octagon may 2013 edition

May 28, 2013VOL. XXXVI, NO. 7

THEOctagonTens ions r i se as sophomores battle for Kindles.

In the mood for some hipster music late at night?

PAGE 7:PAGE 4:

Sophomore Grant Miner stares at his course request form as he debates between Advanced

thinking aloud as he weighs the pros and cons of each.

that a schedule of three APs and two regular classes is

Pursuing selective college acceptances, some sophomores pile on AP courses for junior year

tention to the marked crosswalk despite signs warning of a school crossing.

Yet there is no suitable traf

sures been installed?

mending the addition of a stop

roe intersection.n argued that the marked

crosswalk alone is not enough to if the law re

quires them to stop.

the

could be grav

reported having a close encounter with a car while walking across the intersection.

or Madeline Mahla even triggered a minor accident while crossing the intersection on her bike.

checking her phone while turning

pedestrians in a crosswalk have the

By Annie BellReporter

SCDSOCTAGON.COM

See Sophomores

Cars line up on Munroe Street while waiting for Jacob Frankel, Carter Brown, Leilani Reid-Vera,

Ben Hernried and Jackson Dulla to cross. (Photo by Will Wright)

Students scramble for safety on Munroe

Band and orchestra

place high at festival

Amid the shouts and ap-plause of more than a thou-sand high-school musicians, junior Ryan Ho and freshman Serajh Esmail walked on-stage to accept the Sweep-stakes Trophy for Country Day at the Forum Music Festival’s Judges’ Invitation-al Competition in Anaheim, April 19. The Sweepstakes Trophy

is awarded to the school with the highest combined score of its band and orchestra. At the festival the high-

place, the high-school Con-cert Band placed second and the high-school Jazz Band, the only high-school jazz band competing, received a silver rating. The middle-school Jazz

Band and Orchestra both won second place. Individually, sophomore

Micaela Bennett-Smith re-ceived the Outstanding Musi-cianship Award for being the best soloist in the Jazz Band.And sophomore Emma

Williams was named the Outstanding High School Instrumentalist of all high-school orchestra players at the festival.Sixth grader Allison Zhang

won the same award for mid-dle schoolers.

—Zoe Bowlus

ofPoints

Interest

New Student Council po-sitions have been appointed for next school year. Junior Madeline Mah-

la will serve as president. Sophomore Caroline Mehta will be the vice president. Freshman Serajh Esmail will be the director of events (secretary) and junior Sa-vannah Symister will be

communication (treasurer).The Medallion has as-

signed positions for next year as well.Junior Sydney Jackson

will be the editor in chief. Symister will be the assis-tant editor in chief, as well as a design editor. The new Octagon editors

in chief will be juniors Gar-rett Kaighn, Connor Martin and Kamira Patel. Juniors Ryan Ho and David Myers will be the online editors in chief.

—Zoe Bowlus

Student Council,

publications assign

new positions

By Garrett KaighnCopy Editor

See Crosswalk

Lower school teachers shu!e spots

ower school will be

the teachers. Students from kindergarten through eighth

tiple changes in teaching positions.

By AishwaryaNadgaudaPage Editor

See

Veteran instructor gives up teaching

leave the school in

Forensics elective in his three

Though this is the fourth

ment.

something new.

ground as far as leadership.

The school has interviewed

ter Stephen Repsher.

class and speak with current science teachers and administrators.

said.

By Jeffrey CavesEditor-in-Chief

Manageable or much too much?“(Taking four APs) was pretty easy, but you can’t procrastinate—you’ve got to turn everything in on time, and you have to be sure you like the subjects.”

“I started out my junior year tak-ing four APs and a regular class. I couldn’t deal with the workload of all those classes plus my extracurricu-lars. It was impossible.”

By choosing a college that substitutes critiques for

The teaching style sell their art through the school or to buy

use their connections

Fa color in another color is ac

2 Feature The Octagon May 28, 2013

By Zoe Bowlus

Reporter

Simple test determines which side of your brain dominates

Pens are her passion

An unconventional path:By Eric Hilton

Reporter

“The teachers know their audience,

to the creative brain.”–Ryan Eytcheson, ‘03

CCA by the

Numbers

“Art is about seeing—not just

–Patricia Kelly, art teacher

101,450

0

number of undergraduates

number of degrees offered at CCA

number of sororities, fraternities, cars, and sports teams

Creativity or Logic?

