Octagon 2023-24 Issue 3

THE

OCTAGON

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

VOL.47 NO.3 • Sacramento Country Day School • 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, CA • www.scdsoctagon.com • November 27, 2023

ENERGY EMERGENCY Students rely on energy drinks for an extra boost of caffeine and sugar to stay awake, but the after effects are severe. PHOTO BY REHAN AFZAL

Country Day energy drink culture raises health concerns

I

BY AVA EBERHART

t’s been a long, stressful school day and you still have hours of studying ahead of you. Running on five hours of sleep, you feel desperate for something to sustain you for the rest of the day.

So, you reach for an energy drink.

Energy drinks are beverages that contain high amounts of caffeine, added sugars, ad-

ditives and legal stimulants, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Energy drinks are most commonly consumed to provide a boost of energy. They may also enhance alertness and reaction time, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a government agency that researches alternative medicine.

Whether it’s Red Bull, Monster Energy or Celsius, many students at Sacramento Country Day rely on these carbonated, caffeinated beverages to get them through a long day.

A poll sent to Country Day high school students on Nov. 9 found that 20 of 40 respondents consume energy drinks.

Junior Ash LaPlaca drinks energy drinks at least every other day.

“I have a lot of homework to do and I get

home late, so I need extra energy to keep me awake in order to do all the things I have to do,” LaPlaca said.

LaPlaca primarily consumes Monster Energy and Celsius.

Celsius contains 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12 ounce can, while Monster Energy contains 160 mg per 16 ounce can.

ENERGY DRINKS page 6-7 >>

Junior co-creates essay contest to address global issues

BY GARRETT XU & LAUREN LU

On Aug. 10, the Pivotal Essay Contest was launched in partnership with Oxford University’s Global Priorities Institute, garnering nearly 5,000 submissions and almost 2 million views across social media platforms.

Pivotal, currently led by junior Saheb Gulati, is an international essay contest for high school students to engage with the world’s most pressing problems by responding to one of three prompts relating to ethics, policy and artificial intelligence.

Students can submit essays of 1,000 to

2,000 words on one of the three topics for a chance at a $25,000 prize. Pivotal has no entry fee, and submissions are accepted online at pivotalcontest.org.

Those placing in the top 50 may choose 10 free physical books from the Pivotal Library — a curated collection of books related to rationality, science, and philosophy.

Additionally, the top 5% of participants will be invited to the Pivotal Circle, a community of students.

Pivotal’s questions aim to stimulate critical thinking in young adults and empower those not yet connected to solutions to actively engage.

Michael West, member of Pivotal’s team

CAMPUS CORNER

from Australia, hopes that as high schoolers participate in this contest, they will be invested in generating long-term impact.

“Instead of six months or one year or 10 years, these questions are about issues on a horizon far into the future,” West said.

According to West, the questions are related to the philosophy of longtermism — the idea that positively influencing the long-term future is a key moral priority.

To Ian Habich-Ramirez, Pivotal team member and current senior at Claremont High School, Pivotal is meant to encourage young adults to take action in creating solutions to these pressing problems through research.

“The essay contest might be more of a start than an end,” Habich-Ramirez said.

“Perhaps the essay contest itself is limited to how much change it provides, but proportional to that is how much change it will encourage based on what you learn from it.”

Pivotal’s hope is that the essay contest, though limited in its direct impact, acts as a catalyst for participants’ continued growth and career impact.

This sets in motion a ripple effect: fostering a community of informed and motivated individuals committed to creating

PIVOTAL ESSAY CONTEST page 3 >>

INSIDE the ISSUE

VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS

ORCHESTRA & CHOIR

After defeating the Sacramento Waldorf Waves at home on Oct. 31, the Sacramento Country Day girls volleyball team moved on to the Division VI CIF Section Championship. However, on Nov. 11, the team lost to the Fall River Bulldogs in the semi-finals by a score of 2-3.

On Dec. 4, the high school orchestra, chamber group and choir will perform at the Capitol Rotunda from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Friends and families are welcome to attend.

The Marvels Read a review of Marvel Studios’ newest movie “The Marvels,” the sequel to “Captain Marvel” (2019). (PAGE 11) PHOTO COURTESY OF MARVEL

02 NEWS STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Ava Eberhart Lauren Lu Garrett Xu COPY EDITOR Saheb Gulati NEWS EDITOR Zema Nasirov FEATURE EDITOR Eesha Dhawan SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Burr A&E/OPINION EDITOR Ishaan Sekhon PHOTO EDITOR Rehan Afzal HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY Siri Atluri PAGE EDITORS Rehan Afzal Andrew Burr Ava Eberhart Lauren Lu Anisha Mondal Anika Nadgauda Zema Nasirov Ishaan Sekhon Garrett Xu BUSINESS STAFF Saheb Gulati, manager Aaryan Gandhi, assistant Daniel Holz SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Ava Eberhart, editor Lauren Lu, editor Anika Nadgauda, assistant Anisha Mondal REPORTERS Kate Barnes Elisenda Bota Siri Atluri Jesse Dizon Aaryan Gandhi Saheb Gulati Daniel Holz Ava Levermore Rebecca Lin Luke Scripps Lillian Wang PHOTOGRAPHERS Rehan Afzal, editor Rebecca Lin Anika Nadgauda Zema Nasirov MULTIMEDIA STAFF Zema Nasirov, editor Andrew Burr Jesse Dizon Anika Nadgauda Luke Scripps GRAPHIC ARTISTS Lauren Lu, editor Claire Gemmell Rebecca Lin ADVISER Andrea Todd The Octagon is the student-run newspaper of Sacramento Country Day high school. The print edition is published eight times a year, and the website is updated daily. The Octagon is committed to unbiased and comprehensive reporting, serving as a source of reliable information for SCDS students and the school community. The Octagon will publish all timely and relevant news deemed appropriate by the editors-in-chief and adviser. We seek to highlight high-school-related events and spotlight the voices of those with a story to share. Further policies can be found on our website or by scanning the QR code below.

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • THE OCTAGON

Update on Munroe Street traffic light

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BY ANIKA NADGAUDA

n Oct. 3, the Sacramento Country Day Tuesday newsletter shared an update on the proposal to install a traffic light at the intersection between Munroe Street and Latham Drive. Construction for the traffic light is projected to take place in the spring or summer of 2025.

The project to install the traffic light was officially launched on Dec. 13, 2022; however, according to both Head of High School Brooke Wells and English teacher Jane Bauman, it has been on the agenda for over 20 years.

Sacramento Country Day has been unable to install the traffic light in the past because it operates under a conditional use permit. That means the city gets to decide the limits of the expansion of the school.

This gives the Sacramento City Council and the neighborhood surrounding the school the ability to decide the school’s size and limitations.

Country Day conducted a traffic study, which concluded that the school contributed around 20% of the traffic on Latham Drive. As a result, the city council decided that they would pay for 20% of the cost to install the traffic light. The school paid a sum of $150,000 to the city.

Bauman said that she often has to wait 10 to 15 minutes before she can cross the street.

“I know that I always have to be extremely careful when crossing the street,” Bauman said.

Many high school student drivers, including senior Ike George, park on Munroe Street due to the fact that there is no student parking lot.

George said that he often comes to school around 7:40 a.m., so not having a traffic light does not impact him.

“I guess it would make sense though

for people who come during busy times,” George said.

Although Wells has not been included in the process to install the traffic light, it remains a priority for the high school staff.

“The cars are coming fast — sometimes they are speeding. They either don’t see the school crossing sign or choose not to see it,” Wells said.

When Bauman was crossing the street this school year, a car came rushing towards her. The car swerved around a stopped car, entered the bike lane and sped right next to Bauman.

“I was absolutely furious. The driver just had a total disregard for speed and safety,” Bauman said.

