

“I took her The bottom left face is a depiction of Gorny’s friend and proposal to the administrative former SCDS student Nicole team meeting and got their Moxon, who is a senior at Lake thoughts and ideas about the Travis High School in Lake proposal,” Thomsen said. “EvTravis, Texas. The second face is eryone was super supportive.”

Gorny had only about a week from a photograph in photograbefore she started painting. pher Curt Sanders’s portfolio.

“It was crazy,” Gorny said.

In her proposal to the school, “We had to quickly get a Gorny explained the significance of having two women of large, high-quality projector to color in her mural. She also in- project my design on the wall so

BY JACK CHRISTIAN

MURAL page 4 >>

Auction at Kimpton Sawyer Hotel adds after-party Kimpton, and it’s downtown and some place new, we just felt like, well, we (have) the best school, the best Since “Celebrate the Best!” is this teachers, the best students - maybe year’s auction theme, attendees better we should just do a ‘Best of ’ theme.” bring their A-game.

Unlike other years, after the event The 41st annual auction will be is over, the night doesn’t held on Saturday, stop. Because of the spaApril 21, from cious venue, the auction is Our theme 6-10 p.m. at the hosting an after-party.

Kimpton Sawyer is kind of “There’s a very nice bar Hotel (500 J St.).

‘Best of’ - the best of area that surrounds the Auction copool deck overlooking chair Amie Ste- Sacramento.”

Commons,” venson said that —Amie Stevenson Downtown Stevenson said. the theme was a “For people who want to collaborative decistay later, it’s a continuation sion made by the auction committee. of the event to keep things going.”

“Our theme is kind of ‘Best of ’ And because the auction is at a the best of Sacramento,” she said. hotel, attendees have the option to “Because the auction is at the

BY MOHINI RYE

stay even later than the after-party by spending the night. “(The Kimpton) gave us a discount on a block of rooms, so people who want to spend the night get more than just a few-hour event,” Stevenson said.

According to Stevenson, this year’s theme may be simple, but it’s produced some interesting and “fun” baskets centered around anything from countries to theme parks.

“We have a person that’s doing a Greek basket this year,” Stevenson said.

“She’s actually from Greece.”

And a person from the Netherlands is putting together a Dutch

AUCTION page 4 >>

CHEERS Middle school parents toast at last year’s annual auction. The theme was “Hometown Journeys.” PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

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News • April 10, 2018

The Octagon

Parkland shooting raises safety concerns Students say SCDS needs hiding space, fencing, bulletproof glass

bulletproof glass to see whether it would be a practical step for the school.

Bulletproofing can run from $25 to $100 per ince 2013 there have been over 300 square foot depending on the dimensions and school shootings, averaging one per type of glass, according to Installations, Inc. week, according to Everytown Research.

And Jakobs doesn’t think bulletproof glass (A school shooting is defined by Ev- should be limited to just the library. erytown Research as any time a firearm is dis“The large windows in each classroom look charged on or onto a school ground or campus nice, and I don’t want them to be changed; it or inside a school or its buildings.) would just make the school safer to change (the These shootings resulted in 59 deaths and windows) to bulletproof or reinforced glass,” Ja114 injuries. Of the 160 school shootings docu- kobs said. mented from 2013-2015, 84 occurred at a K-12 But head of school Lee Thomsen said that he school. doesn’t think bulletproofing winSo like many schools, Coundows would ensure school safety.

Nothing try Day is dealing with a basic “You can take steps to improve question: how safe is the camone does security and people’s response to pus? an emergency,” Thomsen said. “But Because of its large win- can guarantee that nothing one does can guarantee dows and glass doors in seven you can prevent that you can prevent something of 12 high school classrooms something from from happening.” and nothing fencing off the Even extreme preventative steps happening. ” entrance to the high school, - such as a single entrance with —Lee Thomsen many students said they have visitors getting buzzed in at staff concerns about safety. discretion, as at Sandy Hook EleIn a March 20 Octagon poll mentary School - don’t guarantee of 117 students, 76 said that they think the high complete security, Thomsen said. school campus is unsafe.

But one school in Indiana prides itself on its The large glass features are one dangerous ascomplete security. pect, 76 students said.

Southwestern Jr./Sr. School in Shelbyville In fact, talk of the unsafe features of the camhas been dubbed “the safest school in America.” pus has been brought up on many occasions in The school implemented the unique security the aftermath of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjoprogram in 2015, at a cost of $400,000, accordry Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, ing to a USA Today article (“How an Indiana Florida. (It has now become one of the world’s deadliest massacres, resulting in 17 people killed school protects against mass shootings as the ‘safest school in America,’” Feb. 22). and 17 wounded.)

The Indiana Sheriff ’s Association chose the On March 5 (the day it was announced the Southwestern school district to be the first to school would have a lockdown drill the next day) in the Matthews library (which has win- have the security program installed, the article dows extending to the ceiling at the building’s said.

The program allows for local law enforceentrance and exit), a group of juniors and seniors discussed what action they would take in ment to monitor the school and track a threat case of a school shooting, junior Nate Jakobs in real time.

Features include emergency fobs that teachsaid.

Jakobs said that he thinks the gym or back- ers can press to alert local police of an active field or upstairs section of the lower school are shooter, and areas called “hot zones” in hallways where law enforcement dispatchers monitoring the safest places on campus.

“Ideally I would be on the back field so that I the school can emit smoke to impair the vision of the attacker. could get off campus,” Jakobs said.

Paula Meurer, superintendent of SouthwestThe group also agreed that the high school library would need some changes to make it safer, ern Consolidated Schools, declined to be interviewed about the program. leading them to suggest bulletproof glass.

Although Country Day lacks the means to “It would be a big project,” Jakobs said. “But bulletproof glass would be the best way to make install a security program like Southwestern’s, the school is still taking steps to improve cama difference.”

He said they proceeded to look up the cost of pus safety.

BY KATIA DAHMANI

S

FRAGILE GLASS The Matthews Library has about 387 square feet of large glass features. Some students, like junior Nate Jakobs, said bulletproofing the library would improve school safety. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

To begin, with the school is bringing in an outside company, Knowledge Saves Lives, to have its safety and lockdown procedures assessed in August.

Knowledge Saves Lives is made up of 21 emergency response professionals, who range from retired police officers to current correctional officers.

Over half of those professionals have survived shootings and many are parents to school-age children, which led them to form the company in hopes of preparing schools for violent events, chief executive officer Paul Llanez said.

The majority (about 75 percent) of the company’s clientele are schools, and they have contracts with over 150 school districts, according to Llanez.

The company uses “repetitive muscle memory training as well as employee- and site-specific information” to provide organizations with safety answers and training for emergency training, according to their website.

In order to use muscle memory training for

NO TO GUN VIOLENCE History teacher Chris Kuipers plays a round of Diplomacy with his AP European History class while wearing an official Everytown for Gun Safety “Wear Orange” T-shirt on March 14. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

emergency situations, the team of usually two to four professionals from Knowledge Saves Lives will gather an organization’s staff together on a training day and put them through a lockdown drill over and over, Llanez said.

“Muscle memory is something that we do every single day, but people just don’t realize it,” he said. “You leave your house and lock your house or you lock your car when you park without even thinking about it.

“And that’s what we want the staff to do; we want them to develop this muscle memory so that when a lockdown is called, they don’t even think about it because they know the steps: lock the door, turn off the lights, get the students into a protected area. It becomes something that’s just ingrained into (their memories).”

However, the muscle memory developed for lockdown procedure isn’t usually to defend the school against a threat inside, Llanez said.

Often schools have a lockdown because law enforcement is dealing with a threat outside of the school, and the school wants to keep it outside, according to Llanez.

And just that happened on March 7 when SCDS had a lockdown after school in response to an armed robber in the neighborhood.

But this lockdown didn’t scare junior Brandy Riziki, who said she believes no part of the school’s campus is unsafe.

“Just in general when I come to school I feel safe,” Riziki said. “And because (the campus) is so open, helicopters can look down and see if there is someone.”

Senior Ulises Barajas also said that he thinks the whole school is safe.

“Not many people know about this school, so I just don’t think anything bad could ever happen here,” he said.

Riziki also said that although the buildings look isolated, they actually aren’t because students can easily see what’s going on and all “places are connected somehow.”

In the March 20 poll, 55 students said the middle school campus is unsafe, and only 29 said the lower school campus is unsafe.

But unlike most students, sophomore Max Kemnitz said he thinks every part of the campus is unsafe because of the lack of fencing around the entrance. (Only 29 students said that every part of the school’s campus is unsafe.)

The only fencing blocking off any entrance to the school starts between Geeting Hall and the middle school science buildings and ends at the lower school building. The height of the fence is

CONCERNS page 3 >>

The Octagon

April 10, 2018 • News

3

Concerns: Safety specialist from Knowledge Saves Lives advocates fences to limit access (continued from page 2)

its windows first, it would allow for an armed person to have access to the site but not inside individual buildings, Llanez said. “(That) would be great if the kids never left the buildings, but they do,” he said.

Students have classes in different buildings and frequently visit their lockers, meaning they have to walk

Jakobs, who is in that class, had to stand on top of a desk in a corner to 4 feet, 8 inches. get out of view of the window.

Kemnitz, who is part of the high And three students were unable to school jazz band, and thus has zero find a hiding place, according to Japeriod class three times a week, said kobs. that the fences don’t make the camThe scramble to find a hiding place pus secure. could be avoided with areas in class“In the morning, I can easily stick rooms already marked as a designated my hand in the fence and get in,” hiding space, as at Southwestern.

Kemnitz said.

A solid red line runs down “And in the high Southwestern classrooms’ school, anyone can floors, marking the safe space In the morning, I can easily stick my hand just walk in.” for students to sit behind in in the fence and get in. And in the high Thomsen acorder to avoid being seen by knowledged that school, anyone can just walk in.” an intruder looking through a this fence doesn’t —Max Kemnitz door window. deter strangers The Parkland shooting has from coming on made many schools reevalcampus. uate their security; in fact, “Anyone that wanted to get over outside all throughout the day.

Knowledge Saves Lives has received the fences could,” he said. “(But) since Beyond the lack of a fence, 51 stu- so many more clients after Parkland it’s a small community, for the most dents said they are fearful of the high that an ABC News outlet did a story part everyone knows each other and school’s limited hiding space. on their increased clientele (“Spike easily recognizes a stranger.

During the March 6 lockdown in business for local shooter training “We’re the kind of folk where if drill, the AP Computer Science A team after mass shooting in Florida,” you see a stranger on campus, the first class was in Room 3 (with dimen- Feb. 16). response is to ask ‘Can we help you?’” sions of 22 feet,11 inches by 19 feet, Aside from bringing in Knowledge Nevertheless, talks about having 4 inches), where there is very little Saves Lives, the school will be having an actual gate and tall fence around space to hide, as the glass door and lockdown drills more often, accordcampus are intensifying, Thomsen window overlooking the high school ing to Thomsen. said. quad leave much of the classroom ex“Whenever something happens in In fact, a gate and fence that con- posed. the country, we as a school of course tinues beyond the administration will think of how we want to building all around campus has been react,” Thomsen said. in the master plan for about 15 years, “(Having lockThomsen said. down drills more It’s now being discussed as a pooften) has been tential project, but funding is an issue, influenced by he said. what’s hapAnd like Thomsen, Llanez said he pening.” would prioritize a fence over bulletproof windows, because it would limof teachers say they’re it access.

“If you look at any house, one of unwilling to have a the most important things is does it gun to use in defense have a fence around it?” Llanez said.

“Can it prevent the public from getagainst an armed threat In a March ting in?” at school 13 Octagon If Country Day were to bulletproof

70%

26%

of teachers say they’re comfortable with other faculty members having firearms at school

poll, 23 lower, middle and high school teachers were asked how the school should increase security on campus.

22%

of teachers say the school should hire a full-time armed security guard

GO, BULLDOGS! A student walks through one of Folsom High School’s quads after school. Folsom’s non-gated, 65-acre campus is home to thousands of students, although the openness of the campus makes it too large a space to gate and monitor. Along with its size, Folsom High School has many entry points. PHOTO BY KESHAV ANAND

Open Folsom High campus means students must scatter in active shooter situation

BY KATIA DAHMANI Folsom High School’s more than 2,000 students enjoy a 65-acre campus - but it’s not gated.