Students opt for art college, leave behind grades, athletics & core curriculum

NewsThe Octagon May 28, 2013 3

Seniors learn life skills in the classroom and out

On the afternoon of May 12, Shewetha Prasad was

stuck on the side of the road.

As she was driving, Prasad thought she noticed

the car over

heating and decided to

pull over before she ran

into any trouble.

Prasad, having no

her car, had to wait for

30 minutes before help

arrived.

Prasad hopes to avoid

another such incident by

attending the Automobile

Maintenance seminar,

one of the many semi

school to seniors.

These seminars, which

replaced the tradition

al senior projects, took

place from May 20 to 31.

tory seminars for the

seniors along with nine

seminars from which they

chose which ones they

wanted to attend.

Automobile Mainte

nance, the class Prasad

was most looking forward

to, was an optional sem

inar, taught by teacher

Daniel Neukom, who has

taught automobile classes

in the past.

Neukom taught his class how to check the oil, tire pressure,

Another optional seminar, Stress Management, was taught

by parent Kirsten Ferries, who is a Yoga Alliance Registered

management. The class focused on guided meditation and

restorative yoga.

“It’s a way to naturally calm your energy and refresh your

mind and body, so it’s really perfect for college students,” Fer

ries said.

course, a mandatory one, taught by alumni parent Connie

your money, it’s too late,” Bryan said.

how head of high school Sue Nellis came across the idea of

having senior seminars instead of the customary senior proj

ects.

“Last summer there seemed to be a number of articles about

lis said. “I thought students should really know what it costs

to take out a loan and how to manage their money.”

In her seminar Weatherholt discussed creating a budget in

college. She overviewed topics including identity theft and

fraud, investing fundamentals, credit card basics and saving

accounts.

Another mandatory seminar, Safety on Campus, led by po

seniors, Nellis said. This class will discuss issues such as date

rape and theft.

Tom Wroten, is another op

tional class which 28 seniors

will attend. Senior Gerardo

Vergara learned how to use

ly through this class.

Yoga, taught by alumni par

ent Theodora Wilner, who

regularly teaches yoga, was

a popular choice for seniors

Annie Bell, Tay

lor Oeschger

and William

Wright.

“I have been

convinced by

the class that

yoga is some

thing I want to

pursue in col

lege,” Bell said.

S e n i o r s

Morgan Ben

and Carter

Brown are looking forward

to the CPR First Aid Train

ing Class administered by the

Red Cross. There will be 22

seniors attending this semi

nar on May 29.

The CPR First Aid Train

ing Class is the only one that

The Top 10 Resources for a Great College Start, a manda

the Mind Institute.

Another required seminar was Writing Resumes and Inter

nessman.

Senior Ma

an optional seminar taught by parents Karen Crawford and

“I have had the idea of going into business in the back of

my mind, and I think the entrepreneurship seminar could be

eye opening,” Bosco said.

“What I took away most from the class was how to make sure

I do not plagiarize anything, even accidentally,” senior Ben

Melinson contacted the librari

ans of the colleges the students at

tending the seminar were going to.

She individually helped them un

derstand how they can make the

most of the resources available to

them at their college.

Bicycle Maintenance, a class se

nior Anthony Valdez recommend

ed, was led by Gordon Ong, who

works at City Bike Works.

A seminar about Greek life in

college, taught by teacher Kel

lie Whited who was involved in

Greek life herself at UC Davis, is one looked forward to by

senior Natalie Polan.

fraternities and their recruitment processes. Whited will also

The senior seminars will end with a career day. There will

be two panels of alumni whom the seniors can question.

A historical preservation architect, two artists, a dietitian

at an eating disorder treatment facility, an animal services of

By Aishwarya NadgaudaPage Editor

Neukom taught the seniors taking his seminar how to check the oil, tire pressure and coolant in their cars.

(Photos by Will Wright)

Teacher Daniel Neukom shows senior Leslie Rieger how

to measure the oil levels in his Automobile Maintenance

senior seminar. (Photo by Will Wright)

“(Meditation and yoga is) a way to naturally calm your energy and refresh your mind and body, so it’s perfect for college stu-dents.”