The school has also attempted to get a stop sign or a different type of pedestrian crossing sign, but without success. Because a traffic light will be put in place eventually, the city council has refused to build a stop sign or add flashing lights as tempo-

rary solutions.

Taking a left turn from either direction off Munroe Street can be difficult and dangerous, Wells said.

“If you are waiting to take a left turn you are kind of taking your life into your hands and hoping that people will recognize that you are sitting there,” Thomsen said.

Head of School Lee Thomsen said that the school was then put on a list of traffic lights that the city would build, and Country Day was 44th.

“I asked them how many traffic lights they get done a year, and they told me maybe four or five a year, so it would take them around 11 years to get to us,” Thomsen said.

However, the city council team is making progress and plans to present the proposal to the Active Transportation Commission within a few months, according to the Tuesday Newsletter.

LIGHTING UP MUNROE Sophomore Anika Nadgauda waits for traffic to clear in order to cross safely. PHOTO BY REHAN AFZAL

SCDS enters 30th Run to Feed the Hungry

BY REHAN AFZAL

This Thanksgiving will mark Sacramento’s 30th annual Run to Feed the Hungry — a fundraiser and local tradition since 1994.

Offering both 5K and 10K races, timed and untimed, the race is designed to include runners across all age groups and skill levels.

The event is run by Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, and aims to distribute food to the less fortunate.

Junior Andrew Burr is a distance track athlete on Sacramento Country Day’s cross country team, but his involvement with Run to Feed the Hungry precedes his athletic career.

Ever since he was in pre-K, Burr took part in the fundraiser, and with over a decade of experience under his belt, he now leads the Country Day team.

For Burr, the philanthropic aspect of the race is part of what makes it important.

“Going into the food bank and handing out food to people who are in need is just something that’s really special,” Burr said.

Nearly every year for a decade, Country Day’s running team held a streak for highest donor in Sacramento, but last year, that streak was broken. The title of first place was taken by Geocon Consultants, who raised $4,100, while Country Day fell short at $2,459.

Burr has taken action to regain the title.

“I think the competition from larger schools in recent years has definitely gotten a bit more intense. This year, we’ve been really focused on alumni and friends of people at Country Day; a big part of it is just getting the word out,” Burr said.

In hopes of gaining new donors who may not be aware of the fundraiser and its mission, Burr is increasing awareness about the event.

“I’m sure there are tons of people who would love to participate and raise money, but if they don’t know that it’s happening, then that’s not going to help us very much,” he said.

Burr tackled these issues using a few dif-

ferent methods.

“We started sending out emails about Run to Feed the Hungry on the Tuesday email each week, and we also started talking about it a week or two earlier, which should help,” Burr said.

He also emphasized that the race is designed to include a diverse group of participants.

“You have no pressure on yourself, or competing with other people,” Burr said.

Starting on J Street, the race course winds through East Sacramento, and loops back to the starting point. Both courses cover similar terrain, and the only noteworthy difference is the distance.

Michelle Myers, Physical Education Department Chair, is the co-Adviser for Run to Feed the Hungry at Country Day. Along with Head of High School Brooke Wells, Myers supports Burr by helping him with event-related due dates and guidelines. Her role also entails recruiting younger students to take up higher leadership positions, so that they can take Burr’s place when he graduates.

Overall, the advisors try to keep a light

ISSUE 2 CORRECTIONS It is The Octagon’s policy to correct factual errors and to clarify potentially confusing statements.

Email us: octagon@scdsstudent.org

Page 1 “Country Day affinity groups provide safe spaces for students”: The GSA was incorrectly labeled as just an alliance. It is also an affinity group.

Page 5 “High school trip adventure”: Sophomore Kamron Khodjakhonov’s last name was mispelled.

This is the correct spelling.

Page 6 “A Touch of Kindness”: Dyer-Kelly Elementary was incorrectly labeled as a school in Puerto Rico. It’s located in Sacramento.

touch when facilitating the Country Day team, and let Burr manage.

“Andrew has done it since he was in middle school, so Mr. Wells and I very rarely have to do anything. I think I sent one email this year. He and his mom have it down,” Myers said.

“If you’re trying to do anything charitable, and also help the school out at the same time, this is the perfect opportunity,” Burr said.

NEWS 03

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • THE OCTAGON

Pivotal: Essay contest inspires youth engagement (continued from page 1)

lasting impacts and pursuing meaningful careers, Habich-Ramirez said.

For him, he said being involved with positive impact at Pivotal has taught him more than anything he has learned as a person both emphatically and intellectually.

For others, like West, being involved with Pivotal is more than just a learning experience. His involvement gave him a sense of purpose.

“Through Pivotal, I get to have a richer life because I’m contributing to hopefully making the world a better place,” West said. “Knowing what I do is worthwhile, it makes me a happier person. That’s what I get out of it.”

The same applies to Gulati.

Gulati’s journey to creating Pivotal began in middle school, while competing in Prometheus Science Bowl, an online science competition.

The competition encouraged participants to read two books that discussed topics related to existential risks to humanity, such as artificial intelligence, climate change and pandemics — “The Precipice”

by Toby Ord and “SuperIntelligence: Paths, Dangers, and Strategies” by Nick Bostrom.

After the tournament, he decided to pursue his fascination with the concept of existential risk by taking initiative to capitalize on opportunities related to it, Gulati said.

His efforts led him to get involved with the then-beta nonprofit Non-Trivial, which is now a fellowship for young adults to develop impactful research, policy or entrepreneurial projects.

This was Gulati’s official introduction to effective altruism, a movement that seeks to answer the question of how individuals can produce the most impact with their

time, money and actions.

Gulati eventually developed an interest in community building, which emphasizes the importance of increasing public awareness about the issues and challenges that humanity faces. Specifically, he wants to target high school students.

“I find that high school students, like me, are at a particularly formative point in their life, where they have the opportunity to make these big choices about what they want to do and what impact they can make,” Gulati said. “Yet it seems like they’re an under-targeted group.”

Saheb’s interest in expanding high school community building led him to be connected to Nick Kanefield, a current student at Brown University, in Aug. 2022. The two then began to progress a new idea to run an essay contest for high school students.

Drawing inspiration from the Eon Essay Contest, designed for a broader audience for adults and centered around “The Precipice,” the duo envisioned a similar competition tailored for high school students.

“We wanted to take their blueprint and sort of supercharge it,” Gulati said.

Pivotal highlighted the book “What We Owe the Future” by William MacAskill, a professor at Oxford University and one of the originators of the effective altruism movement, as a recommended resource for students in the essay writing process.

MacAskill went on to endorse the contest, quoted on Pivotal’s official website as saying: “Pivotal is a prime opportunity for students to showcase their critical and creative thinking. I expect that it will help set up students on a trajectory to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.”

As their concept took shape, Gulati and Kanefield dedicated further time to refining the essay contest’s outline and logis-

tics. In May 2023, Pivotal received $80,500 from Open Philanthropy, a philanthropic grant-making organization.

The allocated funds were subsequently directed toward marketing initiatives, the construction of a website, prizes, judging costs, etc., propelling the project forward.

Three months and hundreds of hours of work later, Pivotal was officially launched in Aug. 2023.

Following the opening of the contest, Pivotal was listed under the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA).

NSPA stores scholarship provider and program information in a database which is then provided to organizations like BigFuture, a trademark of the CollegeBoard.

From September to October, Pivotal was listed as the top scholarship recommended on the BigFuture Scholarship Search, which contributed to the eventual 30,000 interest registrations received by the contest deadline.

Although submissions closed in Oct. 17, looking forward, Gulati hopes to leverage the engagement garnered from Pivotal’s launch to produce long term impact.