FHS principal Howard Cadenhead said that the many entry points and large campus make a gate unlikely to stop threats.

“Our campus is pretty unusual,” Cadenhead said. “There’s an entry point on Prairie City Road, two entry points on Iron Point (Road) and an entry point on the back of the campus from a reservoir that’s city property.”

The 65 acres, which Cadenhead said is double the usual size of other schools, makes it too large a space to gate and monitor.

And the many entry points make accessibility to the public very easy, Cadenhead said.

“It’s really hard for us to stop people from entering our campus,” he said.

But the openness also makes it easier for students to scatter and get off campus, according to Cadenhead, which is why FHS has tailored many of its emergency scenarios toward students emptying classrooms and scattering in all directions.

“If something were to happen or start to happen, our kids would go in a million directions,” Cadenhead said.

The one exception to this, as at many other schools, is the lunchroom, since it’s one of the few “bottleneck of students” places on campus, he said.

Therefore the cafeteria has become the most worrisome section of the campus, according to Cadenhead.

“It’s a space where there’s 500 kids sitting or in line getting lunch, making it so hard to manage in terms of safety,” he said. “But luckily we have a lot of doors that exit that space, and we concentrate our adult presence inside the space during lunches.”

Unlike Country Day, FHS has an outside security presence.

A Student Resource Officer from the Folsom Police Department patrols the campus and stations an office.

Although this officer has other schools that he’s responsible for, he is still on FHS campus often, Cadenhead said.

And the Folsom Police Department is also there for FHS’s lockdown drills, which occur four times a year.

“We’ll have four to five officers help us sweep campus and be responsible for buildings and all the protocols (shutting windows, locking the doors, turning the lights off, and maintaining silence),” Cadenhead said.

But despite all the police assistance, Cadenhead said it’s still hard to practice for the types of situations where an active shooter would open fire during lunch or passing period.

“In that case our students should scatter and run to safety, including running off campus,” he said. “But we really can’t practice situations where students run away off campus!”

4

News • April 10, 2018

The Octagon

SHE CAN DO IT Senior Lea Gorny, wearing a protective face mask, checks the dryness of the mural before continuing to spray paint. The mural is located on the back wall of the gym next to the physical education office. PHOTO BY MICHAELA CHEN

Mural: Faculty, students want more visible art throughout campus (continued from page 1)

to see what you’re working on until you take a step back.”

He added that the students had to learn to overcome their fear of not always being perfect.

“The students learned how to work quickly and not have as much fear about failing, as I told them they could always paint over it,” Cunningham said.

“They had to break that mechanism of first time, best time.”

However, the students were not alone in this process. Sacramento muralist Franceska Gamez came back to advise the students during the first two days of painting.

On Jan. 12, Gamez had come to the AP Studio Art class to help the students scout potential mural locations.

“Gamez helped us figure out where to start,” Gorny said. “After that, she taught us how to use spray paint and helped us to not focus on the details and look at the big picture.”

After three days of hard work, the 280-square-foot mural was complete.

“Relief washed over my body when we were finally done,” Gorny said.

“There are definitely things I think we need to fix, but I don’t think anybody will notice.”

The last step was for students to varnish the mural to protect it and to sign their names at the bottom.

When students and teachers arrived at school on Monday, April 2,

they were full of compliments about the mural.

“I love all the colors and the way all the colors fit with each other,” junior Brandy Riziki said.

“It’s a good way of showing the school is accepting of all kinds of people.”

Dean of student life Patricia Jacobsen said she was speechless.

“There’s this idea in Japanese culture about the lotus flower. It grows out of the mud and murky waters, representing that beautiful things can come from unfortunate beginnings.

ace Gr

Naify, arti

st

“It’s really sad (the administration) painted over the old murals, but because of that, we got a beautiful new one.”

Chen said she liked the mural’s message.

“As a woman of color, I was inspired by the message,” she said.

“It shows that women of color are

powerful and beautiful.”

Thomsen added that the mural reflects the values of the community.

“What I loved about it was Lea took into account the kind of messages we are trying to convey here at Country Day,” Thomsen said.

“The mural really reflects who we are as a community and who we aspire to be.”

Head of high school Brooke Wells agreed.

“There’s this theory called ‘windows and mirrors,’ where a school should provide through books, art and other mediums ways for students to reflect and look into the lives of other people,” he said.

“This mural does exactly that. It celebrates women of color, and we have plenty of them here at Country Day.” English teacher Jason Hinojosa was also impressed.

“I really enjoyed it on an artistic level, a contextual level and an institutional level,” he said “I felt like the two women of color spoke to the theme of my AP English course, which is ‘marginalized individuals and groups.’”

Because of this, Hinojosa took two of his senior English courses to see the mural and reflect on it.

“What I also loved about it was that the mural shows that our school is supportive of students’ ideas and art,” he said.

Cunningham, however, believes the power of the mural may eventu-

Auction: Co-chairs looking for volunteers (continued from page 1) basket. “(There’s) somebody doing a Disney basket too - I’m not sure what it will have in it, but it could have tickets and paraphernalia,” Stevenson said.

The baskets are fewer in number compared to previous years but higher in value, according to Stevenson.

Director of advancement Carolyn Woolf said that the total number of baskets is estimated to be between 10 and 14.

The baskets, which are part of the live auction, will be accompanied by other similarly extravagant items.

This year the star of the show is the lineup of concert tickets.

“We have tickets to Harry Styles, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Taylor Swift - for the country lovers - and Elton John,” Stevenson said.

For those who aren’t into the music scene, other options include two nights in a historic Tahoe lakefront home and a private dinner at Zocalo

with a limo escort. the auction, and proceeds will go to On the night of the auction, par- the Country Day Scholars Program, ents will first be directed to the Mag- which provides four-year scholarnolia Ballroom, where the evening ships to incoming ninth-grade stuwill start with a champagne toast. It’s dents from diverse backgrounds who also where the sit-down dinner pro- require financial aid. vided by the Kimpton will take place.

The Golden Ticket will also make The meal will start with a salad, an appearance. Up to 150 tickets are and the main course is a chicken en- sold for $100 each, and the winner tree (plus a vegetarian option). There of the draw at the beginning of the will also be appetizer tartlets. live auction will get to choose any one After dinner, the item. outside deck of the Regular auction ballroom will be open Regular auc- tickets are $150 and for cocktails, and the can be bought in the tion tickets auction will take school’s main office or place in the mezza- are $150 and can be online at scdsauction. nine area upstairs. bought in the school’s org.

Although there’s Stevenson said that main office or online no dress code, to go she and fellow co-chair along with the ritzy at scdsauction.org.”

Emily Stephenson venue, Stevenson are always looking for said attendees should volunteers, especially aim for “cocktail casual” or dressier. those who can help with setup and As in past years, Fund-a-Need, a cleanup. practice where parents have a bidInformation about volunteering, ding competition to give the biggest auction items and tickets can be donation, will be a component of found on the auction website.

ally fade. ham said.

“At least for now, it will be someJacobsen agreed. thing students can look at and think “I think the mural is beautiful about,” he said. where it is, but I would like another “It may become background noise one in a more public place,” she said. later, and people may not even notice “There are other places on campus it. But the image and story associated that can benefit from art, and that’s with it has impact in and of itself.” coming from a math teacher!”

Cunningham said the mural will Riziki was disappointed, though, inspire not only students but also the with the new mural’s location. artists who painted it.

“It doesn’t make sense to put a “The students mural in the back of didn’t just have to the school where no My walk to do the art, they had one can see it,” Riziki to argue for it and said. school every convince the admin“It should be in the day is full of color, but istration that it was front where everyone worthy for the school that needs to spread to can see and expericampus,” Cunning- other parts of campus.” ence its message.” ham said.

The AP students —Patricia Jacobsen “(And) it teaches are next looking to them skills that may paint a mural on the help them later in life if they are ever wall next to the weight room. submitting their art for competitions “In my talks with Thomsen, I was and trying to get it seen.” petitioning for next year’s seniors to Gorny agreed that the experience each paint their own mural,” Gorny was invaluable. said.

“I learned that if you pursue some“Even if some of them want to colthing and work hard, it will always be laborate on one together, I hope they worth it in the end,” she said. will each get to paint and design one.”

“I was even working with non-arJacobsen suggested a large mural tistic people, so I had to fight hard for on the back of the Frank Science my art and what I believed in.”

Center that could be viewed by all Many students and teachers hope grades. this mural is a step in the right diEven though many believe the murection for further murals on campus. ral location is not ideal, they agree the “I hope this mural will have a con- message is powerful. tagious effect in sparking conversa“Inclusivity and power were the tion about more art and murals in two words that came to mind when I empty spaces on campus,” Cunning- first saw it,” Wells said.

The Octagon

April 10, 2018 • News

5

A tale of three sex ed teachers

School profits from qualified instructors, but methods, ideologies differ control, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a now-independent former branch of Planned Parenthood. efore any discussions or lecSimonson credits this lack of sexutures, Internationally Ceral understanding among high school tified Childbirth Educator (ICEE) Sue Simonson - who students to the fact that sex ed is a teaches sex education and puber- low priority for schools.

“There used to be state grants ty classes for fifth, sixth and eighth graders at SCDS - occasionally has where (sex ed teachers) could go her students yell out the names of everywhere, and it wouldn’t cost the genital organs in order to both break schools anything,” Simonson said. the ice and to make her students feel “There aren’t (any grants) anymore, even though (sex ed) is a priority that relaxed about talking about sex.

And though this tactic might ap- affects everything in your life.”

Along with the puberty and sex pear unconventional, biology teacher ed classes at Country Day, Simonson Kellie Whited (who teaches 10th and 12th grade sex ed classes) and middle also teaches sex ed at Sacramento school science teacher Aleitha Burns State University, relationship classes (who teaches seventh grade sex ed at Kaiser Permanente and classes to pregnant teenagers. classes) also allow Though she these borderline has made a career “dirty” words in I’ve never had (a out of informing the classroom, teenage parent) say, youth and young and even encouradults about sex, age questions that ‘Yes, I’m really glad I had a Simonson still students are often baby at 14.” views her work as uncomfortable to — Sue Simonson more of a passion ask. than a job. She “The main said she loves thing I wanted to get across with (my classes) is that talking with kids.

“My goal is to have the lightbulb there’s no question that’s off limits,” go off,” Simonson said. “I don’t want Whited said.

“I’m not going to talk down to to tell (the kids) them or belittle them,” Whited said. what to do. I “If someone asks a question that only want to is somewhat rudimentary to me, I give them good think, ‘What would high school Kel- information and have a good dislie have wanted to know?’”

And during Burns’s unit on sex, cussion.”

Whited beshe said she has her students sit in a gan teaching circle and ask any question they want hers to sophin order to ease the tension. and Even though the three sex ed omores seniors around teachers have slightly different methods and ideas, they all stand togeth- six years ago,

BY JACKSON MARGOLIS

B

replacing speakers from outside companies such as Planned Parenthood.

Whited said that the students wanted to know more information about the physiological aspects of sex than the speakers from the companies were providing. “(The students) wanted more of a scientific background,” Whited said.

“For example, they wanted to know what (specifically) would happen if they got an STD, and the companies were not used to tailoring their curriculum to students who were quite capable of understanding that level of science.”

In addition to including biological elements of sex, Whited also changes her curriculum every year in order to include the newest scientific research.

“We can’t ignore scientific discovery when we learn about (sex),” Whited said. “We’re learning so many new things about HPV (human papillomavirus infection) and, psychologically, how we view sex as a culture that if I don’t pepper my curriculum with (new information), then I’m doing a disservice to my students.”

And Whited said she tried to make the curriculum for this year’s seniors as current as possible by adding info about respect in a relationship, which

she said relates to the Me Too move- tive at 13.’ They had a lot of regrets, ment. and their (experiences) changed their Whited also focuses on the chang- lives forever.” ing perception of sexual assault and And hearing these stories from actions that take place following it. teenage parents, Simonson believes During her class, Whited talks about that in an idealistic world, everyone how in a sexual assault case the vic- should wait until marriage for sex. tim used to have to prove that they However, she said she understands said no, but now, due that this is an unrealto affirmative consent, istic expectation, so in the emphasis is on the her classes she focuses We can’t accused being able to preaching informasend people on prove that the victim tion rather than abstiout into the world said yes. nence.