–Kirsten Ferris, stress management instructor

Inductees to the Cum Laude Society, May 20, were juniors Garrett Kaighn and Kevin Rossell, seniors

Annelise Bryan, Elise DeCarli, Annie Bell and Jackson Dulla and junior Ryan Ho. Juniors in the top 10

percent of their class and seniors in the top 20 percent of theirs are eligible. (Photo by Wendy Ross)

Cum Laude Society welcomes new members

Sophomore Caroline Mehta sat in the library at the start of lunch on April 16. Her shoulders were hunched, and her hands gripped the underside of her chair. Her torso rocked back and forth.

She was supposed to present second that day after Micaela

“Caroline,” Brooke Wells, projector coordinator, said,

late, but she really wanted to see Micaela’s presentation.”Mehta felt a surge of excitement. “You mean you want me

“I was actually relieved,” she said. “I really just wanted to

George Cvetich, Ethan Ham, Ryan Hoddick, Aishwarya Nadgauda, Maxwell Shukuya, Isabella Tochterman, Anna Wi

The annual project asks sophomores to research a topic that interests them. From there, they must answer a question

oral presentation.All sophomores presented the week before Spring Break

gold and Sue Nellis.

An Awaited Email

“I was surprised,” Mehta said. “Then I felt honored but

4Feature The Octagon May 28, 2013

By Connor Martin

Page Editor

The high school cheers during morning meeting as Micaela Bennett-Smith receives a Kindle Fire after placing (Photo by Kelsi Thomas)

Senior Kelsi Thomas says people call

white on the inside.She grew up in a white neighbor

hood and went to predominantly white elementary, middle and high schools. She’s always been the one black kid in a group of white friends.

So people say she acts white, and, therefore, they see her as a white girl but with darker skin.

But it’s not that simple.Because although Thomas concedes she

does look “black,” she’s not just black. She isn’t just white, and she isn’t just Hispanic. She’s everything.

“I can’t say I’m not black,” Thomas said,

on which people judge you.”But for right now, let’s just call her “African

American.”Thomas didn’t always think about her “cri

teria.” In fact, she said she didn’t think about

asked to identify her ethnicity.African American.She checked that box that day, and again

the next year on the SAT and again on the 12 college applications she sent in.

But she also checked the Cuban and Native American boxes.

And as she checked those boxes, Thomas

should make in her search for the right college.

“America is obsessed with placing people in categories,” she said.

tween state because of how they look, and society just hopes this gives them an identity.”

Next year Thomas will attend Georgetown University, a school known for being “white,” she said, as Georgetown University is only

technically for Thomas, the change is not too drastic.

But because it’s so much bigger, George

population.

diverse group of students, at Georgetown Thomas believes she will have to make a choice.

forced into it.

Because of the supposed categorization that plagues America, she said.

She was forced into the category of “African American,” and these are the choices she was left with.

And she knows she’s not alone. Thomas said she sees two paths for minor

ity college students at Georgetown.She can stay on the path she’s always trav

a group of friends.

out black students who might give her a win

dow into a community she’s never truly felt a part of.

The reason why minorities face this issue is because society tells them what they are, Thomas said. Therefore they must pick.

According to Thomas, it’s no easy choice.“Either way minorities see you negatively,”

she said.“And either way it’s like you’re trying to

forget who you are, even though I don’t be

American student, doesn’t believe people are

Ritchards thinks that her race and upbringing have made her into an “individual.”

And it’s this individuality that makes Ritchards not necessarily able to associate with a group of those of her own race.

“There’s an expectation as to how you’re supposed to act if you’re a certain race, and I

“Being an individual growing up was how I

to be and who I was going to be as opposed to what I looked like.”

Ritchards’s college choice came down to two midwest schools that both have small minority populations. She chose the one where

words, the college with the least number of minority students.

Of the two paths Thomas described, Ritchards seems headed down that of “tokenism.”

But she doesn’t see it this way.Next year Ritchards will attend Carleton

College in Minnesota. On her visit to the campus, she noticed that the minority stu

race.Ritchards, who has never

made the conscious choice to do that, said one cause of this is the programs the college itself promotes.

been in partnership with

achieving minority public high school students from Chicago who “may have been overlooked by the traditional college selection process,” according to Carleton’s website.