“We hope Pivotal provides an engaging community for future leaders by giving them the opportunity to innovate and self-educate about these global issues,” he said.

“After all, young people will be the future workers and thinkers of tomorrow.”

Annual Blood Drive brings community together

BY ANISHA MONDAL

As Sacramento Country Day’s season of giving arrived, students donated blood to the American Red Cross during the annual Blood Drive on Nov. 3. The drive took place in the Benvenuti Gymnasium.

The Country Day Blood Drive is a charitable event where people can donate their blood to maintain general supply or for use in case of emergencies or shortages.

Seniors Zoe Genetos and Derek Taylor and sophomore Zema Nasirov are the new leaders of the Blood Drive.

Physical Education Department Chair Michelle Myers helped the student coordinators run the Blood Drive.

“Someday, you or a loved one may need blood, and by donating, you create an awareness about the importance of giving,” Myers said. “We all want blood available to us in life saving emergencies. One blood donation can save up to three lives.”

There is an age requirement for students

interested in donating blood to the drive.

Students 16 and older were eligible to donate, although students who are 16 required parental consent.

Donors had the option to either walk-in or make an appointment online, though online registration was primarily for outside community members who wanted to donate blood.

There are two types of blood donations: a regular blood donation and a Power Red donation.

A regular blood donation gives 16 ounces, or one pint, of blood. Usually, these donations take 10 to 15 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes of mandatory resting time.

On the other hand, a Power Red donation is an automated process that separates the donor’s red blood cells from the other blood components. After, the donor’s plasma and platelets are safely returned back to them.

Power Red donations can give almost double the amount of red blood cells than regular blood donations in around an hour and 45 minutes.

As a result, the requirements for Power Red donations are much more strict compared to regular donations.

Male donors have to be 17 or older, weigh at least 130 pounds and be over 5 feet 1 inch tall. Female donors have to be at least 19 years old, weigh at least 150 pounds and be over the height of 5 feet 3 inches.

Power Red donations are also dependent on the blood type of the donor. Only people with types O, A negative and B negative were eligible for Power Red donations.

After donating blood, donors went to a snack area that the student coordinators had set up. The new coordinators were able to converse with the donors.

Genetos talked about her previous experiences working at the recovery area and how she was able to bond with the donors.

“You can talk about anything in the world.

There was a park ranger once and he told me a story about literally fighting a bear. There are some crazy stories,” Genetos said.

Nasirov said she enjoyed being able to have day-to-day conversations with the donors.

“While we were at the waiting area, we got to learn more about people’s history with blood donations. A lot of people there donated more than a gallon of their blood throughout their whole life,” Nasirov said.

Last year, an important aspect of choosing the new coordinators included observing how they communicated with donors and handled different situations.

To choose the new coordinators, previous Blood Drive leader Jonah David, ’23, and Myers interviewed Taylor, Genetos and Nasirov.

“It would have been really cool to be able to shadow Jonah for a few more drives to know exactly what we do,” Genetos said.

This year, Nasirov will be watching and helping the coordinators, for she will be running the Blood Drive after Genetos and Taylor graduate.

The coordinators made other adjustments to the Blood Drive as well.

For example, last year, they met with Myers and their coordinator from American Red Cross, Kristen Merrill, to add an extra date for the drive. With the new addition, there will be a total of three blood drives this year.

“You can donate every three months, and we really wanted to add one more date,” Genetos said.

The coordinators also decided to add more beds. Together, they nearly doubled the number of beds the drive provided in previous years.

Genetos talked about all the extra space in the gym and how she would always see so many people waiting. She wanted to “speed up the process.”

“It’s a beneficial community service and a wonderful club to have for students who like building philanthropy or their medical resume,” Myers said. “But most importantly, it’s about the giving.”

The next two Blood Drives this year will take place on Feb. 2 and April 5.

THE GIFT OF GIVING Junior Rachel Pan donates blood for the first time. PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDA ZHANG

04 FEATURE

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • THE OCTAGON

TANDON TRAVELER Garman Xu explores New York City with friends. He attends the Tandon School of Engineering at NYU. PHOTOS COURTESY OF XU

Garman Xu, ’23, studies design, media at New York University

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BY JESSE DIZON

arman Xu, ’23, is majoring in Integrated Design and Media at New York University.

Q: Why did you choose NYU? A: I’m majoring in Integrated Design Media (IDM), and it’s an NYU-specific major that deals with combining technology with art, especially VR (virtual reality) technology, so I was really interested in that when I was applying. That’s why I applied here.

Also, I applied early decision in November. That was because the location, New York City, is really exciting. Unlike other places, you don’t necessarily need to drive, so you can just take the subway and get to all your classes and you can also go have fun and make connections. Especially because I’m also interested in pursuing music, so there are a lot of connections here.

Q: What classes are you taking this semester?

A: I’m taking some of the prerequisites for IDM, so I’m basically taking a visual design class where we’re learning InDesign and developing designs. And then we’ve also learned visual foundation. We first learned the history of graphic design from Bauhaus, which is like a German graphic design school that revolutionized the modern approach to design in the 1900s, and then we also did some design projects.

I’m also taking other classes that are more like actual engineering. So we have a prototyping class, and we also have an Innovation and Technology Forum lecture, so I’ve been doing that.

I’m taking this music production class where we learn how to make music using Ableton. That’s been really fun. The assignment for every week is to make a song, and then the final exam is to make an album. We have to present our concept and the style or what we’re doing for it, and then we have to make it for our final grade.

So that’s really exciting.

I have one more class, and it’s the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars Seminar, which

is a scholarship program I got into. It’s something you can apply to on the Common App, and it’s focused on civil justice and learning about the legacy of Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement. Every Monday and Friday, I have classes in Washington Square Park, which is in Manhattan, and I have to go there to learn and discuss.

It’s really cool because right now David Kedem, ’23, and I live in Tandon, which is the engineering school in Brooklyn. I make the commute from here to Washington Square almost every day.

Q: What’s your favorite class?

A: Honestly, probably the Ableton class.

That’s because I’ve already been a musician for so long, but mainly classical, and I’ve always wanted to learn modern pop and how to actually make music. Taking a class was a good excuse to learn it.

Q: Are you participating in any clubs?

A: I’m part of a piano club, so it’s basically just people that meet up. Last week we went to Carnegie Hall for a tour. They also gave us $10 tickets to Carnegie Hall concerts, and that’s really cool because usually they’re really expensive. We just hang out and play piano.

Mock trial has been a lot because I literally go to mock trial more than I go to my classes. We have three practices a week, usually on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, from 7-10 p.m. So, it’s nine hours of practice a week.

Q: What is it like having a spread-out campus?

A: I think it’s a pro and a con. A con, obviously, is that the school spirit here is just not really existent because there are just people roaming around, but they are just part of the city. So I guess for some people, it’s a little harder because you have to really put yourself out there to make friends.

But honestly, if you’re just talking to people in your classes, it shouldn’t be that hard.

But the pro, which I think far outweighs the con, is that you’re in the city, where you can just do whatever you want. Like, as opposed to being on a campus, if you don’t have a car and you really can’t just leave, here you can just do whatever you want.

You can also make friends outside the university. I know a lot of people who have friends from other universities in the New York area, so they just come by.

Q: Do you have a favorite spot to hang out at in New York?

A: I don’t know. I’ve been to a couple of cool places. I’ve been to Chinatown and the food there is good, I’ve been to Dumbo which is right off Brooklyn, and I’ve been to Chelsea Market a couple of times, they have good food there.

I mean like, all these places are really fun, but I think one thing is that I don’t think I’ve taken advantage of the city enough yet, and that’s because I’m just like, really busy with schoolwork. So I only have like, a couple hours on the weekends. So yeah, I’m still slowly trying to get through everything.

Q: How is adjusting to college life?