“We talk about how saying, ‘Okay, your “When (students) to make sure that your do become sexually only choice is to wait partner is as into this active, my goal and as you are and that you until marriage.’” my message are that it are getting a ‘Yes’ and — Kellie Whited should be based on the you are getting it loudright information, at ly and happily,” Whitthe right time, in the ed said. right relationship, without peer presWith the legal rules surrounding sure being involved,” Simonson said. sex changing every year, Whited said Though she shares Simonson’s there is a lot of false information and views of spreading valuable informalack of understanding surrounding tion, Burns is more forthcoming with consent. her ideas of abstinence.

Simonson, on the other hand, “I always tell my students that if chooses to spend more time with her you can have a mature conversation eighth grade class on childbirth and with your partner, then perhaps you abstinence. are ready,” Burns said. “(Sex) is a conIn fact, Simonson said she was in- sensual decision between two peospired to teach sex ed after speaking ple.” with teenage That being said, however, Burns parents about believes that middle schoolers and their own feel- high schoolers most likely do not ings on child- have the maturity to have this conbirth and sex. versation.

“I never had Like Simonson, Whited believes (a teenage par- that, in a perfect world, there is logent) say, ‘Yes, ic to abstinence until marriage, but I’m really glad she also understands that the idea of I had a baby at abstinence can’t be the only method 14,’” Simonson taught. said. “Or, ‘I’m “We can’t send people out into the (really glad I world saying, ‘Okay, your only choice was) sex- is to wait until marriage,’” Whited ually ac- said. “I’m not promoting underage sex. My message is constantly that this is a big decision, and that there are so many emotions that are part of this that you can’t think that this is going to be as simple as you think it’s going to be.”

Simonson agrees that sex is a complicated topic that can’t be brushed over lightly in everyday life, or the classroom. “(Sex ed) can’t just be a book-learning thing,” Simonson said. “It has to

WELCOME TO SEX EDUCATION!

er on the principle that information is key in any sexual relationship and regret the lack of sex education throughout the country.

In 2015, 41 percent of American high school students were sexually active, according to the Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (ReCAPP).

However, as of 2015, a minimum of 40 percent of male adolescents (ages 15-19) and a minimum of 45 percent of female adolescents (ages 15-19) did not receive formal education about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or types of birth

GRAPHIC BY HÉLOÏSE SCHEP

SEX ED page 8 >>

New senior curriculum examines how porn affects teen relationships

BY JACKSON MARGOLIS In addition to teaching about consent and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in her senior sex education class, Whited added a section this year that focused on what teenagers take away from pornography and how it affects their relationships.

Whited said she decided to add the unit to her curriculum after reading a New York Times article that discussed how only 23 states fund sex education and, of those, only 13 require it to be medically or scientifically accurate (“What Teenagers are Learning from Online Porn,” Feb. 7). As a result, many teenagers receive their knowledge about sex from porn, the article said.

According to Whited, she discussed with seniors how porn misrepresents a healthy sexual relationship, though she did not show any examples in the classroom. “(In porn) it’s not about connection,” Whited said.

“It’s not about communication with your partner. It’s usually a dominant/submissive relationship, or (there’s) violence against women.”

And Whited said she believes that violence in porn has become so mainstream that it has had a widespread effect on how women are treated in sexual relationships. Whited also pointed out that this sexual violence is increasingly used in movies and music.

“You hear children singing (lyrics) from Rihanna songs like ‘Sticks and stones may

break my bones, but chains and whips excite “The porn section was not for or against it me,’” Whited said. “Children should not know in any way,” Claire said. “It was just about how these lyrics.” the majority of people watch it before college, Whited believes her students need to be and it gives them a (poor) perception of a equipped with how to handle such a situation healthy relationship.” if they are ever faced with it.

Whited also focused on the “We talked about how (in a unrealistic aspects of porn. relationship) you need to take “Mainstream porn just does (In porn) ownership in your decisions not represent typical bodies it’s not and that it is OK to say that you or (mutually) satisfying sex,” about connection. want to try something and that Whited said. “And it is unit is also OK to say you don’t It’s not about comhealthy for someone to go into want to try something,” Whitsexual relationship with these munication with your athoughts.” ed said.

“We do provide sex ed at partner.”

Because of porn’s relevance Country Day, but (my students) and pervasiveness among teen—Kellie Whited might be going to college with agers, Whited plans to teach (unaware students). So their this unit again next year. ideas of a healthy sexual re“When people learned about lationship might be skewed a bit because of porn (a long time ago), it was (through) stealtheir experience watching porn.” ing their dad’s Playboy and hiding it under the Although Whited pointed out the negative mattress,” Whited said. “But now it’s readily effects of watching porn, senior Sahej Claire available on your phone or on your computer said that Whited wasn’t overly opinionated. at any time.”

6

Sports • April 10, 2018

The Octagon

Lifelong athletes try their hand at recruitment “THE KABOOSE”

S

When it comes to college recruitment, the NCAA sets guidelines for college coaches and high school athletes that control when coaches can reach out, how many campus visits a student may take and when athletes may commit to a school, among other activities.

According to its website, the NCAA imposes such restrictions “to create an equitable recruiting environment that promotes student-athlete well-being.” In this two-part series, SCDS athletes discuss their experiences with this process. ALL STORIES BY SONJA HANSEN

enior Theo Kaufman started his recruiting process “really late,” he said. Top soccer recruits can be scouted as early as their freshman year, and the average recruit really gets started at the beginning of their junior year. But Kaufman didn’t begin emailing coaches until last summer.

KEEP AWAY Senior Theo Kaufman protects a ball from a Sacramento Waldorf player during the soccer team’s Dec. 11 game, which they tied, 0-0. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

“I didn’t really know anything about recruitment,” he said. “I don’t know anything about college sports. It was new for me and my parents.”

Though Kaufman’s mother Christina played at Sacramento State University and San Diego State (and later professionally on the national team), she was never recruited by a college and was thus unable to advise her son.

Besides speaking to coaches late, Kaufman said he did not utilize the club coach from his team, Union Sacramento FC, as many players do.

“I didn’t tell him the schools I was interested (in) or have him send emails,” Kaufman said. “It could have been very different if I had.”

Furthermore Kaufman hasn’t compiled footage of himself playing, which he said put him at a disadvantage because coaches want to see players making real-time decisions in games. And he doesn’t have an account on soccer recruitment websites because those accounts are expensive.

As a result of these pitfalls, he received interest from only University of Puget Sound, a Div. III school. He visited the school in November to check out the soccer

program, meet the coaches and team and follow their game-day routine.

Though Kaufman enjoyed the feeling of being recruited, he said he will likely not attend Puget Sound.

Instead Kaufman will likely enroll at University of Oregon and try out for a club team there.

Kaufman limited his college list to Div. III schools because he would be a candidate based on his skill level, but he had a glimpse of Div. I recruitment at the University of Vermont, where he was invited to attend a college ID camp. During these camps players showcase their talent in drills to dozens of coaches.

“I knew (the coaches) weren’t going to want me, but it was still very cool playing with the top players in the nation,” Kaufman said. “They knew how to play.

It was scary.”

About 60 athletes attended, and many were French-Canadian, he said.

With his club soccer team Kaufman has also attended college showcases, at which teams play each other tournament-style under the inspection of college coaches.

“You have to be careful of the way you act,” Kaufman said. “That’s a big deal for college coaches these days.

They don’t just want a high-skilled player. They want someone who won’t lose their cool and will be respectful. You’ve got to play well, and you can’t lose your mind.”

Kaufman said the good that came out of his grappling with recruitment is that his sister, junior Lia, is well informed and already working on being recruited.

KICKING BACK Sophomore Rebecca Waterson floats on her kickboard to jet down the pool during a DART practice on April 4. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

“THE LIVING DEAD” HOPPING FOR HOOPS Senior Reggie Fan shoots a 3-pointer in the boys’ basketball team’s first playoff game against Forest Lake Christian School, which they lost, 42-50, on Feb.16. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

“THE BALLER” Leading up to and during his basketball season, senior Reggie Fan initiated contact with four coaches through emails and phone calls.

Fan had to reach out because playing at a Div. VI high school has made it harder for him to be noticed by college coaches.

“At summer tournaments when I’m playing with my (Amateur Athletic Union) team, there’s a college coaches’ section, so you definitely notice, but I try not to let them affect my play,” Fan said.

Fan said that he wishes he had known how difficult it can be to reach out to a coach and wait for a response.

However, he said whenever he would make

contact with a new college coach and send his recruitment video, to his amazement, SCDS basketball coach David Ancrum would find the coach’s personal cell phone number and speak to the coach on behalf of Fan. Some of these correspondences resulted in requests for more information or invitations.

For example, in the fall Fan was asked to play with a college team in Boston. Unfortunately his invitation was revoked when the coach decided it was too close to the start of the team’s season to allow outsiders.

Instead of practicing with the team, Fan took a tour of the school with the assistant head coach and met a couple of players.

Fan, who has played basketball for five years, has narrowed his focus to Div. III schools with strong academic reputations near big cities.

Sophomore Rebecca Waterson is a yearround competitive swimmer for DART at Sacramento. She is also currently in a “dead period.”

That doesn’t mean she’s suffering from extreme sleep deprivation or dealing with a zombie outbreak. She is simply not allowed to meet face to face with or be contacted by college swim coaches and will receive no response from them if she initiates contact.

Like most competitive high school athletes, Waterson’s “dead period” began on July 1 before her sophomore year and will end on June 30. Waterson was alerted to the commencement of her “dead period” by DART coach Brian Nabeta while at a summer swim meet.

“I tried talking to a college coach that came to watch (senior) Amalie (Fackenthal),” she said. “I asked my coach if I could introduce myself, and he was like, ‘Oh, my gosh! You can’t talk to him! You can say your name, and

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that’s it!’

“It was like two days after the period had started, and my coach had to explain that to me. I managed to introduce myself, so that was a good two seconds.”

Waterson said that a few of her sophomore friends have emailed college coaches and created profiles on the website CollegeSwimming, a swimming news source, to “put themselves on the college radar.” On this website high school and college swimmers can submit pictures and biographies and request that any incorrect times be changed. CollegeSwimming also reports class rankings and college swim team rankings.

Waterson said that it can be advantageous to pique a college’s interest early on; however, she has abstained from going after swim coaches because she and her family are more concerned with researching possible majors and having her maintain a high GPA. Waterson also said the NCAA’s required “dead period” is a time when athletes can really focus on their swimming.

The Octagon

April 10, 2018 • Sports

But they do so under scrutiny of NCAA officials “THE AUSSIE”

I

t wasn’t until the summer before her junior year, once her “dead period” (sophomore year) had ended, that senior basketball player Yasmin Gupta was approached by coaches. She has since received emails, phone calls and texts from around 20 schools, including Cornell College in Vernon, Iowa, with which she has signed a four-year basketball contract.

Gupta first crossed paths with Cornell at a tournament in Arizona.

“I had busted my lip because my tooth went through my lip,” she said. “So I was really swollen and wasn’t having a good tournament, but (the Cornell coach) started contact then.”

Gupta has visited Cornell twice - once the summer before her senior year and once in the fall. On her visits, Gupta stayed with players. She also worked out with the team - which was allowed only because the team was not in season - and met with Cornell’s head of science because of her interest in majoring in pre-med.

Gupta said that her decision to commit to Cornell College ultimately rested on the amount of money she was offered because she was conscious of high-priced international-student tuition (Gupta is an Australian citizen); for example, according to their admissions website, most UC schools charge internationals $60,000.

After watching Gupta play in person for the second time, Cornell’s coaches offered her a scholarship. However, Div. III schools are not allowed to give athletic scholarships, so Gupta will receive her sum through Cornell’s Presidential Scholarship.

“If a Div. III school wants you badly, they’ll find other ways so (the scholarship) is not illegal,” Gupta said.

Colleges give their teams a sum of money to distribute to their athletes, but if a recruit meets financial aid requirements, then the school will award the recruit with financial aid instead of the team providing a scholarship.