The college’s goal in this program is to extend an opportunity to the students by

creating small, multicultural teams to “serve as a catalyst for increased individual and community development.”

plains why minority groups were so separated

But at Grinnell College in Iowa, Ritchards

tion. On the campus, she said, the minorities

Anna Wiley

“Body Image”

Ryan Hoddick

“Music: The Deeper Connection”

Ethan Ham

“Our Energy Security”

Micaela Bennett-Smith

“Rwandan Gacaca Courts”

Emma Williams

“The Second Amendment”

Caroline Mehta

College Admissions”

Isabella Tochterman

“The Causes and Consequences

of Obesity”

George Cvetich

“FC Barcelona and Catalonia”

Maxwell Shukuya

“Technical Aspects of Film”

Aishwarya Nadgauda

“Nuclear Energy”

Top 10 Sophomore Projects

FC Barcelona and nuclear energySophomores compete in annual top 10 presentations

See , page 14

See Race

By Madeleine Wright

Editor-in-Chief

College diversityRace matters. But should it?

Caucasian Asian

African American

Hispanic

Caucasian Hispanic

Asian

African American

Average of top three U.S. colleges with

“Most Race/Class Interaction” (City

University of NY-Hunter College, Temple

University, George Mason University)

Race/Class Interaction in U.S. Colleges

*Statistics compiled from the Princeton Review.

Average of top three U.S. colleges

with “Least Race/Class Interaction”

(Providence College, University of Notre

Dame, Miami University)

Other

Other

NewsThe Octagon May 28, 2013 5

Students choosing their schedules for next year have several new options.

Among these are the Asian Studies history class and the Socrates Cafe philosophy/debate course, as well as quite a few

electives.

Asian StudiesNext year, the roar of the Dresden bombings and the

speeches of Hitler will be replaced with the soundtrack of East Asian history in Bruce Baird’s classroom.

The History of World War II, which has been taught by Baird for nine years, will not be

Studies will take its place. “I have long thought that we

needed an alternative class that could help students meet the

for admission to the UC/CSU schools,” Baird said.

“World Cultures is challenging enough for native English speakers, so I can imagine how dif

a senior with a couple of years of English under their belt.”While the growing number of Asian students at the school

did come up during the discussions of creating Asian Studies, Baird said that it is not the main reason for the class’s creation.

“You cannot understand East Asia today without understanding how it got there, which means studying its history,” Baird said.

The main reason for the termination of the World War II class was declining enrollment in the class.

Two years ago the class had 18 students. Last year there were four and this year only three.

The structure of Asian Studies will be very similar to that of World War II. The organization of the curriculum will

range from class discussions on readings to modern movies

cal Asian restaurants. The class focuses on China, Japan and Korea with

a secondary focus on Southeast Asia. Apart from the history of these countries, Baird

will also discuss current events concerning the area.

Socrates CafeWhat do Copernicus, Obamacare, Einstein, the

They will all be discussed in the Great Ideas that Changed History class, more casually known as Soc

rates Cafe. The class, which will be taught by English teacher Ron Bell,

covers the “game changers” of history, Bell said.“The history of great ideas means that you go back and

and changed the way people thought about the world,” Bell said.

The idea for a Socrates Cafe originally came from garden coordinator Michael Covey.

Covey, who was the chemistry teacher at the time, suggested creating a class on the history of great ideas shortly before reading “Socrates Cafe,” by Christopher Phillips. Later Covey and Bell would sometimes conduct Socrates

“Socrates Cafe” introduces a movement to try to interest average people in philosophy.

The class includes an overview of Western philosophy from the ancient Greeks to modern times.

to the group.

cussion about something,” Bell said. “If you want to argue about healthcare reform, you have to actually go out and learn about it. Then you can argue about that.”

This class structure will teach students how to conduct informed debates. The Socrates

ment, meaning the course emphasizes critical thinking and public speaking.

“This class puts things in perspective,” Bell said. “It shows the big picture of intellectual history.”

ElectivesIs it really possible for a radioactive spider to create a su

may be interested in the new elective Biology of the “B” Movie, taught by biology teacher Kellie Whited.

authenticity of the science behind them.“We can see if they’re breaking any laws of science or if

it’s something that could theoretically happen,” Whited said.