A: I think it was really good for me, and maybe it’s because my roommate is David, and I have known him for, like, forever. So it wasn’t that big of a transition, and I would say I was pretty independent before, so I feel like it’s just a matter of organizing and making sure you set days for laundry and things like that, and then getting on top of your work. I didn’t really have a problem with that in high school, so it’s more or less the same thing.

But one thing that was cool is when I was enrolling in classes, I kind of got to choose and plan my day, so I could choose a morning class or evening classes. So I guess that was a change.

Q: Have you been able to make any new friends in New York or at NYU? A: Yeah, quite a bit honestly. A couple in my major, who are also interested in design stuff, and then a couple of friends I met during Welcome Week, which was the first week we were here. The entire week was events and having fun and making friends.

So I actually made quite a bit of friends on the Washington Square campus instead of here, and that’s because I have interests in music, photography and filmmaking, so I met a couple of people there.

Q: How is the dining scene at NYU? A: There are definitely a lot of places. I don’t think we have tried out that many since we have been super busy and freshmen are required to be on a meal plan. So, we mostly eat at the dining hall here. The food is okay, but it gets cold really quickly, and it’s overpriced. Because we already paid for it, we have to use it because it expires after the semester.

We have tried some places like Hot Pot and Bonchon which were pretty good. Chinatown definitely has really good dim sum.

Q: Do you miss home-cooked meals?

A: Yeah, I would say so. The dorm food is not bad compared to some of my other friends’ food, I would say that our food honestly is at mid-tier, like a solid 6.5 out of 10. It’s not too bad ­— it’s edible. It’s just that when you are eating the same thing every day, it’s like ‘damn, I wish I had home-cooked food’. David has recently been asking to eat out every day, and I’m like, “Bro, I’m on a budget.”

Q: Has the transition to college affected your mental health in any way?

A: I wouldn’t say it impacted me that much, and maybe it’s because I was able to find quite a bit of friends quickly, so it wasn’t that bad. I personally call home almost every night and my grandparents as well. I don’t think I’ve gotten homesick, and I don’t think I will. I guess I’m just focused on myself here.

I don’t miss Garrett at all, and he doesn’t miss me at all either. I’m still really close with Garrett, and I still send him a lot of Instagram reels.

FIVE STAR OR SUBPAR? Quality of classes: School Spirit: Food: Social Scene: Clubs: Location: Student-Teacher Interactions:

FEATURE 05

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • THE OCTAGON

Freshman Diana Haus advocates for local youth

A

BY LILLIAN WANG

cycle of never-ending projects, presentations and persuasion. Three leadership commissions, one girl. Freshman Diana Haus advocates and spreads awareness about environmental health, domestic violence and the struggles of women and girls throughout Sacramento County.

Starting in the seventh grade, Diana landed her first internship for the Sacramento County Youth Commission (SCYC).

SCYC is an organization made to collectively identify the issues faced by Sacramento County youth, effectively voice those concerns and plan events that help young people. It also aims to connect Sacramento youth with the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.

“I joined because I wanted to help make an impact in my community, and I was looking for ways that I could do that at a local level,” Diana said.

One summer later, at the beginning of ninth grade, Diana started a large project with the Sacramento County Youth Commission (SCYC), aiming to bring awareness to environmental issues in Sacramento.

The SCYC consists of 15 youth appointed by the Board of Supervisors to be a voice for youth in local government.

They get assigned a district to help improve their struggles.

“My job is to advocate for these for the use of District 3.

And so the subcommittees that I’m joining are the ones I think need the most work for District 3,” Diana said.

District 3 consists of the urban union incorporated communities of Carmichael, Fair Oaks, North Highlands, Rancho Cordova, Gold River and Sacramento neighborhoods in the city of Sacramento.

“Our mission is looking for different school districts in Sacramento and identifying which ones have gardens, and then we’re going to help maintain and encourage more students to be involved in things like composting,” Diana said.

Her goal is to host school-wide events in various districts to educate younger generations about the importance of gardening and its local impact. She has already contacted many schools in hopes of spreading awareness.

As she waits for the responses, Diana is closing up her domestic violence awareness campaign.

“We launched it at the beginning of the school year, so we have about one week left of the campaign,” Diana said.

Partnered with Building Futures, her domestic violence awareness campaign was created by her safety subcommittee.

Building Futures mission is to help house underserved individuals struggling with domestic violence.

“We’re working with Project emPower to try to put a self-defense class in all K-12 schools,” Diana said.

Project emPOWER is a movement to teach self-defense training to ensure that students are better equipped to deal with bullying and violence.

She raises domestic violence awareness through social media campaigns and reports the gathered data at each committee meeting.

“One of the things we’re also thinking of doing is adding a domestic violence hotline to the back of the student ID,” Diana said.

She would also like to add second languages in addition to English on the back of the student ID cards according to the second most common language spoken in the districts.

“For some areas in the Bay Area, we might add Mandarin, whereas in Sacramento, we might add Spanish,” Diana said.

She tries her best to provide possible solutions for the people in need.

“Public advocacy has always been my passion because I enjoy helping the community and bringing people together.”

Looking forward, Diana also started to work with the Youth Leadership Academy (YLA).

The YLA is part of a non-profit organization called Plan International that specifically helps with the struggles of women and girls.

“We each get our own leadership project, which is a project that we place in our own community,” Diana said.

Her current project is called Solving Water Inequalities Mission (SWIM), which works to improve access to public pools in lower-income areas.

Public pools in Sacramento have been slowly closing over time, primarily in minority communities. This has led to an increase in drowning rates within the past few years.

Diana spends her day researching the root of the problem while sending out surveys trying to get the community to communicate with her. In addition, she reaches out to city council members and commissioners in hopes of

being able to present to them one day.

“Talking to people in the community while working on these projects has affected the way that I think about my life and how everyone has different lives,” she said.

Diana is determined to find government funding to reopen previously closed down pools, or to construct new ones.

“I just want to work with the community stakeholders to find potential solutions.”

Freshman Malena Lindenau is a close friend of Diana’s, and said Diana will always advocate to make others’ lives easier.

“In sixth grade, Diana noticed that it was awkward for girls to ask for period products, so she had us write a letter to the middle school principal,” Lindenau said.

Sherry Haus, Diana’s mother, said that Diana has always wanted to help people, even when she was younger.

“I remember it was a rainy Sunday and she made me drive her around the whole perimeter of her district because she wanted to get a sense of it and see what it all was.”

Their district included a variety of urban wealthy neighborhoods and low-income rural neighborhoods.

“We were driving and she was talking about how she was concerned that kids at lower-income schools wouldn’t be represented,” Sherry said. “Diana’s passion for helping others formed her pathway to success.”

However, Diana often finds it difficult to find people who are willing to listen to her.

“People don’t tend to take young people seriously.”

One of the main reasons she decided to join the commissions was because there was always someone to back her up and make sure that she was listened to, she said.

Moreover, these challenges have made her stronger as a person through public speaking, awareness and time management.

“I am excited to see what the future brings me as an advocate for youth and to see how I can help further in the future.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DIANA HAUS; GRAPHICS BY ANISHA MONDAL

06 NOVEMBER 27, 2023 (continued from page 1)

and palpitations,” Nasirov said. “Upon investigation, it became clear that it was A standard cup of coffee contains 95 mg. secondary to excessive consumption of The American Academy of Child & Ad- energy drinks.” olescent Psychiatry suggests a cap of 100 While competing at a fencing tournamg of caffeine for those who are 12-18 ment, junior Irene Jung drank a can of years old.

Celsius.