When teams offer a position or scholarship, the decision to keep this information confidential is left up to the player.

“It’s better to keep (offers) on the low,” Gupta said.

“Because someone verbally saying, ‘I’m going to give you a scholarship’ is not (binding). You need a document.”

Gupta said that recruitment offers are susceptible to change, and announcements can inspire competitors to send footage to a college.

If a team offers a player a scholarship, the player must still apply and be admitted. But Gupta said it’s rare that an athlete is offered a scholarship and then denied by admissions because applications can be flagged for student-athletes.

Gupta did not have to submit teacher recommendations, which are optional for first-year students anyway, and instead turned in an essay she had written for junior AP Language and Composition.

When she submitted her application, Gupta was at Cornell and informed of her acceptance in person by an admissions counselor that very day.

On Nov. 8 Gupta signed her National Letter of Intent to commit to Cornell. There are two dates when athletes sign these contracts. The first is Nov. 8. These athletes usually receive full rides or scholarships from the team. The second date occurs in April. Those recruits meet requirements for financial aid.

Gupta said that once she had committed to Cornell, boys’ basketball coach David Ancrum consulted with its coach and altered Gupta’s practice routine. It was decided that she would play the three or four for Cornell and need to be handy with 3-pointers.

“I’m used to being a ‘big,’ the tallest player, so playing down low (on the court) and getting points in the key is what I’ve done (throughout high school),” Gupta said. “(As a three or a four), I need to be able to shoot 3’s on tall, slower players. If I have a smaller guard on me, I also need to be able to make points in the key.”

SLIP OF THE LIP Senior Yasmin Gupta lies in the emergency room after splitting her lip at an AAU tournament in Arizona, where an opponent rammed into her face. After the April 2017 tournament, the basketball coach from Cornell College initiated contact. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF GUPTA

“THE EARLY BIRD”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Sophomore Aaron Graves, a libero for his club team, digs a ball tossed to him by sophomore Savannah Rosenzweig in the gym. PHOTO BY SONJA HANSEN

7

In May sophomore Aaron Graves will enter his second season of volleyball as a libero for Northern California Volleyball Club’s (NCVC) 16-1’s team.

“I’ve had to catch up,” Graves said. “I show up early and stay late at practices and work out extensively on the weekends, but when it’s something you love this much, you don’t mind.”

Graves’s passion for volleyball means that finding a competitive college that will allow him lots of time on the court is his biggest priority.

“I love the game so much, so I’d prefer whatever school gives me the most playing time,” he said.

Graves said that though volleyball coaches from Div. I schools are not allowed to initiate contact, Div. II and Div. III schools can freely speak to him, and so far three have.

“I visited a school in Northern California and bumped into their coach, and he said they were interested in having me play,” Graves said.

For now, conversations with coaches have focused solely on Graves’s skill and his interest in the school, but in the future they will likely be geared toward Graves’s academic record as well, he said.

Graves has been advised by players on his club

18’s team to increase his exposure to coaches early.

At the same time they recommend he hold off on emailing Div. I coaches for another year so that he has more experience and because volleyball players usually begin contacting coaches in their junior year.

Graves’s coach also gives tips on recruitment every now and then, focusing on what qualities coaches are seeking.

“They want someone with a good attitude, not just a high performer, someone who won’t get frustrated with themselves,” Graves said. “They also want to see how you react on the fly.”

Outside hitters are sought after because they hold the most important positions, and teams will have several in their roster at once, according to Graves.

For now Graves is monitoring his profile on the volleyball recruitment website CaptainU, where coaches can check statistics and athletes can find what colleges are looking for. The highlight reel that Graves will send to coaches when the time comes is also in the making.

Graves will attend volleyball camps this spring, resume his NCVC season in May, play in the USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships in July, and check out beach volleyball in Huntington Beach and Long Beach this summer.

UPCOMING MATCHES mm

SOFTBALL

BASEBALL

SWIM

TENNIS

GOLF

TRACK AND FIELD

SACRAMENTO ADVENTIST

VALLEY CHRISTIAN

NEUTRAL

HIGHLANDS ACADEMY

NEUTRAL

HALDEN INVITATIONAL

At Howe Park

At Valley Christian Academy

At Jesuit High School

At Rio Del Oro Racquet Club

April 10 3:30 p.m.

April 10 4 p.m.

April 11 Time TBA

April 13 3:30 p.m.

At Peach Tree Country Club At Davis Senior High School

April 16 Time TBA

April 21 10 a.m.

8

Centerpoint

The Oc

Sex ed: Personal connect with teachers minim traditional awkwardnes (continued from page 5)

they didn’t understand.

“If you have a question, I’m going to treat it with (have) interactive activities and (needs to teach) respect, and I’m going to talk about it, and most respect - respect for oneself and respect for others students take that seriously,” Whited said. “(Of and their choices. And that’s not just learned by course), there are always silly questions. (However), memorizing.”

This idea of the importance of interactive sex ed rooted in a silly question is always a serious quesis shared by all three of Country Day’s sexual edu- tion.”

According to Burns, silly questions are even cation teachers. more abundant in middle school. There seems to But the luxury of interactive sex ed programs is be, though, one silly question that is always repeatnot offered at all schools.

Sophomore Bill Tsui, who attended an in- ed, she said.

“Every single year someone asks me, ‘What ternational school in Hong Kong before he would happen if I had sex with a dog?” Burns came to Country Day in 2016, said that there said. “Every single weren’t any year that question sex ed teach(Of course), there are always silly quescomes up. Every ers at his old single year.” tions.

(However), rooted in a silly question school.

And it’s not just “In China, is always a serious question.” the questions that the sex ed —Kellie Whited are silly, it’s also the was just a myths. video,” Tsui Simonson said said. “If you didn’t understand something or that every year there is some new myth that is had a question, you couldn’t ask anyone.”

In contrast, Tsui said Whited established a spread on the internet, so she ends up spending healthy dynamic during her sophomore sex ed class time during class debunking rumors that have no by letting students ask about almost anything that legitimate reason or logic.

“One of the rumors was that if (a boy) drinks Mountain Dew, then (he) can’t get a girl pregnant,” Simonson said. “It had to do with the yellow dye number five. It supposedly kills sperm.

“And at one school I was sharing that myth to make sure they knew (that). And (a kid) said, ‘Oh, we know that, Mrs. Simonson. It’s actually the yellow Skittles that do that.’”

Though these anecdotes are humorous, they show the underlying problem of a lack of correct information about sex, which causes more work for sex ed teachers like Whited, who are not always sure how much their students know.

“The hardest part for me is that not every student is at the same place,” Whited said. “Whether culturally it’s something they’ve never discussed in their home, or their family sits down and talks about genitals at the dinner table.”

Students who are comfortable learning about sex, such as sophomore Max Kemnitz, still found value in Whited’s sophomore class.

“I learned a few new things, but I think that it definitely was really valuable for others,” Kemnitz said.

However, Kemnitz said that he wishes Whited spent more time on condoms and consent rather than the biology behind pregnancy.

Though the focus of the sophomore class is more on the anatomy of the reproductive organs and the effects of sex, such as STDs and pregnancy, during the senior class, Whited focuses more on the legal

ramifications of non-c iological element. “(During the senior such as statutory rape, is younger than you, co said.

These more sophisti on during Simonson’s students are younger.

In fact, Simonson t about being a sex ed focused.

“Classroom control we’re talking about se there are a lot of little And though all of th Day acknowledge the the material, Burns an students are more com cause both see most their sex ed classes.

“I can go a little dee (than the eighth grad “My students are more Even though the stu in Burns’s and Wh classes might have a d relationship with them they do with Simo eighth grader Jordan L sey said that she en Simonson’s class, felt fortable and learned of important informat “(I learned) the da of sex, and if I didn’ tions), I might have t Lindsey said. “I really birth control and STD And unlike the ma who do not receive and STDs, students in classes learn about the both. For example, du February, she me gressive anti orrhea go White fortable

IMPORTANT INFO Biology teacher Kellie Whited teaches the second of two sex ed classes to the seniors. The class was postponed because of the overwhelming number of absences due to illness before mid-winter break. Seniors Theo Kaufman and Cole Johnson listen as Whited talks about sexually transmitted diseases. PHOTO BY SHIMIN ZHANG

but it doesn’t really go into a lot of scientific detail.

It just quizzes you on ways to stay healthy and (on) certain diseases. At Country Day it was more on what to look out for coming into puberty because most people had no idea in eighth grade.

Simonson’s lecture prepares former students for health classes at various schools

BY JACKSON MARGOLIS Unlike Country Day’s high school sex education program of two-hour classes for two days in sophomore and senior year, schools such as Jesuit High School, Christian Brothers High School and St. Francis Catholic High School have year-long health classes that incorporate information about sex.

Former students junior Ben Miner ( Jesuit), senior Aaron Davis (Christian Brothers) and junior Roya Pahlavan (St. Francis) all attended sex ed teacher Sue Simonson’s class when they were eighth graders at SCDS.

Ben Miner, Jesuit Q: How was Jesuit’s sex ed class different from Country Day’s?

A: At Country Day it was more of a sex and puberty talk, whereas at Jesuit, it’s more about general health and how to stay healthy even after high school.

The eighth grade class was more informative than my class at Jesuit. All the students at Jesuit have to take (physical education), or they have to go through an online course,

Q: What was the primary message of the health class at Jesuit?

A: The primary message is that health is really important, and it shouldn’t be overlooked. (However), they talked about STDs very briefly.

Q: What should be the main message in a sex ed or health class?

A: How to stay healthy and that what you’re going through is OK and totally normal. I think the Country Day aspect was a lot more personal.

The Jesuit seminar was more fact-based, and Country Day had more examples of what people went through and the emotional aspect too.

April 10, 2018

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the message to students that it’s okay r class) we talk about topics to talk about sex. what happens if your partner In fact, senior onsent and safe sex,” Whited Nina Dym, who hadn’t taken any icated topics are not focused form of sex ed class or Burns’s classes because the until Whited’s sophomore class, felt comfortable in the thinks that the hardest part class due to Whited’s openness. teacher is keeping the class “Sex ed is something that needs to be talked about at schools,” Dym said. “Because Dr. Whited is the hardest because when was so open to it, it became less of a weird thing. ex, everybody’s giggly, (and) Even though I hadn’t taken Simonson’s class, or any for that matter, I felt just as comfortable in Dr. comments,” Simonson said. he sex ed teachers at Country Whited’s class as anyone else.”

Burns agreed with Dym on the importance of e awkwardness surrounding keeping an open conversation about sex in schools. nd Whited believe that their And Whited tries to bridge the gap between mfortable talking to them beof their students outside of students who know more information relating to the topic and those who know less.

“It is difficult to tailor sex ed so that those who eper with my seventh graders de sex ed class),” Burns said. know more feel like they’re getting something out of it and (be able to) reach those students who e comfortable.” think that sex ed is the worst thing udents the school has ever made them hited’s (Parents should) do,” Whited said. deeper Senior Pria Nijhar believes that name parts right and m than Whited gave information that was onson, answer questions correctly as useful for the entire class.

Lind- a child is growing. The word “Some people don’t hear about njoyed ‘uterus’ is not a bad word. ” (sex) from their parents, like me, com—Sue Simonson for example,” Nijhar said. “I never a lot learned about it, so (the class) was tion. informative.” angers Simonson said she believes that sex ed should ’t see (Simonson’s presentastart in the home. thought that (sex) was okay,” “(Parents should) name parts right and answer y like how we learned about questions correctly as a child is growing,” SimonDs.” son said. “(For instance), a baby does not grow in asses of high school students education on birth control a mother’s stomach. The word ‘uterus’ is not a bad n all of Country Day’s sex ed word.”

Whited agrees with Simonson that parents are e reality and consequences of uring Whited’s senior class in hypothetically the best sex ed teachers for their entioned that there is an ag- children because they know their children the best ibiotic-resistant form of gon- and know if they’re ready to talk about sex or not. oing around this year.

However, Whited said she understands that not ed says she embraces uncom- all children listen to their parents about sex and e information in order to send that some parents aren’t comfortable talking about

ph

ic

consensual sex and the phys-

the subject.

In fact, Whited said that she was raised in a family that never talked about sex.

Everything she learned was from her friends and teachers.