Drama teacher Brian

Play Criticism anas Literature.

ration focuses on readying students for two ma

they will compete in: The

and The California Thes

Calif.

as Literature, on the other hand, are more involved with observation and analysis

tive.Students in Play Criticism will go

productions.

in the best picture, best director and best screenplay categories.

from. English teacher Ron Bell will

teach World Arts and Culture: ich explores how

tures within our own.This elective will be very similar to Bell’s elective this year,

“It’s a cultural history class where we will be looking at the

in America. “Most forms of popular m

rock ’n’ roll and pop music stems from Some already existing electives will return with a twist next

year. English teacher Jane Bauman will teach Study Skills for In

ternational Students in place of English as a Second Language

“The Study Skills class is not intended to teach students

learn a lot of English through immersion and integration in ort them aca

demically.”

By Emma WilliamsPage Editor

We thank

Lisa Wible Wright

The Myers Family

Lee Tait

The Williams Family

The Martin Family

The Kong FamilySutcliffe LLP

The Nadgauda Family

“If you want to argue about healthcare reform, you have to actually go out and learn about it.”–Ron Bell, Socrates Cafe teacher

“We can see if they’re break-ing any laws of science or if it’s something that could theoretically happen.”

–Kellie Whited, Biology of the “B” Movie teacher

Dinosaurs and Japanese both star in new classes

Tom Kerbs

In the front-page picture of students cleaning up wreckage of the vandalized garden

(March 19), eighth grader Zane Jakobs was misidentified as his brother, Nate. The Octagon

regrets the error.

Correction

Loren Kaye

Kasey Cotulla

6 Remainder The Octagon May 28, 2013

Sophomores: Unusual number opt for more APsthe unique mathematics and foreign

language system at Country Day. Due

to the specialized program, a number

AP Calculus. Many students also have

already completed their fourth year of

language and can advance to only an AP

language course.

But former college counselor Patricia

Fels attributes the high

demand for APs to

a desire to impress

en transcripts.

that because SCDS

competitive appli

cants to highly selective colleges need

to take APs.

to leave time for extracurricular in

hours of community service over four

years at the Mustard Seed School has a

munity service,” she said.

And many students have taken

Fels’s advice and nixed taking four APs

in order to dedicate more time to extra

curriculars.

Connor Martin debated taking four

“Pretty much everyone said, ‘Don’t

do it.’ And I really regretted taking reg

“But I’m kind

of glad I didn’t

do it because

I’ve been able

to put more

time into extra

curriculars.”

next year.

rett Kaighn currently has four APs and

one regular class, yet has taken it all in

stride.

but I still have free time,” he said. “My

I spent sophomore and freshman year

trying to convince him that I couldn’t.

culus class online, AP English III, AP

Chemistry and French IV.

“I think people should take more rig

orous classes so they can test their limit

“If they surpass their ceiling, they

Senior Yanni Dahmani takes the op

posite stance. Dahmani signed up for

APUSH, AP English III, AP Calculus

BC, French IV and AP Chemistry in his

Since he also had Jazz Band, soccer

enough time to accommodate the large

History.

you can take four APs and one regular,”

Dahmani said. “So far the only people

(Continued from page 1)

pedestrians.

tion to get to and from their cars every day.

As a solution to the problem, Jackson pro

Latham Drive and Munroe Street.

lights next to the standard pedestrian crossing

signs.

enough, according to

Scott Fleury, engineering

services manager of Ash

land.

“It’s too early to tell if

ans and drivers still need

going on around them,”

Fleury said.

school?

administration did ask the city several years

though he said he likes the idea.

them a larger margin of safety,” he said.

Although nothing has been implemented

placed it on a list to be considered in the fu

ture.

Intersections on this

list are assigned point

values based on collision

destrian volumes and oth

are ranked by point value

and priority.

intersection currently

tersections, scoring

Hernandez, the city usually constructs only

occasionally installed by pri

vate development.

ommendation is to increase

police enforcement over

speeding, repaint the exist

nandez said.