There are many potential physical “My heart was pumping in my ears. It symptoms that may stem from was really weird,” Jung said. “I was also drinking over the suggested nervous, plus the energy drink was kickamount of caffeine, said Dr. ing in and my heart was hurting, kind of Teimour Nasirov M.D., Stan- in a too-much-caffeine way.” ford pediatric and adult cardioThe American Beverage Association thoracic surgeon. recommends energy drink companies to “Energy drinks increase the include a warning label on their cans that heart rate and they maintain urge responsible consumption. the heart rate much higher than The Monster Energy warning label sugit needs to be, even at rest,” Nasirov gests a cap of three cans a day. Pregnant said. women, people who are sensitive to cafIncreased heart rate leads to increased feine and children, although no age is irritability of the heart, he said. specified, are discouraged for consump“Those energy drinks, especially when tion. excessively consumed, can cause irreguAccording to the American Heart Assolar heartbeats,” Nasirov said. ciation, those with certain heart condiOnce an irregular heartbeat, or arrhyth- tions may be sensitive to caffeine. mia, is triggered, this abnormality could In September 2022, a college student persist. diagnosed with a heart signaling disor“Eventually, it may trigger somebody to der died after consuming Panera Bread’s sustain an irregular heartbeat, which is Charged Lemonade. The drink contains not good for a person,” Nasirov said. “So up to 390 mg of caffeine in a large Panera there’s potential for a long-term problem Bread cup, which is 30 ounces. The incias well.” dent led to a lawsuit against the restauIn addition, palpitations, muscle twitch- rant due to unclear labeling of the drink ing and stomach aches are among the as an energy drink. several symptoms from consuming high The Charged Lemonade’s caffeine conlevels of caffeine. tent can be attributed to guarana extract, “My cardiology colleagues have seen a stimulant that has a high concentration kids come in with irregular heartbeats of caffeine.

CENTER Stimulants are a type of drug that speed up activity of the brain and nervous system. They can increase blood pressure, heart rate and breathing, according to the CDC. Consumption of many stimulants can lead to various physical symptoms such as dehydration, anxiety, insomnia and jitters.

LaPlaca experiences jitters after drinking energy drinks.

“Every time after I drink an energy drink, my hands shake a lot more,” they said.

During the freshman field trip to Tahoe in 2022, now-sophomore Gavin Wang experienced insomnia after drinking around 10 Monster Energy cans over the course of three days.

Monster Energy contains guarana, taurine and ginseng, three common stimulants in energy drinks.

“I got home and I was dying in my bed, trying to fall asleep, but I couldn’t,” Wang said.

Nasirov said that because high school feels like the final stretch, high school students are especially susceptible to the negative effects of energy drinks.

“The anxiety is already there, and the energy drinks can exacerbate the anxiety,” he said. “In turn, the anxiety can have physical manifestations such as muscle spasms and severe headaches among others.”

So, when students feel inefficient and as if their brain is not functioning properly, this can cause physical symptoms, Nasirov said.

An article written by Noni MacDonald in the National Library of Medicine stated that energy drinks are often marketed toward younger individuals without displaying much information on what a safe caffeine concentration for them to consume is.

Although some energy drinks appear more appealing and healthier than others, Nasirov said that it’s all in the marketing.

RP O I NT

THE OCTAGON

Here are the numbers of miligrams of caffeine in the most common energy drinks among students on campus The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry suggests a cap of 100 mg of caffeine for those who are 12-18 years old

“I don’t think there is any randomized scientific study that has proven or shown that one is better than the other or that one is less harmful than the other,” he said.

In addition to the side effects brought upon by caffeine and other stimulants, the high acidity and sugar level of energy drinks also come with negative dental effects, said Han Do, doctor of dental surgery at Alhambra Dental Plaza.

Many energy drinks have a pH range of 2.3-3.4, making them acidic. This is due to ingredients like citric acid, vitamins, amino acids and herbs, with citric acid being the most harmful, Do said.

“When teeth are exposed to an acidic environment, it softens the enamel and erodes it away,” he said. “When the enamel is soft, it just kind of wears away easily and then you lose your enamel.”

Enamel is the insulative outer barrier that protects teeth from any damage.

Even after a few hours have passed and the acidity has neutralized, the enamel is still soft and won’t harden until much later, he said.

In addition, once the enamel has softened, there is a higher cavity risk from the sugar in energy drinks.

A single can of Red Bull contains 28 grams of sugar while a can of Monster Energy contains 55 grams. Both contain citric acid.

“The acid will kind of erode and then soften up the tooth structure, and then the sugar will feed the bacteria, and then you’ll have a cavity,” Do said.

In order to avoid damaging the enamel, Do does not recommend brushing one’s teeth soon after consuming an energy drink, as the teeth would still be soft, leaving the enamel vulnerable.

“So, what you would do is rinse your mouth off with some water, swish it around and then just leave it. Let your saliva slowly remineralize,” he said.

Instead of energy drinks, Do suggests

black coffee as a healthier caffeine source, as it does not contain sugar.

Additionally, according to an article written by Kristen Barta on Healthline, if a cup of coffee isn’t enough for an individual, they can obtain a boost of caffeine from other healthier alternatives.

Drinking water keeps one’s body hydrated and running, eating protein and carbohydrates helps energize and build one’s muscles, taking vitamins helps produce energy and exercising increases serotonin and endorphins, Barta said.

Nasirov said the key is moderation. No matter which caffeinated drink an individual is consuming, it is important to be aware of the caffeine concentration.

“As a young adult, one has to realize that it’s great to be young, and one feels indestructible. But the reality is, you have to start taking care of your body. This is your temple,” Nasirov said.

STORY BY AVA EBERHART; GRAPHICS BY ZEMA NASIROV

07

08 OPINION

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • THE OCTAGON

EDITORIAL: Students lack money management skills

M

“Cashed out and stressed out” by Claire Gemmell

any Sacramento Country Day high school students spend an overwhelming amount of time worrying about college.

Constantly, students wonder how to get into their dream school and prepare for the college experience.

One crucial aspect of college readiness often slips most high school students’ minds: financial independence.

As students transition from high school to college, they must adapt from a life where parents and siblings provide living essentials, to managing these responsibilities with little to no external help.

This unpreparedness for independent living may stem from a lack of everyday stresses or insufficient education on the subject — regardless, it is an ever-present issue that only reveals itself once students are left to fend for themselves in college.

This hasn’t always been a problem at Country Day. In the past, Dean of Student Life Patricia Jacobsen has helped run senior seminars to help prepare students for the financial responsibilities that come with the college experience.

“In the past, we used to do senior projects. In these, the seniors would spend the time between them getting out of school and graduating to focus on a passion of theirs to eventually present to the rest of the grade and some faculty members,” Jacobsen said.

“The projects that were done varied greatly.

Some involved research, and some were as simple as playing the bagpipes. However, these projects didn’t last forever because about 15 years ago, the faculty decided that students weren’t putting enough effort into these projects, and they stopped.”

Once Country Day faculty put an end to the senior projects, they focused on something that would help the seniors more in day-to-day life.

“We started to do senior seminars, which were one-week-long sessions with the seniors where local professionals would come to the school and give them short lessons about real-life things that they would have to deal with,” Jacobsen said.

“Many of the people who came in to teach were either Country Day staff or parents. The things they taught the seniors ranged from balancing a checkbook to changing a tire on your car.”

Head of High School Brooke Wells also helped set up senior seminars.

“Senior seminars went away the year that

COVID-19 started. We tried to hold a few Zoom sessions, but they were hard to staff during the pandemic. Because of this, we shifted away from senior seminars and moved towards a senior fun week,” Wells said.

“Now we go on a rafting trip with all of the seniors and plan to do other fun things with them.”

It may be time to bring senior seminars back.

There is time to have a senior seminar week and a senior fun week between the time that school ends for seniors and when they graduate. On top of this, being financially fluent has become even more important since the beginning of COVID-19.

