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Campus Connects to Local Newspaper By Tiana Lowe Co-Editor-in-Chief As Sage grows up, our influence expands from just our little Hill to around the Orange County. One of the most revolutionary aspects of this change is the recently established relationship with the OCRegister, the fifteenth largest circulation daily newspaper in the United States and one of the only papers with a growing reporting staff and outlying bureaus. Because of the unique vision of Freedom Communications owners, Aaron Kushner and Eric Spitz, the paper has become integral to small businesses and unique communities of the county, including Sage Hill School. This summer, I got the opportunity to intern at the OCRegister. Yet this was no cliched get-coffeefor-the-boss internship; this was a real foray into print journalism. I discovered activity in the county that I did not even realize was there. From gondola rides to gay rights rallies to mosques to Disney’s D23 Expo in the Anaheim Convention Center, I really did get to see it all. Luckily, the growing demand for OCRegister content has allowed them to keep me on for the year, giving the campus another gateway
to community exposure. All of this is not to say that this is the only way Sage’s influence through the Register is growing. Over the summer, junior Claire Goul, Publications Staff academics editor, had an OCRegister feature about her studies at MIT and her concurrent running career. Senior Jack Williamson, student council president, on varsity basketball since his freshman year, was also in a piece about his notable interdisciplinary accomplishments. A July story featured the exploits of junior photographer Parker Reposa. Another innovative way we have connected with the OCRegister is through the newly launched OC Varsity Arts Saturday section. Senior Alexandra Bollman, a talented writer in English classes and a performer in the Studio, will act as the liaison between the Studio and the OCRegister, working with Mary Robinson, producer of community programming, to publicize performances in the Black Box Theatre on a community-wide level. The OCRegister will, we hope, use photography from alumnus Max Davitt’s father, Randy Davitt. Sage’s growing coverage and uniquely influential student body just goes to show—you can leave the Hill, but luckily for all of us, the Hill will never leave us.
PUBLICATIONS PRINCESS Senior Tiana Lowe, publications staff’s co-editor-in-chief, attends a Disney exposition as an OC Register intern.
PROPS TO KRUHM Guest Director Brandon Kruhm and sophomore Sydney Lake, tech crew’s stage manager, bring out props for an Aida rehearsal.
Artists, guest director tackle the classic Aida By Namita Prakash Arts Editor Elton John and Tim Rice may never have imagined that their musical, Aida, would fall into the hands of able and adept guest director, Brandon Kruhm, here on campus. His vision for Aida is not only to recreate the world that the author imagined, but also to surpass the expectations for Studio presentations this year. “In dreams, where you are and who you’re with changes suddenly and inexplicably, and that’s what we’re trying to recreate in the show,” Kruhm explained. Mary Robinson, theater teacher and producer of community programming, invited Kruhm to come to Sage as a guest director knowing he had a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Adelphi University in New York. “I was very happy to accept, and to have the opportunity to work at such a great school,” Kruhm said. Although Kruhm’s true passion is acting, he has a directing history at several theaters and academies including the Paragon
Theater and Denver Center Theater Academy in Colorado. As he continues his professional career here in Los Angeles, he compliments Sage Hill for its proficiency. “Sage students behave like professionals, and I respect them so much for their ownership of their choices,” Kruhm said. The cast of Aida appreciates the opportunity to work with Kruhm who is primarily off-campus and to embrace the challenges he throws at them while at the same time leaning on his support. “It’s great having a new perspective on theater at Sage from an outside source and from someone who is a really talented actor himself,” said senior Sydney Endicott, who plays the title role. Kruhm acknowledges the wide spectrum of opportunities Sage students have before them thanks to the theater program. “I grew up in the arts myself, and the confidence, communication and collaboration skills I learned through the theater are incredibly useful in every aspect of my life,” Kruhm said.