She said the Sacramento

tion has been researching the

and.

ly not be used in

this case, as it

ing left into or

out of Latham

Instead, the

light, she said.

ust an inconvenience

for drivers, but for pedestrians it’s more of a

safety issue,” he said.

are assigned only to intersect

has over

dez said.

And aside from

privately funding the

the school could do

to get a signal imple

mented.

According to Hernandez, adding a full stop

said she

about the

cost of Sac

ramento’s

“If there

econo

tain percentage.”

Crosswalk: Distracted drivers, low visibility lead to accidents(Continued from page 1)

“If there were an econom-ic solution, the school would certainly be willing to contribute a portion.”–Stephen Repsher, headmaster

“Drivers still need to be cognizant of what is going on around them.”

–Scott Fleury, engineering services manager of Ashland

“I’m glad I didn’t do (four APs) because I’ve been able to put more time into extra-curriculars.”

–Connor Martin, junior

Close encounters between the lines

yank him back.”

they can right in front of you. Sometimes, they

coming from Loehmann’s.”

Nearly 50 percent of students have had “close encounters” with cars[ [

By JeffreyCaves

What a long, strange meal it’s been.

Three years ago, when the editors of the Octagon offered me this job, my first thought was, “Who cares?”

This was just my weird little hobby.

Who would want to hear what I thought about food, and what experience made me an authority on it in the first place?

And “Chef Jeff ”—the name they proposed—was enough to make me shudder until the marginally less embarrassing “Cooking in the Cave” was suggested.

But despite a healthy dose of coercion and a lot of rewriting, I wrote a column, my first col-umn, on the most obvious food topic I could think of: the farm-ers market.

Since then you have read my ramblings on everything from Turkish kebabs to organ meats. Now a change is in store.

Junior Connor Martin—my successor who tried to seize my column while I was still here more times than I can count—will be the one writing it next year.

Gone will be my casual disre-gard for the basic principles of fine dining. I like to think that you’re moving towards an era of greater sophistication.

Connor cares about service and ambiance and how his food is presented.

I, on the other hand, once ate a roasted guinea pig off a met-al pipe in a concrete shack that doubled as a taxi dispatch.

Okay, so maybe it was a bad decision. It was certainly one my more-dignified friend would scorn—my more-digni-fied friend who name-drops fa-mous chefs more than anyone I’ve ever met.

Don’t get me wrong—I like Connor.

His passion for food rivals my own, and he is at worst a lovable snob.

And he genuinely cares about this column. (He once jokingly hinted that he might poison me to take it over early.)

Yes, he mentions Thomas Keller as many as four times a day. But perhaps we need a snob.

Snobs are underrated. Peo-ple like Connor expect the best from every restaurant and chef.

And because they do, they bring out that best.

He admires the celebrity chefs who can actually cook and ignores the rest.

In the end, I’m glad I won one minor battle as I was dragged—kicking and scream-ing, I will admit—to write that first column.

I’m glad it’s “Cooking in the Cave,” if only because it means that I can pass it on to the only person I’ve met who loves food as much as I do.

Farewell, fellow foodies

7ReviewThe Octagon May 28, 2013

Cooking in the Cave

TESTING 1... 2... 3...

Hipster hideouts welcome eclectic bandsThe Naked Lounge

I The unusual atmosphere and decor add to the

paintings are scattered

around the walls in odd

One piece included

stood almost motionless through

had no meaning due to his

The dwindling audience

Luigi’s

I

Elijah Egbert of The Trees (left) and

The Wheels ( right). (Photos by Max-

well Shukuya)

-(Photo by Maxwell Shukuya)

(Photo by Maxwell Shukuya)

“He seemed to enjoy

screaming and wailing

at times. And, his un-

my ears.”

! "#$%#&'()$%*+#,-.%/0($ 12/3,4!5,4678

Most people on campus would comfortably say that Country Day sports have had a good year.

Some optimists might even say it has been impressive: the boys’

fore losing in the second round.

plishments goodbye.

And here’s why.

to it.

every year.The senior class also has some of Country Day’s best athletes ever.

game.

Senior Donald Hutchinson has an equally impressive resume.

age of eight goals per game for lacrosse and was the catcher for the baseball team.