Recently, financial challenges have become increasingly prominent in media coverage. Whether this is because of COVID-19, constantly changing rates of inflation or the rising cost of living in the country, it has been hard to avoid hearing about how difficult it is for adults to stay on top of their finances in the United States, let alone new college students.

According to the Orange County Register, the cost of living in California has risen 19% from the end of 2019 to September 2023.

With similar statistics on display nearly every day, a lingering sense of worry is placed in almost every person’s head.

Some Country Day students agree.

“I don’t think Country Day prepares its students for financial independence as well as it should,” senior Aiden Cooley said. “There are no classes offered that are related to it, and they haven’t even come and spoken to us about it at all.”

This means students have to learn many critical parts of managing money outside of school. Be it from parents or personal research, information about proper money management is not as readily available as it should be.

Students only have a short grace period during college where they don’t have to concern themselves with many parts of adult living, such as saving money, paying taxes, balancing a checkbook, paying bills and dealing with multiple insurance payments each month.

Additionally, credit card companies often prey on naive college freshmen by offering easily accessible, high-interest-rate credit cards to students.

Students often just sign wherever they have to because being in possession of a credit card means they can have access to a little bit of extra cash each month in the short term, while their credit

could be damaged from these cards in the future.

A lack of formal education on the topics leaves students are vulnerable to these schemes.

“Pretty much 100 percent of what I know on the topic is from outside of school,” Cooley said.

Many Country Day students come from higher-income backgrounds, which typically means they are sheltered from financial troubles.

“I’m sure a lot of people at the school barely ever think of it as long as they are secure financially,” Cooley said.

Some students, such as junior Max Weitzman, disagree.

“I think that I am totally ready to live on my own and be financially independent,” Weitzman said.

“Our school helps teach us values that make us strong, independent people, so that carries over into life.”

Although Weitzman feels as if he is prepared, he still sees the value in classes on money management being offered to Country Day students.

“I know there are probably some people who don’t feel the same way as me, so I think the school and students would definitely benefit from having classes on the subject,” Weitzman said.

Former Country Day students who have been exposed to what it is like to live independently in college have similar feelings.

Adam Akins, ’23, attends Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and believes that Country Day prepared him well for general independence, but never explicitly taught him how to manage money.

“Country Day didn’t directly educate me on financial independence, and to be honest, with all the help and aid I get from the college and my parents, I’m not really financially independent at all,” Akins said.

“The amount of autonomy that Country Day gives students to make their own decisions, lead projects and interact with staff and faculty helped me feel more prepared to navigate living on my own and making decisions for myself.”

Country Day does an excellent job of preparing students for both the academic and social aspects of college, but students shouldn’t have a hole in their financial education. It would be advantageous for both the school and the students to offer a class or seminar to teach students how to be financially independent.

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Eberhart Family, Gulati Family, Intel Foundation, Lu Family, Monasa Family, Nadgauda Family and Xu Family

OPINION 09

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • THE OCTAGON

MY ANGLE: Consider vegan alternatives to favorite foods

BY AARYAN GANDHI

I

f you eat meat religiously, why not try plant-based meat? When avid meat eaters are presented with the opportunity to try plant-based meat, they have the perception that it’s a sad excuse for meat.

As meat demand increases, Americans continue to ignore the benefits of plant-based meat.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that meat makes up 32 percent of the American diet.

What difference does a fake or a real burger make anyway?

In terms of animal rights and environmental impact, the difference only becomes larger.

The two leading companies in the space of artificial animal products are Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. Both companies have labs to research and refine the likeness of their artificial meat down to the look, taste and texture of the real product.

A 2022 article from Harvard Health Publishing explains that both Beyond and Impossible burgers are a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals.

Although slightly higher in saturated fat, artificial meat offers an environmentally sustainable option for meat eaters and an additional source of protein for vegetarians.

With that said, if you were to take a plant-based diet somewhat seriously, artificial meat can be beneficial for meals consisting of vegetables, fruits and a variety of carbohydrates.

According to the National Institute of Health, plantbased meals with artificial meat effectively supply nutrients to the body. Because of the soy ingredients, it’s also

easier for blood to reach tissue and muscles.

In fact, many high-performance athletes have taken on a plant-based diet because it can reduce measures of inflammation, making it easier to recover after workouts.

The list includes but is not limited to Kyrie Irving, Serena and Venus Williams, Nate Diaz and Colin Kaepernick.

Grocery stores also make it easy for consumers to try a variety of plant-based meat options besides burgers. There are plant-based sausages, beef crumbles, chicken nuggets and more to incorporate into your favorite meals.

Many restaurants and fast food chains have also added Beyond and Impossible options to account for vegetarian demand.

Another benefit for large-scale producers is the environmental aspect of manufacturing.

In fact, in 2018, Beyond Meat partnered with the University of Michigan to confirm the environmental footprint of artificial meat. They concluded that a Beyond burger requires 99 percent less water, 93 percent less land and nearly 50 percent less energy than a typical hamburger.

These statistics beg the question: what makes plantbased meat much more sustainable than the real product?

The answer lies in how huge agribusiness corporations and meat producers raise animals.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency found that 18 percent of global emissions come from the agriculture sector. Half of these emissions come from raising livestock and producing meat.

To put that into perspective, total agricultural emissions are equivalent to the emissions from all of the world’s land vehicles, airplanes and ships combined.

Additionally, as factory farms are used to mass herd animals, the increasing demand for meat not only kills more

animals but also requires more land, food and water for these farms.

Peter Singer, Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, stresses that 40 percent of tropical forests have been burned to create pastures and animal grazing.

The deforestation and destruction of ecosystems result in 20 percent of global carbon emissions, impacting climate change.

Singer points out that the land used to grow crops for animals and artificial meat is much less than the land dedicated to animals in the U.S. Essentially, if we eat the same food we feed animals, it’s a more efficient use of natural resources and can feed more people.

Despite this, since 1961, meat only continues to increase in demand as it becomes more of a commodity.

To combat this increase in demand, recent awareness and financial efforts have been made, most notably from philanthropist and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.

As an investor of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has financially supported other lab-grown meat startups.

Despite whatever breakthroughs these companies make, Gates is reluctant that the general public will agree to stop eating meat for the greater good of the environment.

Essentially the choice is yours. Even independent, consistent efforts drive down meat demand.

The next time you bite into a juicy hamburger, think about the animals who have spent their lives in factory farms, never seeing a blade of grass. Think about the forests being burned down. Think about the health benefits and the future of the planet.

ADVICE: Tackling commitment issues and confrontation

BY ANONYMOUS This is an advice column that responds to questions shared

by Country Day students anonymously. To submit, send a question to the Google form sent out on Oct. 31, 2023. Responses are not guaranteed, but all submissions are welcome.

Q: I can’t commit to my friends or keep a single stable friend group. I also have a girlfriend, but I feel like I am not stable enough for our relationship either.

Building meaningful relationships and maintaining stable connections aren’t easy. It can be overwhelming unless you figure out what the issue is: detachment.

The solution isn’t rocket science. It simply requires introspection to uncover the root of the issue.

Acknowledging the presence of this detachment in your life is the first step. It takes courage to face the challenges within your personal connections, and I commend you for being vulnerable in already acknowledging that.

By recognizing this, you’ve already taken that initial stride towards fostering deeper and stable connections with those around you.

What I urge you to do next is to take a moment for self-reflection in identifying the underlying cause of your detachment.

Why do you struggle forming and maintaining relationships? Do you tend to pull away or have trouble following through? What is missing in your relationships?

Do you have any stable relationships, such as your rela-

1

Q: I feel like my girlfriend takes our relationship for granted. I plan every date, I pay for everything and she expects me to work around her schedule. I really like her, but I feel like I’m working harder to maintain our relationship than she is.