“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to do sex ed because parents would talk about this with their children, but that’s not the reality,” Whited said. “If the parents are unable to provide that discussion, I hope it brings comfort to the kids that they can come to me. I’d be happy to talk about it.”

Burns said she believes that parents should make their own decisions when it comes to talking about sex.

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling a parent at what age to start talking to their child about sex,” Burns said.

“I think that sex ed should be incorporated in the education at all schools, but parents

“My job is to make sure that when they make that decision, it’s an informed one,” she said.

“Hopefully I can help them understand how big of a decision it is. They’re going to know when they’re ready.”

s h o u l d be able to have their kids opt out.

Again, I’m not here to tell anyone what to believe.”

In fact, almost every year a student opts out of Simonson’s class.

Simonson said her main motive is to give her students sufficient information so that they can weigh their decisions and be able to spot false information.

And in addition to this, because her students are older, Whited wants her students - especially her seniors - to take away more than just the basics.

Aaron Davis, Christian Brothers

For example, my teacher really emphasized how often condoms break, when really that is rare.

Q: How was Christian Brother’s sex ed class different from Country Day’s?

A: It is different mostly in its religious aspect. At (Christian Brothers), sex ed is taught by the religion teachers, which provide a more religious view than at Country Day. It’s not that I liked it; I just didn’t mind it. It (wasn’t) overly religious.

Q: Which class do you think you learned more from?

A: I would say that the eighth grade class gave me much better information. Also) eighth grade prepared me for the St. Francis one very well.

It helped me think about things I needed to know about before eventually becoming sexually active.

Even though I was too young to really relate to the subject matter, I think it was helpful to be introduced to it at such an early stage.

(However), the (St. Francis) class went into depth about the different types of STDs.

Q: What is the main message taught in the classes?

A: It focused on anatomy and also what the Bible teaches on morality. It also talked about prevention of STDs a lot.

Q: What should be the main message in a sex ed or health class?

A: How to be safe. And I think that this is the main focus in the sex ed class at (Christian Brothers).

Roya Pahlavan, St. Francis Q: How was St. Francis’s sex ed class different from Country Day’s?

A: At St. Francis there isn’t as much effort put into teaching the students about safe sex compared to Country Day. St. Francis tries to scare you into abstaining from any sort of sexual relations by showing you all the negatives that could possibly occur rather than teaching their students how to safely have sex.

Q: What should be the main message in a sex ed or health class?

A: How to be safe during intercourse, such as using a condom, and the different options that are available like birth control.

9

10

Opinion • April 10, 2018

The Octagon

Fashion seekers spend hectic Saturday looking for deals Staffers rate spots to highlight Sacramento’s growing number of recycled clothing stores Sophomore Spencer Scott and juniors Chardonnay Needler and Mohini Rye toured Sacramento’s thrift store scene on Saturday, March 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. At each of the five stores, Needler and Scott had 10 minutes to glean the aisles and create a minimum of five outfits. Before moving on to the next store, they bought their favorite outfits or articles.

Thrift Town

410 El Camino Blvd.

BY CHARDONNAY NEEDLER

T

his is a seriously thrifty store. Ten minutes, honestly, doesn’t do it justice. Even the few minutes of fame it had in “Ladybird” didn’t do it justice.

For one, it’s huge.

Even though Spencer and I were armed with multifunctional basket-wheelbarrows, shopping still proved exhausting.

The women’s section takes up half the store, and the shorts are on the opposite side from the pants, so I ran back and forth (dragging my wheelbarrow behind me) trying to choose bottoms to go with the blouses I picked.

Walking down the aisles, I felt that the clothes went on forever and that this store was actually a time-traveling vessel.

Want some high-waisted bell-bottom jeans? How about a neon purple sweater made out of the same fabric as your mom’s legwarmers she hasn’t thrown away yet “because they’ll be back in style someday”?

You know, the sweater was pretty comfortable - and only $2.99!

After 10 minutes, I had barely scratched the surface of this wardrobe wormhole.

Spencer had ventured into this time warp even less than I had, selecting five pairs of khakis, one of which he wore with a red shirt and became, as Mohini said, “the most shabbily dressed Target employee on the planet.”

And even though it was 9:30 a.m. (half an hour after opening), people - young couples, old singles and other thrift-seekers - were already starting to pour in. Even better, no one was asking Spencer for help as though he were staff.

Apparently, the dressing rooms have a sixitem limit. No one (including Spencer and me) followed it, though.

Apparently, I’m Lady Bird too, according to a pregnant worker.

Mohini told me after we left that two employees said I had an uncanny resemblance to the titular character. Maybe that’s why the employees let me lug my overflowing wheelbarrow into the dressing room.

I doubt Lady Bird would have followed the item limit either.

In fact, there was a shrine to “Lady Bird” near the cash registers and a reminder that dressing room number two was where she tried on her prom dress in the movie.

The dressing rooms, though, were not the cleanest, and I left with a sticky left hand.

Considering it was opening time, I’m not sure how the door handle was already sticky.

Even more prolific than sticky surfaces were the paper signs that said in sun-faded ink that ALL PINK ITEMS ARE AN ADDITIONAL 50 PERCENT OFF. The only caveat was that all sales are final, even if you buy an already ripped pair of pants.

(One pair I picked out had a massive rip on the left side that I didn’t notice at first.)

As I said earlier, very thrifty. The jeans and shirt I bought cost $8 total.

Thrift Town accepted Apple Pay too, an extra convenience.

ALL PHOTOS BY MOHINI RYE

FreeStyle Clothing 1906 L St.

BY SPENCER SCOTT FreeStyle was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum from Thrift Town, being closer to a regular clothing store than many of the others we visited.

As soon as we walked in, some Lady Gaga song rang in our ears.

I don’t mind pop music, but I can’t say the same for Chardonnay.

“Automatically minus one point.” she said. “Hate the music!”

The organization of the store looked nice, mostly because it was 15 times smaller than the behemoth known as Thrift Town.

A major women’s section covered the front half of the store, and a men’s section covered the back half.

Upon closer look, the perceived organization broke down as the sizes were all jumbled together. I had to rifle through an entire rack of men’s pants before finding my size.

At least everything was organized in general areas, helping quite a bit in my quest to find clothes other than khakis and T-shirts in under 10 minutes.

At Thrift Town I had picked out only five pairs of khakis with five T-shirts. This resulted in, according to Char and Mohini, possibly the greatest offense to fashion ever. So I was on a quest for fashion redemption.

The dressing rooms had a limit of six garments, but, thankfully, there was a rack for excess clothing outside the room.

The decently sized staff was mostly very nice to us, helping us put clothes on the rack and providing us with fashion tips (such as matching shirts and pants), which I sorely needed. There was one bad apple, though, who was passive aggressive. When we checked out, she asked us if we had “finally chosen our clothes” in a most condescending tone.

On the clothes front, instead

of five pairs of khakis, I selected a pair of red and gray pants (real imaginative - I’m so proud), a pair of jeans and two pairs of shorts.

As for tops, I found a red Stanford basketball shirt, a flannel dress shirt, a gray dress shirt and two brightly colored tees.

Thanks to staff advice. I discovered - get this - matching clothes.

I paired the red and flannel shirts with the red pants.

See, I wasn’t wearing khakis and a T-shirt anymore, I had evolved.

Mohini said my dressing sense had “gone from a negative 5 to a negative 3.”

The bliss from not being the absolute worst came to an end very abruptly, however, when I checked the prices. A pair of jeans was around $12 and a good pair of pants around $20.

After Thrift Town, where the prices were $3 to $5, FreeStyle’s prices seemed blasphemous.

In the end I didn’t mind the prices too much since FreeStyle’s clothes were in better condition than Thrift Town’s. FreeStyle’s

clothes also looked nearly brand new, which just backed up how FreeStyle is closer to an average clothing store than a thrift shop.

TRAGEDY ON THE STORE FLOOR Carrying so many clothes at once proved to be a difficult task, as Spencer soon discovered.

TRUE (Totally Recycled Urban Exchange) 1900 K St.

BY CHARDONNAY NEEDLER Chalkboards, chalkboards everywhere.

Outside the store, the weekly and daily discounts are written in bubbly handwriting on a foldable chalkboard, color-coded, of course: pink chalk for the pink discounts, green for the green, and so on.

Inside, it’s cozy. The air smelled slightly sweet, which was amazing considering two years ago this space was a sports bar, and the music was soft (unlike FreeStyle’s blaring pop that was still pulsating through my ears).

A smiling worker greeted me and reminded me, as the chalkboard did, that all pink-labeled clothes were an additional 75 percent off and that I could ask her any questions.

The other guests (a young blonde and two grandmas enthralled by their grandkids’ swim medals) seemed to be content as well.

The store is small, but lots of clothes are packed between its walls. The islands are sorted by size, and the clothes hanging up are more or less arranged by color.

On the opposite wing of the store, adjacent the 30-whatevers into their American equivato the cash register, are mostly dressy shoes - lents, making timed shopping even easier. none of which looked secondhand.

At the end of 10 minutes, the nice employUnlike FreeStyle, with its clothes thrown on ee from the front unlocked my dressing room the racks regardless of actual size and shoes on (complete with a chalkboard and a handwritten top of all the islands helter-skelter, TRUE is thank-you message serving as the back door). easy to navigate and has clearer signage.

I’m not saying I lost my impartiality once I After I had amassed much more than the saw the adorable handwritten chalkboard mes10-item minimum, another friendly sages, but they certainly woman offered to take my clothes didn’t hurt. and get a dressing room started.

The dressing rooms Everything, I then walked over to a small iswere spotless and spafrom the emland toward the back labeled “$1.98 cious too, each with a ployees to the amenisection.” long bench and a mirror.

No item limit for dressing rooms, ties, was high quality.”

Mohini and Spencer flawless customer service, good deals. particularly liked the —Chardonnay Needler And I still had four minutes left. lounge area and comfy Spencer gave up fairly quickly chairs near the rooms. since TRUE’s men’s section is tiniAnd as for the er than the little shoe corner (it is related to clothes themselves, just ask my prom dress. For WEAVE, after all, so there’s a lot more wom- $19, I bought a dress, a pair of jeans and a pair en’s clothing available), but I gave the jeans sec- of shorts and made a donation to WEAVE. tion a once-over.

Everything, from the employees to the Instead of mixing European sizes and Amer- clothes to the amenities, was high quality. ican ones (as FreeStyle did), TRUE converts If only they sold those little chalkboards too.

STEAL THEIR LOOK: THRIFT TOWN: THE KNOCKOFF TARGET EMPLOYEE

THRIFT TOWN: YOUR MOM’S LEGWARMER SWEATER

At each store, sophomore Spencer Scott (left, right) and junior Chardonnay Needler (middle) tried to put together at least five outfits. Here are a few from the first two spots they visited: Thrift Town and FreeStyle, respectively.

FREESTYLE: THE PITIFUL PULLOVER

FREESTYLE: HALFWAY TO DECENT

The Octagon

April 10, 2018 • Opinion

THE FINAL HAUL: Not every store ended in tangible success, but sophomore Spencer Scott and junior Chardonnay Needler still managed to find several clothing articles in their hunt across Sacramento.

Lace shorts $1.95 TRUE

Five shops, 10 minutes, five outfits; what in the world could go wrong?

If you’re a big fan of the ’50s, you’ll boogie woogie at Ed’s Ed’s Threads 1125 21st St.

BY SPENCER SCOTT

E

Striped shirt $1.50 Thrift Town

Turtleneck sweater $6 Freestyle

Acid-washed jeans $4 TRUE

Bootcut jeans $7 Thrift Town

d’s Threads is very different from regular thrift stores - and that’s because it specializes in vintage clothing.

For starters, it was quite difficult to find.

After driving by a few times and arguing over whether it really existed, we finally got out and walked to where Google Maps said it was, finding only one sign with a black wall and barred windows.

No offense to Ed, but it looked boarded up and closed.

This was going to be interesting.

More about Ed: he’s the owner and the old guy sitting at the front of the store. He watched Chardonnay, Mohini and me as if we were punk miscreants.

When we walked in we realized the store was seriously ’50s. Sinatra and other contemporary musicians played soothingly out of speakers, a nice change from Freestyle’s blaring pop.