A relationship is like a band. Every person has their part to play. Sometimes you get to be the lead singer, other

4

8

times you have to play the triangle. Nobody likes to play the triangle, but it’s a sacrifice you have to make to support the band. A monogamous relationship is no different, despite it only involving two people.

First, reconsider the effort and sacrifices you make and then reassess her sacrifices. Bands, similar to high school relationships, often collapse for trivial reasons, such as bruised egos.

However, if you are truly playing the triangle in every single situation, then it’s time to be the singer or quit the band.

A band can only operate well when every member is in perfect sync. Your relationship is no different.

Before you end your relationship, it’s important to confront your girlfriend and hear her side of the story.

She may have an actual reason for her behavior, and it’s important to have empathy for her.

This conversation should be in private, allowing both of you to say your piece.

When confronting her, make sure to emphasize your issues clearly. Explain your frustration and your continued sacrifice.

If you are able to come to an understanding and she is also willing to sacrifice for you, your relationship will be in harmony.

However, if she reverts to the same behavior after your conversation, it may indicate a deeper issue in the relationship. The best and easiest course of action is to end the relationship immediately.

You deserve to sing too.

OCTO-BLOCK

2

3

5

tionship with your family or teachers? Consider what sets those apart from your romantic relationships or friendships.

Once you’ve gained clarity, the next crucial step is open and honest communication. Share your feelings and concerns with your friends and your girlfriend. Tell them your struggles and about your genuine desire to strengthen your connections.

Remember, it’s okay to ask for support. Seek guidance from those you trust and involve your friends and girlfriend in that process.

Not only will this transparency build up trust, but it will also allow others to understand and support you altogether in the long run.

Ultimately, connections are a two-way relationship. The issue of stability doesn’t solely rest on your shoulders; it’s a concern for both your friends and your girlfriend as well.

As long as you are willing to take the time, effort and emotional willingness to self-reflect and exercise honest communication, what initially felt like an overwhelming problem may not seem so daunting after all.

Across 1. A play on words that adds a humorous twist to language and is often used for a clever and witty expression.

5. A spinning top with four sides each marked with a Hebrew letter and used in a game played during a traditional Jewish celebration.

6. A landlocked country in the eastern Pyrenees Mountains, bordered by France and Spain.

7. An insect species that lives in colonies and can carry 10 times its weight.

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6

Down 7

2. In the Bible, this animal became extinct because it was thrown off the ark and drowned.

3. Lightbulb moments or sparks of creativity that can grow into something greater.

4. One of two major ancient Greek epic poems written by Homer.

8. The opposite of the beginning.

9. The acronym for the organization of women whose common bond is their proven lineal descent from patriots of the American Revolution.

Down: 2. Unicorn 3. Ideas 4. Iliad 8. End 9. DAR (Daughters of the Revolution)

Across: 1. Pun 5. Dreidel 6. Andorra 7. Ant

10 SPORTS

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • THE OCTAGON

Winter Sports Girls basketball

A

s Sacramento Country Day’s girls varsity basketball season has begun, players are excited to get back into the flow of the sport with their teammates.

Sophomore point guard Ella Martinelli hopes that the team will maintain its strengths in teamwork and defense while they continue improving on skill during games.

“What I’m most looking forward to this season is getting to know the new girls on the team and being better than last year,” Martinelli said. “I’m hoping that we can get farther this season than we did last season.”

A key highlight of the team’s season last year was the game against Valley Christian on Jan. 12 at the Golden 1 Center, home to the Sacramento Kings.

Even though the team lost the game with a score of 34-57, senior shooting guard Imani Cochran saw it as a good display of the team’s synergy.

“Martinelli put up eight threes, and I think she contributed most of our points,” Cochran said. “I think I got a lot of assists that game.”

Cochran also wants to put forth her best effort as she begins her last season with the team.

“I’m not an offensive person, I’m a defensive person,” Cochran said. “I want to change that this year and be good at both.”

Other highlights of last year’s season included games against Buckingham Charter and Cristo Rey, where the Cavs won with scores of 16-8 and 27-26, respectively.

Cochran believes one of the best parts about playing for the team is that every player knows each other’s strengths on the court.

“It’s like, ‘Alright, you’re good at this. You’re the fast one and you have really good handles. You can guard, you can jump,’” Cochran said. “And we’re able to play to that.”

As a new player this season, sophomore Claire Gemmell is looking forward to experiencing the community aspect of the team.

“We have a small team, but the players are really nice,” Gemmell said. “I’m excited to see how the season plays out.”

Basketball coach Latonia Pitts hopes to expand the team’s roster.

“We have really low numbers right now, so hopefully we can fill it with a group of girls that just wanna go out, have fun, grow and learn the game,” Pitts said.

As the season continues, Pitts hopes the team can continue to develop its technical skills.

“We’ve only had a few practices,” Pitts said. “We just need to work on our understanding of the game and our offense. Something that I’ve definitely seen from the girls so far is hard work, effort and patience.”

With more new players joining, Martinelli also believes that bringing positivity to practice is especially important.

“Just being that player that’s always like, ‘Oh, it’s okay, you don’t always need to make the shot. What matters is that you tried,’” Martinelli said.

“I think that we’ll be better than last year. We can actually shoot pretty well even though we’re only a couple practices in.”

STORIES BY SIRI ATLURI, LUKE SCRIPPS AND DANIEL HOLZ; GRAPHICS BY ANDREW BURR

Boys basketball

The Sacramento Country Day boys basketball season happens every winter, but for many players on this year’s varsity and junior varsity (JV) teams, the experience will be entirely new.

The Cavs, led by longtime head coach David Ancrum, released their rosters for the 2023-2024 season after three days of tryouts.

Across the varsity and JV teams, underclassmen accounted for 50% of the Varsity roster and 75% of the JV roster — a significant increase from last year.

This phenomenon, also observed this year in boys’ soccer, highlights the Cavs’ transition from a senior-heavy team to one primarily supported by underclassmen, as younger players step up into larger team roles. Though the process carries some uncertainty, Ancrum refuses to lower his expectations.

“I expect good results because some of those freshmen have been in the lab working all summer on their game. We just want guys to figure out their part and be confident,” Ancrum said.

One of these incoming underclassmen, freshman Nolan Montoya, says that he already feels the confidence emphasized by Ancrum, and has not felt the heightened pressures and expectations of playing varsity basketball.

“I have a lot of other friends that are joining in as freshmen, and I feel like if coach thinks that I can be varsity, then I can,” Montoya said.

In preparation for the season, Montoya has been practicing both with his team and at home.

“I want to contribute to the varsity team.”

Like many other players, he shows up to morning practices at least an hour early to put in extra time running drills with his teammates including senior Derek Taylor, who is entering his third year of high school basketball and second year playing varsity.

Taylor, while aware of the loss in experience across both lineups, is not necessarily concerned for their competitiveness in the upcoming season.

“Luckily, we have a whole new class of freshmen that makes up for it. Still, it is a whole new game,” Taylor said.

The Cavs will participate in a scrimmage against Vacaville Christian on Nov. 15 before officially kicking off the season on the road against Marysville on Nov. 17.

Ski & snowboard

Sacramento Country Day’s ski and snowboard team will begin their season with a race at Boreal Mountain California on Jan. 5, racing every Friday until Feb. 16.

The team, led by junior captain Griffin Misquitta, is supervised by middle school physical education teacher Jason Kreps.

Kreps feels confident in the team’s abilities from last year’s season.

“In years past, I’ve had some athletes that trained through some of the ski resorts and pushed themselves, but I feel like everyone did as good as they could for their ability last season,” Kreps said.

Training begins Dec. 16, with an emphasis on early preparation to get a head start on the season.

The challenge comes with training on one’s own, a difficult task without a proper program, Kreps said.