And the decorations were old movie posters from the ’50s with actors such as Marilyn Monroe.

The hot-ticket items in the store

“Men’s” jeans* $12 Freestyle

*Although

the jeans were placed in the men’s section, it was later discovered that they were, in fact, women’s jeans.

MOOD After nearly six hours of shopping, Chardonnay was ready to go home by the time she finished trying on clothes at the fifth and final shop, the Sacramento SPCA Thrift Store.

rating: N/A

were men’s coat jackets, and by that I mean the vast majority were coats, ties and bowler hats. The so-called “female section” looked like a collection of biker jackets.

In the back of the store, next to the life-size cutout of Monroe (Ed is a fan, I guess), was a full bookcase.

The only drawback was that these books are the ones your grandparents read and put in their family rooms to collect dust.

They were all about the politics of the ’60s with quite a few on John F. Kennedy.

As for prices, each jacket was between $30 and $40. It was better organized than FreeStyle, so I found my size fairly easily. For the price they were pretty comfortable.

In fact almost all the clothing was jackets, many being made of tweed or other old-school materials.

Ed’s Threads might be the perfect store if you’re looking for vintage wear or you like the general vibe of the ’50s.

As we walked out, I thanked Ed, who just looked at us and then returned to his newspaper. I guess I’d give him points for not being overly peppy.

(Because Ed’s Threads had such an unusual selection of clothing, Chardonnay and Spencer decided it would be unfair to rate it.)

SHERLOCK HOLMES STRIKES AGAIN Although Ed’s Threads didn’t have much of a women’s section, Spencer had his pick of coats and hats.

Sacramento SPCA Thrift Store 1517 E St.

BY CHARDONNAY NEEDLER

Baggy shirt $3 Thrift Town

11

“Isn’t this a pet store?” I asked Mohini and Spencer behind me.

Looking into the store window, all I could see were polished hardwood floors and dog memorabilia and collars.

Maybe a pet thrift store?

We went in anyway.

A meter in, “Billie Jean” blared from the speakers, the shiny hardwood became scruffy carpet and there were clothes everywhere.

“Well, I guess not,” Spencer replied.

The store smelled a bit stale inside, but that could have been the old records and books at the back.

Clothes were organized by general size on little islands, but there were larges and mediums intermingling with the smalls, and there was no color-organization method, either.

As for the quality of clothes, the small blouse section was basically what Target was selling six years ago.

Spencer gave up quickly after venturing off to the men’s section and realizing that all of the khakis (his pant of choice) were too big for him.

(Also, ’70s-style corduroy might have been a bit too out there for his tastes.)

And the giant Hawaiian shirts looked more like bedsheets.

I tried to convince him to check out the “Hipster Clothing” section, but all he could find there was a briefcase.

Incidentally, most of the hipster clothing was for women too.

There were only two dressing rooms, and they were smack in the middle of the store with doors only as high as the entrance to a kid’s playpen.

For privacy there was a flimsy yellow curtain, but there were no loops inside to clasp it down with as I’d seen in other stores.

Also, I’m pretty sure that curtain was not completely opaque.

No light was inside either, so I

about the clothes earlier, even picking up the hangers and holding the articles against her chest, so I thought she was a fellow patron (especially considering there were only two other people shopping in the clothes section).

She later said her parole officer had decided that she would do her community service at this store.

Now I really wanted to make sure that I’d “keep all other clothing items hung up outside of the room on the designated bar.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, as though she could feel my sudden nervousness.

“It’s only for a traffic ticket.”

After a few outfits I decided to try on two coats, one of which was almost exactly like the tan camel trench I have now (exBut when I reached my hand into cept it was only $13). the right pocket, I pulled out a The black coat was perfect - old but defidried-up and crushed cigarette.” nitely good quality.

—Chardonnay Needler But when I reached my hand into the right pocket, I pulled out a couldn’t see the carpet - or much of dried-up and crushed cigarette. anything else - but it didn’t feel very It might’ve cost more than $16 to get clean through my socks. it dry cleaned, so what was the point?

One of the volunteers, who was I returned to the slightly sulwearing a Sac State tee instead of a fur-scented dressing room with only uniform, kindly reminded me that only one thought: I’m going to take a long five items were allowed inside at a time. shower when I get home.

I had seen her mumbling to herself

ALL PHOTOS BY MOHINI RYE

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS FOR KEEPING US IN THE BLACK!

Anand Family, Anonymous, Barnard-Bahn Coaching and Consulting, Christian Family, Claire Family, Dahmani Family, Davies Family, Frankel Family, Lacombe Family, Needler Family, Schep-Smit Family, Scott Family, Situ Family, Zhang Family

12

Opinion • April 10, 2018

OCTAGON STAFF

The Octagon

“Open campus” by Mohini Rye

My Angle

PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Annya Dahmani Katia Dahmani Sonja Hansen

By Jackson Margolis

ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Sahej Claire Chardonnay Needler

Curry is a crybaby with a mouth guard

DESIGN CHIEFS Mohini Rye Allison Zhang BUSINESS MANAGER Larkin Barnard-Bahn NEWS EDITOR Jack Christian FEATURE EDITOR Mohini Rye OPINION EDITOR Allison Zhang PRINT SPORTS EDITOR Jake Longoria ONLINE SPORTS EDITOR Bryce Longoria SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Bri Davies PHOTO EDITOR Jacqueline Chao MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Jake Longoria Harrison Moon Bryce Longoria, assistant David Situ, assistant PAGE EDITORS Jack Christian Annya Dahmani Katia Dahmani Anna Frankel Sonja Hansen Mehdi Lacombe Jackson Margolis Mohini Rye Héloïse Schep Allison Zhang REPORTERS Keshav Anand Sarina Rye Kristine Schmitz Spencer Scott Elise Sommerhaug Ming Zhu GRAPHIC ARTISTS Jacqueline Chao Mohini Rye PHOTOGRAPHERS Jacqueline Chao Shimin Zhang ADVISER Patricia Fels The OcTagOn is sacramenTO cOunTry Day’s high schOOl newspaper. iTs purpOse is TO prOviDe a reliable sOurce Of infOrmaTiOn On evenTs cOncerning The high schOOl in Or-

Der TO infOrm anD enTerTain The enTire schOOl cOmmuniTy.

The

sTaff sTrives

fOr accuracy anD freeDOm frOm bias in iTs sTOries.

significanT

will be nOTeD anD cOrrecTeD.

The OcTagOn

errOrs

shall publish maTerial

ThaT The sTaff Deems in The besT inTeresT Of The schOOl cOmmuniTy.

The

sTaff

recOgnizes The impOrTance Of 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 excepTiOns:

fOllOwing

ObsceniTy;

slanDerOus Or libelOus maTerial; ma-

Terial cOnTrary TO The besT inTeresTs Of The schOOl cOmmuniTy, as juDgeD

by The newspaper sTaff anD aDviser.

eDiTOrials

shall be apprOveD by The

eDiTOrial bOarD.

cOlumns/cOmmen-

Taries shall be 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: Why not try shades on doors, safety lines?

O

n April 27, 2016, four students’ laptops were taken during a high school band concert.

On Oct. 27, 2015, a computer monitor and a guitar were stolen from the orchestra room. On top of that, spray-painted graffiti was found near the pre-K play area, in a hallway in the lower school building, on a wall outside the After School Enrichment office and on some wood planks.

During the winter break in 2014, one of the school’s vans was stolen from the parking lot. It was later found in the parking lot of a California Fitness Center with two rows of seats taken.

Now in the wake of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead and another 17 injured, concerns throughout the country have emerged about school safety and gun control.

As lucky as SCDS is to not have dealt with a serious emergency on campus, at least three major thefts and other smaller incidents have showed the vulnerability of our campus.

We applaud the school for the actions it has already taken to ensure the safety of the campus. Annual lockdown drills and the planned safety procedure training by Knowl-

edge Saves Lives are a step in the right direction.

But in a March 20 Octagon poll of 117 students, 76 said they feel as though Country Day’s high school campus is unsafe.

With our open campus and large classroom windows, their fears aren’t unrealistic.

The safety of students should be the first priority, which means investing in precautions, like a fence surrounding the campus or bulletproof glass for classrooms.

There are 325 square feet of glass windows and doors in Rooms 3 through 9, and that doesn’t even take into account the library and other buildings.

Even though the large windows are pretty and provide lots of natural light inside the classrooms, they can be easily smashed or broken.

Another option, constructing a gate and fence around the campus, has been in the master plan for 15 years, according to head of school Lee Thomsen (see Parkland shooting raises safety concerns on page 2).

And a fence (a real fence, not just a few pieces of wood that can be jumped over or easily opened), according to Paul Llanez, chief executive officer of Knowledge Saves Lives, is more effective than bulletproof windows.

A fence would limit ac-

cess to the campus itself and prevent an armed person from getting near classrooms in the first place.

Understandably, the costs of these safety measures are high, and it might not be feasible to have both.

There are, however, some precautionary measures that are cheaper to implement. For example, why not put shades on the doors? While classroom windows have blinds that prevent anyone from looking in, three feet to the side are large glass panels on the doors.

During the March 6 lockdown drill, three students in Room 3 couldn’t find a place hidden from the windows, according to junior Nate Jakobs.

Imagine if there really were an intruder or an armed person on campus. What would those three students have done?

Southwestern Jr./Sr. School in Shelbyville, Indiana, which is considered the “safest school in America,” has red lines across the floors of classrooms to mark where students can’t be seen by someone looking through a window.

The cost of adding these lines would be minimal, and they would help ensure that during a lockdown, there would be a safe location in the classrooms, and no one would be stuck in a potentially life-threatening situation.

CAMPUSCORNER Do you feel safe on the high school campus?

“Not really. When you are walking around, especially through the middle school and high school, there are lots of large windows that you can easily see through, which could be really unsafe if someone was attacking us. It is hard to hide because of all of the large, visible areas (in the classrooms).”

“Yeah, it is definitely (safe). The (procedure) we have for lockdowns isn’t as bad as it is at other schools. I wouldn’t say it is really secure, but it is all right.

It would benefit our security if (the campus) was more enclosed, but I don’t think that the open campus is a danger.

A person with a gun could easily shoot down (the large windows).”

LINDSAY BURBACK FRESHMAN

ALAN GALLARDO, JUNIOR

Dear Wardell Stephen Curry II, Before my complaining and ranting envelops this column and your eyes fill with tears due to my critical yet factual judgment, I would like to acknowledge that, while you are not the best (or even the most skilled shooter right now), you are still a phenomenal basketball player who deserved the MVP award both times, and I truly mean no disrespect to you or your family.

That said, Steph, you are a disrespectful, overrated, filthy player, and I can’t wait for the day your clumsy big man, Zaza Pachulia, falls too hard on your right ankle.

And it would be even better if Zaza did it the same way he “unintentionally” pretty much ended the season and future career of last year’s second-best small forward, Kawhi Leonard.

But anyway, Steph buddy, I’m not trying to take the place of your father or anything, but I think you need to go back to manners school.

Just because you miss the game-winning shot, a ref makes a controversial call or your opponent drains a three right over your face, you do not have the right to throw your mouthguard on the floor.

Look, if it were just a one-time thing, I wouldn’t have even brought it up, Steph. The problem is that you’ve done it twice in the last two years.

It makes you look like a crybaby, and I wouldn’t care at all, except children and fans all around the world look up to you and aspire to be like you.

Instead of throwing a fit, you could act like LeBron when the ref makes a wrong or controversial call. Have a civil conversation with the ref about the play, arguing for the next call rather than this one.

As a soccer referee I am infinitely more willing to listen to the player who is relaxed rather than aggressive and pouty.

Not to mention that when you touch the ball after taking your mouthguard out to chew, you are putting filthy germs from your own mouth onto the ball, potentially compromising the health of other players.

I’m being harsh, but as you say, “At the end of the day, it’s all about winning and what you can do to help your team get to that point.”

But though your behavior and lack of personal hygiene frustrate me, what really makes me want to claw my eyes out is how overrated you are.

Just because you were the first to be unanimously voted MVP doesn’t mean that you are the greatest ever.

LeBron was only one vote short in the 2012-2013 season and averaged more assists and rebounds than you that year.

You’re a solid shooter - I’ll give you that - but the claim that Warriors’ fans make that you’re the best player the game has ever seen is more than a little over the top.

I mean last year your three-point field goal percentage was below four other players in only the past 16 years.

Not to mention the fact that your three-point shot is supposedly the highlight of your game.

So, as long as LeBron is acknowledged as better than you in every conversation, I really have no issue at all.

And if you want to know why LeBron is so superior, read my next “My Angle,” which will be published in the next issue.

The Octagon

April 10, 2018 • Feature

DYNAMIC DUO Senior Lily Brown and junior Chardonnay Needler practice their instruments in the garden on April 2. The duo was figuring out how many songs they knew by heart and fully memorized. They were able to play “Eleanor

13

Rigby” by the Beatles and “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys. The East Sac Strings have their next gig on Saturday, April 28, at Porchlight Brewing Company. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JACQUELINE CHAO

A violinist and a cellist walk into a bar . . .

BY ANNYA DAHMANI

’T

was the night before the SAT, and most juniors were at home resting or cramming for the upcoming big day.

Except not junior Chardonnay Needler, who on March 10 was at a party an hour away from Sacramento.

However, Needler wasn’t there for her own entertainment - she was the entertainment.

And she wasn’t alone.

Needler, who had a cello in her left hand and a Barron’s SAT prep book in the her right, was accompanied by the other half of her band - senior violinist Lily Brown.

Brown, who’s been playing the violin for nine years, and Needler, who’s been playing the cello for six, formed their band - called East Sac Strings since they both live in East Sacramento and play string instruments - back in October.

The original idea was Needler’s.

“During one of the college meetings (in October) I realized I didn’t have any community service (activity) that stood out from the crowd,” Needler said. “So I asked (college counselor Jane) Bauman what I could do that would be more interesting. And she suggested something to do with music.”

After this meeting, Needler talked to orchestra teacher Felecia Keys about busking (street performing).

Keys has taught Brown and Needler since they were in the fifth grade orchestra.

“Chardonnay has always had a real feeling for music,” Keys said. “She’s always had beautiful vibrato and been able to express herself musically. Technically she’s very good. But she’s one of those musicians who can make you feel the music.

“Lily has always had a good tone. Even when she wasn’t technically the best, her tone just overran everything.”

After talking to Keys, Needler realized that for many reasons (such as the end of busking season and a need for a special permit), the idea of busking wouldn’t work.

So Brown and Needler formed a duo instead.

“We thought the instrumentation would sound pretty cool together,” Brown said.

East Sac Strings decided to try out performing at restaurants and bars at the recommendation of Needler’s father, Dan. Their first venue was Porchlight Brewing Company because Needler’s father knew the owner, Heather Cardoza.

Brown and Needler sent a recording they’d made on Needler’s phone of “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles to Cardoza on Nov. 6, and she said she loved it and offered the duo their first gig during Thanksgiving break.

“We didn’t have that much music at all,” Needler said. “(So) we started rummaging through Keys’s music that no one ever uses. She had a lot of arrangements for our instrumentation.”

Once they found their arrangements, the two practiced two weekends in a row.

Surprisingly, Brown said she went into that first performance not feeling nervous at all.

“To be honest there was like nobody there,” Brown said. “It was a Sunday afternoon around 3 (p.m.). So it was kind of a trial run.”

However, this wasn’t the case for her partner.

“It was a Saturday night, and we were playing the Beatles), which is now my favorite,” Brown from 6 to 9 (p.m.),” Brown said. “There was this said. guy who was with his girlfriend, and he kept Needler’s favorite is Celtic fiddle tunes. whistling every time we started playing.”

“Lily can play so fast on those,” Needler said.

Both Brown and Needler said that was the Surprisingly, many people at Porchlight have most memorable performance. enjoyed the Celtic tunes, according to Needler.

“This guy came up to us and kept yelling that “One time there were a bunch of women with he was the biggest fan of ours,” Needler said. leather jackets drinking beer,” Needler said.

“He was like, ‘Oh my god, I want to get T-shirts “We were playing the fiddle music, and one of you guys, and (they) can say ‘East Sac Strings’ of the ladies started clapping her hands, dancing on the back!’ and guessing the names of the songs we were “He said he was going to come back the next playing. And some of them had really weird week to watch us play, but we never saw him names like ‘Merrily Kiss the Quaker.’ At one again.” point she yelled at us, ‘You got a fiddler and a Needler said another memo- nice strong bass!’”

We thought the instrumentation would sound rable time was a Christmas party Brown and Needler said they get a lot of at Del Paso Country Club in De- comments about their instrumentation as well. pretty cool together.” cember.

“When I think of live music, I don’t think of —Lily Brown “They gave us food, and it was two high schoolers playing the violin and the really good country-club food,” cello,” Needler said.

Needler said. “We played tons But they both said it works.

“I was so nervous, I thought I was going to of Christmas music too. (I remember before “We really jell with each other,” Needler said. throw up,” Needler said. the gig) we asked (the party planner) David However, East Sac Strings, whose next ap“(Playing the cello) is the only thing I get (Chavez) what music he would be interested in, pearance is on Saturday, April 28, at Porchlight, nervous about. I remember people kept look- and he said definitely not Celtic tunes. So we will soon be breaking up as summer plans approach and Brown moves out of East Sacraing at us because we set up very conspicuously. had to find a lot more music.”

Finding the perfect music continues to be a mento to college in the fall.

I mean, I play the cello. I think that sentence challenge for the duo.

“I plan to keep playing through June,” Brown says it all.

“We are always trying to find more music,” said. “Chardonnay’s going to China over (the) “I walked into the bar wheeling this thing and thinking, ‘What if we’re horrible? And Needler said. “Our target demographic is 40- summer. So I might find someone to do it with and 50-year-olds.” me.” what if they don’t recognize the song?’”

Currently the two play a variety of tunes: Conversely, Needler hopes she will be able to However, Keys, who saw Brown and Needler classic rock songs, Green Day, Coldplay, the recruit someone for next year. perform, said she never noticed any nerves.

“If not, my dad knows a lot of people that “It was like they had no fear,” Keys said. Beatles, Imagine Dragons, “Game of Thrones” “They seemed relaxed, which is important in an medleys, “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran and have wineries,” Needler said. “So worse comes to worst, Chardonnay will be going to wineries environment where people are trying to have a “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi.

“We just learned ‘Here Comes the Sun’ (by as a solo.” good time. It was great; I was so proud of them.”

Needler said she worried for nothing, and, looking back on that first gig, she especially remembers the money.

“I remember counting all our tips at the end of the night,” Needler said. “It was funny because we got all excited even though it was only $60 (between the two of us).”

Now East Sac Strings has made over $500 in around 15 gigs, ranging from Porchlight to private at-home parties to country clubs.

For the first two months the duo donated 50 percent of their earnings to the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. They later reduced the donation to 25 percent.

“We usually get $100 in tips,” Brown said.

Needler attributed the large amount to their age.

“Old people like that we’re young, and they tip us really well,” Needler said.

But it’s not just old people that love East Sac Strings.

During an engagement at Porchlight, the Strings met their “biggest fan,” a man in his SINGING STRINGS Porchlight Brewing Company uses this picture of senior Lily Brown and junior Chardonnay twenties, according to Needler.

Needler as an advertisement on their Facebook page. PHOTO BY SUSAN BROWN

14

Feature • April 10, 2018

The Octagon

Why high schoolers didn’t walk out

March 14 library sit-in avoids partisan stance, protecting SCDS’s nonprofit status

BY SAHEJ CLAIRE

I

n “Politics,” a work of political philosophy, Aristotle said that man is a “political animal,” indicating that humans derive their identity and character from being involved in their communities. (The word “politics” comes from the word for a Greek city state, “polis.”) This story is the third in a series of four covering political issues in the classroom.

“We cannot campaign or advocate for any particular party or candidate,” Wells said.

“That’s critical to a nonprofit’s status. For example, although it would have been interesting, we (weren’t able) to have sheriff candidate Scott Jones come and speak during his campaign season because the school would have been supporting a particular political candidate.”

Wells defined a partisan act as supporting a specific candidate or party but a political point of view as something anyone could have, regardless of party affiliation.

“You could see our mission statement as a political statement,” he said. “It says we are inclusive - that we don’t discriminate based on gender or sexual orientation. There are politics behind those kind of statements, but there’s no political party against equity.”

While the school stands for equal rights, inclusivity and gender rights, it does not take a partisan position, Wells said.

Simply put, he added, the root of “partisan” is “party” while the root of “political” is “people.”

Making this distinction in order to maintain the school’s nonprofit status is very important, according to Thomsen.

“As a nonprofit, Country Day doesn’t have to pay taxes on income,” he said. “(We) typically (can) get a lower interest rate on loans. There are all sorts of legal and financial benefits.”

And these benefits are crucial to Country Day staying in business.

“If (we were to lose our nonprofit status), we could potentially shut down,” Thomsen said.

When the admin-

60% OF

24% OF Teachers planned to walk out of school on March 14

93% OF Students said that students missing class(es) to protest shouldn’t be penalized

Teachers said that students missing class(es) to protest shouldn’t be penalized

100% OF

WEAR ORANGE Students and faculty gather in the library at 10 a.m. on March 14 to take part in 17 minutes of silence to honor the 17 victims of the Parkland shooting as an alternative to a walkout. Students across the country wore orange on that day as part of the nationwide walkout. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

Students planned to walk out of school on March 14

Following the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, students around the U.S. took up the cause of demanding tougher gun laws from the federal government. From 10 to 10:17 a.m. on March 14, millions walked out of their classes in protest.

At Country Day, some students took part in a sit-in as opposed to a walkout, gathering in the Matthews Library for the 17 minutes. Every minute, juniors Gabi Alvarado and Yanele Ledesma and senior Esme Bruce-Romo read the name, age and grade or teaching position of each of the Parkland victims.

In a March 13 poll of 108 high schoolers, 60 percent said they planned to walk out. And about two-thirds of those (60 percent) said that they were memorializing the victims and/or protesting gun laws.

However, head of school Lee Thomsen said he viewed the sit-in as a way to acknowledge that school safety is important.

The distinction, he said, is in what the school does and the students do.

“We want to create a culture where as a student body, as a school community, you can have differences of opinion,” he said.

“Students are entitled to their opinions, and it’s not for me - not for us - to say, ‘You can’t have partisan opinions.’”

Thomsen talked to high schoolers about distinguishing between the school’s intent and students’ intent at morning meeting on March 5. He clarified that while the faculty and administration do support school safety, they strive to abstain from taking partisan positions, whereas students are welcome to do so.

Thomsen said this policy is inclusivity, though head of high school Brooke Wells added that Country Day is actually required to maintain a nonpartisan stance because of its status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which Thomsen said is dictated by the IRS (Internal Revenue Service).

istration was deciding how to respond to the “No one (would have been) charged for an shooting, Thomsen said they were in frequent unexcused absence because they’re exercising contact with CAIS (California Association of their right to civil disobedience,” he said.

Independent Schools) and NAIS (National AsIt comes back to whether the walkout is drivsociation of Independent Schools). en by the school or by the students and if it can “They have teams of lawyers who tell you be viewed as a nonpartisan issue. what you can do or can’t do and can say or can’t Alvarado, co-president of the Chicanx Latinx say,” Thomsen said.

Student Union, said she had approached ThomAccording to Wells, the SCDS sit-in fol- sen the morning following President Donald lowing the events of the Parkland shooting was Trump’s election in November 2016 about stagsimply “a group of people mourning a series of ing a walkout to protest harmful stereotypes and tragedies and calling attention to it.” violence toward people of color and members of “I didn’t see it as (something) political or par- the LGBTQ+ community. tisan,” he said. “I saw it as (acAlvarado said that though knowledging) human suffering. the intent was not to protest We (might) have done a similar the Republican party or Trump Students are thing after 9/11 happened. himself, that Trump had been entitled to “I think the political and poscondoning the violence and sibly partisan piece of it is that their opinions, and it’s encouraging it at his rallies and it happened between 10 and not for me - not for us speeches made her believe it was 10:17, but that wasn’t us - that for them to take action.