For example, Auburn Ski Club at Boreal offers coaches to help students train on a more personalized level.

“The hard part about the sport is that you’re kind of on your own and you have to dedicate your own time to get up to the mountains,” Kreps said.

One person interested in participating in training this year is senior skier Caleb Shin.

Shin is returning to the team after a year hiatus, and he is excited to return to the slope.

“For me, it’s kinda like starting over again. Right now my first priority is getting a teacher, getting on the slope and getting back into the swing of things,” Shin said.

Junior Zealand Schroeder is also excited about the season and skiing with friends.

“I feel like I did pretty well last season. I did the best at giant slalom (a downhill race focused on passing through gates), and I definitely improved a lot,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the students improve and getting to know the coaches better,” Kreps said. “I’m excited for both the new and returning members; they always improve each season.”

A&E 11

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • THE OCTAGON

LATI; B GU FZAL; E H A S AN A Y BY STOR S BY REH TESY OF UR PHIC GRA OTOS CO DIOS TU PH VEL S MAR

T

he latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “The Marvels, shuffles embarrassingly onto the screen without any pomp or fanfare, as if aware of its own monotony.

Marvel Studios has recently seen an uncharacteristic streak of box office failures — but “The Marvels,” directed by Nia DaCosta, might be the worst one yet.

“The Marvels” feels less like a complete film and more like an overzealous attempt to bridge gaps in the Marvel storyline.

It’s as if the studio took every criticism levied against them and retorted with a film that was an amalgamation of them all: “You think that’s bad? Watch this.”

A scarcely logical plot, comically underdeveloped characters and an alienating overreliance on Marvel canon combine to create a “film” more akin to four action sequences strung together with some seasoning.

The plot hinges on a convoluted narrative involving a jump point, a space portal of sorts, and a “Freaky Friday”-esque teleportation swapping mechanic.

Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) is accused of extinguishing the sun that sustained the planets of two alien races: the Kree and the Skrulls. She must fight a Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), a Kree-warrior hellbent on getting revenge.

Alongside her are Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), a child in the 2019 film “Captain Marvel” but now full-grown and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a Jersey City teenager and Captain Marvel fangirl with her own powers, nicknamed “Ms. Marvel.”

After Dar-Benn obtains a powerful quantum band, she gains the ability to upset galactic teleportation systems. This somehow affects Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms. Marvel, who all have light-based powers and become entangled, so that whenever their powers are used simultaneously they switch places.

Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel is a character developed entirely

through television series, leaving those without Disney+ access in the dark about basic premises for the film.

Where did Ms. Marvel even acquire her powers? The average viewer will never know.

The same goes for Monica Rambeau, who’s light-dependent powers developed in the Disney+ series “WandaVision” are glossed over.

The movie’s central premise, the inexplicable dying of a sun caused by Captain Marvel, is both unclear and absurdly introduced.

It’s as though there’s a missing prequel, a ghost film that should exist to make the narrative work.

Der-Benn (is that her name?), the film’s villain, is laughably vapid, a 2D character who takes the crown for the most forgettable Marvel villain of all time.

It’s a disservice to Ashton’s potential, whose emotional delivery of lines feels out of place for a character the audience barely knows.

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is reduced to a mere shadow of his former self, as a foil character serving up flat comedy in place of the impactful leadership we’ve come to expect.

It’s a new dynamic that would work in a satirical 90s sitcom, but feels confusing and disappointing in a Marvel installment.

Despite the heavy lifting needed to compensate for a subpar storyline, veteran actor Brie Larson’s portrayal of Captain Marvel comes across as stiff and unengaged.

In stark contrast, Iman Vellani’s performance Ms. Marvel stands out as a refreshing change of pace.

She injects a much-needed burst of youthful energy into the film, embodying her character perfectly. It’s almost as if she’s actually happy and excited to be on set, and this infectious energy oozes into her portrayal.

Vellani’s performance is strong and engaging, and only barely falls short of redeeming other lackluster cast performances.

Acting and plot design aside, “The Marvels” shows glim-

mers of potential visually and in action scenes.

The action sequences, though very montage-like, are made fresh by the character-swapping mechanic and demonstration of new character’s powers.

However, this mechanic is inconsistently applied. After a scene where the three protagonists train together to master combat when switching positions, we barely see this utilized in the final fight.

This leaves the viewer to wonder if the mechanic was only introduced as a handicap to nerf Captain Marvel’s extreme powers, which ordinarily would allow her to defeat the villain with ease.

The unexplored character-swapping mechanic is indicative of a broader problem with the film, of a lack of exploration into intriguing plotlines and dynamics.

Imagine a narrative that challenges Captain Marvel’s heroism, fosters Ms. Marvel’s journey towards independence and self-reliance, or explores the complicated relationship between Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau in more detail.

These threads are dangled in front of us but never woven into the fabric of the story.

It’s a film with enough raw material to forge several decent movies but instead chooses to cram its ideas into a single, muddled narrative.

“The Marvels,” in essence, is a stepping stone, a mere pawn in the grand scheme of the Marvel multiverse narrative. Its ending is what matters, setting the stage for future installments.

I exited the theater not with a sense of fulfillment, not a distaste for bad cinema, but with a lingering sense of pity for a film that could have been a marvel in its own right.

Rating

12 ENDPOINT

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • THE OCTAGON

11:27

AUTUMN AMPLIFIED

STORY BY ELISENDA BOTA; GRAPHICS BY ANIKA NADGAUDA; PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPOTIFY

“Daddy Issues” is a song released in 2015 by The Neighbourhood. It is part of their album “Wiped Out,” which is composed of 11 songs.

I think that most songs by The Neighbourhood could be placed in the Fall playlist rankings. The backbeats remind me of a sunny yet cold autumn day. The vocals are very calm, steady and relaxing; a song for an afternoon fall walk, chatting with friends while holding sweet apple cider mugs to keep the hands warm. It gives off very cozy vibes.

My favorite lyric would probably be “I tried to write your name in the rain” because throughout that short phrase is one of my favorite beat drops.

Daddy Issues Chance Peña is a new artist; in fact, most of his songs came out this year. “In My Room” caught my ear because the acoustics are incredible and his raw voice in the back. The song sounds amazing. However, unlike “Daddy Issues,” “In My Room” leaves me feeling broken-hearted.

This song is the one that I would play in the background on a sad afternoon. I imagine myself laying in bed on a gray, late November day as the rain taps on my window and cozy blankets cover my body from neck to toe.

Although I love the whole song and all of the lyrics, the ones I find most beautiful are: “I can’t move on from that and I don’t have the words.” These lyrics express the sadness this song evokes for me.

In My Room In 2023, Bad Bunny released his album “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana”, which translates to “No One Knows What’s Going to Happen Tomorrow.”

One of the songs from the album is “MR.OCTOBER.” His voice has a very deep tone mixed with an upbeat beat.

A piano sound in the background gives off a very fall vibe.

The lyrics talk about coming from nothing and building his way up to a money-filled life. My favorite lyric is “Y hacerme millo de nuevo / Mira como me muevo,” which translates to “And become a millionaire again / Watch how I move.” I love this lyric because it puts together the whole track.

MR.OCTOBER Mika released “C’est La Vie” this year. This track is dedicated to his mother, Joannie, who passed away in February 2021 after a long battle with brain cancer. Despite the sad origin, when first hearing the song it took me immediately to a fall night out, with cute jackets and warm boots.

My favorite lyric is “C’est quoi la mort/ Les vies d’avant?” This translates to “What’s death? / What are the lives before?” They remind me of the process of the leaves in the fall. They start a bright, vivid green, and continue to a beautiful orange, yellow or red, until eventually, they become brown and fall off. This happens every year; the cycle of life and death.

C’est La Vie