- to say, ‘You can’t have crucial was America. What we did was “When you do something something different from (that partisan opinions.’” that political, you isolate othnational decision) - better than —Lee Thomsen ers,” Alvarado said. “(We inthat. Like a healing, coming tostead wanted) to stand in solgether. Not a blaming.” idarity and say that (what was Bruce-Romo agreed, adding happening) was not okay.” that she, Ledesma and Alvarado wanted all stuBut Thomsen denied the group’s request, Aldents to be able to participate in the sit-in no varado said, because he thought it would still matter their political stance. come off as taking a partisan stance, though she “The goal of the event was to show solidarity believes he understood that was not the intent. and support for the victims and survivors of the “I was really hurt by (Thomsen) saying that shooting,” she said. (the school) was going to condone a walkout However, Alvarado said that, for her, the sit- against gun violence (now),” she said. in represented a memorial for the students who “I totally think that gun violence is horrible, were killed and a protest against gun violence. but the fact that (Thomsen) was so adamantly “We (were) holding the sit-in for the vic- against us doing a walkout last year - I look back tims,” she said. “But there’s also something to and think, ‘We should have walked out anyway.’” be said (for the fact that) no one wants to be in However, Thomsen said the request felt to a situation like that. No one wants teachers or him like “the school was being asked to say, educators to be put in a position where they are ‘We give you permission,’” for what was, from armed or have to defend their students. his perspective, a direct protest of then-Presi“I think that’s a very partisan issue.” dent-elect Trump.

Distinguishing between the school’s actions “I was asked to sort of bless the event - to say and students’ actions, both Wells and Thomsen (I) stand behind you; (I) support this,” Thomsen said they wouldn’t have punished any students said. who walked out - though many schools across “If you’re saying, ‘Not my president!’ when, the country took disciplinary action against stu- as a democracy, we’ve elected somebody - I said dents who did so, ranging from unexcused ab- I (was) reluctant to do that because it felt very sences to suspensions. partisan.”

“I wouldn’t take action against respectful, Thomsen did concede that he and Alvarado kind free speech,” Wells said. might have discordant accounts of the event.

“I want (SCDS) students to say what they “(We may differ) in how we remember (it) think about things and become the kind of peo- the lens through which I heard it being asked ple who change the world for what they want.” versus what she may have thought she was askThomsen agreed. ing,” he said.

On the whole, Thomsen emphasized that you can “split hairs” with the issue of a partisan In a March 13 Octagon poll (before the stance, which is why the school is so careful. sit-in had been announced), 108 high “Every situation is going to have nuances,” school students and 23 lower, middle and Thomsen said. “But we want to be able to work high school teachers were asked about the with (the students, and) we want to be supportive of student voices.”

National School Walkout.

The Octagon

April 10, 2018 •Feature

Musical Teachers

15

Many Country Day teachers have hidden musical talents. In the second of a two-part series, teachers reveal their “note-able” musical backgrounds.

All stories by Héloïse Schep

Self-taught father rocks out with daughter

E

nglish teacher Brooke Wells said he grew up with music and learned to play the guitar when he was about 4 years old.

He can also play the harmonica and some mandolin.

Wells never took official lessons for any of these instruments, he said. Instead, his father - who Wells said was part of a few bands and wrote his own music - taught him to play the guitar by tuning a guitar open, which allows a chord to be played only when no strings are fretted.

“You could play simple songs without having to press everything down,” he said.

However, when he was living in New Orleans after college, he met a country guitar player who taught him many additional techniques.

“That’s when it really started to click, and I (began to) think in terms of sound,” he said.

Wells played guitar in his high school band.

He continued playing at Haverford College and later in bands in New Orleans and Santa Rosa.

Furthermore, he was part of Cahersiveen, a Celtic band comprised of high school students and faculty founded by Marta Quinn, Country Day’s former business manager, in 2003.

The band was named after the small village

Cahersiveen in Ireland.

According to Wells, they played in Ireland and recorded their first album in 2006.

The band released a second album in 2014 and still exists today.

Wells said one of the songs on the album “The Fields of Athenry,” a traditional Irish song - was even played by a parent at the auction a few years ago.

The parent had learned the song from the album, though they didn’t know the band was from Country Day. “It was really cool because I never heard anyone else play it,” he said.

Currently, Wells performs at school during the lower school Winter Concert with band teacher Bob Ratcliff and high school parent Jay Johnson.

Wells also incorporates music into his English classes and during morning meeting.

Some of his guitar-playing idols include Ian Tyson, Martin Hoffler, Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Paige and David Grisman (mandolin).

Wells said that one of his favorite songs is “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash, because he can play with his daughter, second grader Sophia, who plays the harmonica.

WEDDING BAND English teacher Brooke Wells (second from left) plays with a group of friends from his time in Mississippi and New Orleans. The group reunited to play for the wedding of one of the guitarists (third from left). PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF WELLS

Flutist practices in yearly Megaband

FUNKY FLUTISTS Laura Steele Monahan and Devin Yamanaka, ’03, before performing in the Symphony of 1000 in October 2014. PHOTO BY MING ZHU

Middle school math teacher Laura Steele Monahan started playing the flute in fourth grade at her elementary school.

She said she chose to play because of her father, who played both the flute and piccolo, and even learned to play on the Artley Flute (a brand of flute) he used in high school.

While she didn’t take les-

sons, Monahan played in her elementary and middle school bands. When she was in high school, she switched to playing the French horn.

After high school, Monahan was a member of the Sacramento Symphony of 1000, where her stand-mate was flutist Devin Yamanaka, ’03.

Monahan said one of her favorite ways to practice the

flute, though, is through the Country Day Megaband during the Playath fundrais-

to get out my flute and practice,” she said.

Her favorite pieces are

(Megaband) is a great opportunity to get out my flute and practice.”

—Laura Steele Monahan er for the Rulindo Schools in Rwanda.

“It’s a great opportunity

Celtic flute songs, but Monahan said she also enjoys holiday music.

16

Backpage • April 10, 2018

The Octagon

In the eye of the storm

Free, easy-to-learn Fortnite lets players build walls, bases and fortifications to help them stay alive

BY ALLISON ZHANG

S

nagging our group, saying we have to go to the circle,” Sommerhaug said.

“They sometimes listen, (but) most of the time, Max, Ming and Hayden are frantic and trying to use bandages and med kits (to keep from dying).”

Sommerhaug hasn’t won a solo game, but she has while in a squad.

Playing alone is more difficult than in a team, senior Bryce Longoria said.

In duos and squads, running out of health doesn’t mean the game is completely over since the player is first “knocked out” and can be revived by a teammate.

“If you get sniped in solos, the game’s over,” Longoria said. “But in squads, you have a chance to keep going.”

Longoria typically plays with his brothers, JT and senior Jake, seniors Harkirat Lally, Reggie Fan, Andrew Rossell and Cameron Collins, and sophomore Chris Wilson and Adam Dean, ’17, a freshman at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Bryce has won almost 100 times, mostly while playing in a squad.

Once when Jake was playing in squads, the rest of his team was killed early on, while he was trapped in one of the game-generated houses. “(The only weapon) I had left was a pump shotgun, and I got seven straight kills,” Jake said.

“I ended up with close to 10 kills that early in the game!

earching “Fortnite” on YouTube leads to about 22 million videos. The official gameplay trailer, uploaded in September, has 31.8 million views.

And in February, the game surpassed 40 million downloads.

To put that into perspective, the population of Australia is 24.7 million people.

Needless to say, Fortnite has become extremely popular since its release only six months ago.

Developed by Epic Games, Fortnite Battle Royale is an online survival game in which players skydive from a flying bus and collect guns, building materials and other supplies to fight up to 99 players. The last player or team standing wins, their screens displaying “#1 Victory Royale!” in bright, bold letters - the CAREFUL CONCENTRATION Freshman Charles Acquisto plays Fortnite on his iPhone in the Matthews Library during lunch. Originally only award they receive. developed for PC or consoles, Fortnite released an app for iOS devices on March 15. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO The game has spread to the school as well. In a March 11 poll of 103 game. the game on Twitch, a livestreaming friends sometimes stay up until 2 or high school students, 24 percent said While PUBG costs $30, Fortnite video platform, searches for “Fort- 3 a.m. Belgian time to play. they played Fortnite. is free to download and runs well on nite” increased 824 percent on PornBack when Fortnite first became More than three-fourths of the low-end computers and consoles. It’s hub, according to Pornhub Insights. popular, Lacombe would play for players were boys. also easy to learn, according to junior Spreading its influence even fur- hours with his friends. But now, he In fact, freshman Elise SommerMehdi Lacombe, who started play- ther, Fortnite released an app for iOS said, they’ll play the game for one or haug is one of only six girls who play ing when the game was first released. devices on March 15. The Longorias, two hours and then move on to a difFortnite in the high school. She said Another special aspect of the game Lacombe and Lally now have it after ferent game. she spends about five hours a week is that players can build walls, bases waiting in a virtual line for the devel“I still enjoy (Fortnite), and it’s on the game, mostly playing with and fortifications, which increases oper to email them a link to down- consistently fun, but it lost the friends - Fortnite has modes for solo their chance of survival. load the app. brand-new appeal,” he said. players, duos and squads (up to four “There are a lot of (other) batHowever, fitting a game meant Because of how much Lacombe players). tle-royale games, but for a PC or a TV on a 5-inch screen has played (755 matches with eight Sommerhaug usually they’re kind of the is bound to lead to issues. The main wins, totaling 57 hours), he has inplays with fellow freshIf you throw a grenade at a wall in Call of same,” freshman Joanne one, all three agreed, were the con- evitably met other players through men Max Wu, Ming Tsai - another one of six trols.

Fortnite’s “fill” system. (For those Duty (another first-person shooter video Zhu and Hayden Boersgirls who play Fortnite “(They) feel a little clunky, and it’s who want to play in squads but don’t ma. Wu, who Sommer- game), it won’t break, but in Fortnite, it will.”

- said. “You just collect different from the precision I’m used have enough other players, Fortnite haug said is a more ex—Bryce Longoria weapons and try to sur- to with a mouse,” Lacombe said. can automatically group them with perienced player, has 43 vive till the end.”

For now, Lacombe said he’s stick- other players to fill a squad.) wins.

Bryce agreed, saying ing with his PC. Since many of Lacombe’s friends “One time I rememthat players building and destroying “But if I’m ever stuck somewhere started playing the game after he did, “And I died from falling off a ber shooting two players down in parts of the map adds a different dy- with Wi-Fi and bored, I might play he said he spends most of the game structure.” the sky while they were still gliding namic. a game or two (on the app),” he said. teaching and helping them.

So why is Fortnite so popular? down,” Wu said.

“If you throw a grenade at a wall Through Fortnite, Lacombe has “Sometimes I get angry when they It’s not because the game is any“They haven’t even touched the thing new. In fact, it’s similar to oth- in Call of Duty (another first-person reconnected with his friends in Bel- don’t build, and it ends up getting us ground yet, and they’re already out of er battle-royale-style games, such shooter video game), it won’t break, gium, where he lived for nine years. killed,” Lacombe said. the game!”

They texted him, asking if he played “Though I could probably win as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds but in Fortnite, it will,” he said.

Unlike other video games that “It makes the game unique - the the game and if he wanted to join more games playing alone or with (PUBG, which was the most downdepict gory deaths, in Fortnite when them. Though they’ve been too busy other players, I prefer losing games loaded paid game, according to Jake), players can change the map itself.” players die, they just vanish.

Nevertheless, Fortnite’s worldwide to actually start playing together, he with friends than winning in that players collect supplies and When Sommerhaug plays with try to be the last man standing in a popularity isn’t limited to just 14- to said, he has other friends in Belgium games with strangers.” her friends, she said they often die 18-year-olds. NBA players, such as with whom he plays on the weekHunger Games-esque environment. in the “storm,” an area that hurts and However, Fortnite’s defining Josh Hart of the L.A. nm, Lakers, ends. can kill players who are in it. The “cirBut because of the different time qualities are its extremely low price have played it. NFL players, such as cle” is the continually shrinking area Juju Smith-Schuster, have played it. zones, Lacombe’s and its novel apthat is safe from the storm.

Even Drake - an award-winning proach to a “Usually I’m the person rapper - has played it. traditional After Drake survival streamed

SCREENSHOTS BY MEHDI LACOMBE