He also played competitive lacrosse from fourth to eighth grade and is planning to play club lacrosse at University of Colorado Boulder.

sity volleyball as a freshman.And the list goes on.With Country Day being such a small

mise of the teams.

baseball team along with two other seniors.

saves this season.

But for some sports the greatest problem isn’t losing stars.

Domich credits the seniors with regularly showing up at practices

bers don’t always show up to races and meets.

The varsity volleyball team is facing both a number issue and the

must step up.

And here’s where another problem lies according to multiple stu

Symister agrees.

cent played a sport this year.

lacrosse team and none at all on the baseball team.

do.

this year.

to above average because the other teams also lost a lot of seniors.

ready training.

he said.

By Ryan Ho

Annie Bell - Smith CollegeMorgan Bennett-Smith, Elise DeCarli - Occidental College

Mary-Clare Bosco - Pomona CollegeCarter Brown - Cornell University

Annelise Bryan - Butler UniversityTyler Burger - William Jessup University

Jefferey Caves - George Washington UniversityYanni Dahmani - Stanford University

Jackson Dulla - Pitzer CollegeStasia Ferry, Wind Wu - Ohio Wesleyan University

Nick Fesler - CSU Long BeachJacob Frankel, Imani Ritchards - Carleton College

Clement Goetzeler - Arizona State University

Jianna Gudebski, Natalie Polan - Chapman UniversityBen Hernried - Whitman College

Donald Hutchinson - University of Colorado, Boulder

Alex Kardasopoulos, Marisa Kindsvater - California College of the ArtsJack Lewis - Trinity University

Wanning Liu, Shewetha Prasad - UC Santa CruzCori Locke - University of nevada, Reno

Brandon Mysicka - Santa Clara UniveristyTaylor Oeschger - Montana State University

Brandon Pefferle, Anothony Valdez - Sierra College

Tommy Peng - Otis Institute of Art and Design

Nikita Singh - Dominican UniversityKelsi Thomas - Georgetown University

Gerardo Vergara - St. Mary’s College

Madeleine Wright - UCLA

Kevin Wang - San Jose State UniversityAlison Walter - UC Berkeley

William Wright - UC San Diego

What will teams do without the seniors?

28 Private

13 public

24 in CA

17 out of state

57 scored by seniors

18 scored by others

158 scored by others

595scored by seniors

72 scored by seniors

20 scored by others

!"#$%&'(!)*+

Goalsscored in

boys’Lacrosse

Points scored in

boys’ Basketball

Goals scoredin boys’Soccer

In-statevs

Out of State

Public vs

Private

Onions to. . . the peo-

ple who are step-

ping on the plants in the

quad. Please just walk

around the plants so

they can have a chance

at life.

Orchids to. . . Ste-

phen Repsher and

Sue Nel l is for read-

ing and responding to

all the Beamer-related

letters. Thank you for

adressing this issue

respectfully.

The Octagon is published eight times a year by high-school journalism students of Sacramento Country Day School, 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, Calif. 95864. Phone: (916) 481-8811, ext. 347. Email: [email protected], Web address: http://www.scdsoctagon.com.

The Octagon

My Angle

By

Ryan Ho

Racism.

It’s the word that frightened me most about attending school in the United States six years ago.

Coming from an elementary school in Taiwan that had 2000 other Asian children, I felt queasy about be-ing one of the only Asians at Camellia Waldorf School.

So on the first day, I expected to be showered by hurt-ful remarks about my race.

But I received none.And it stayed that way for the two years that I spent at

Waldorf and the years since then at Country Day.In fact I haven’t met anyone, student or adult, who

has discriminated against me—in other words, some-one that I would call “truly racist.”

But I have heard my share of racist jokes.“Hey, open your eyes.”“What do you mean? They are open.” Oh, wait. I get it. Ha. Ha.It is also not uncommon that some people make fun

of me for my “Asian-ness.”“You’re doing homework? That’s so Asian of you.”“Umm, so you eat dogs?”While these jokes pop up every so often at school,

they don’t offend me much for two reasons.First, I know that the person probably intends to em-

phasize the joke more than the racist aspect behind it.Secondly, I am likely friends with the offender—or at

least know the person well enough to not take offense.But those reasons are also why there’s a problem at

Country Day. I see the school as a place where everyone is acquaint-

ed. Yet this positive quality also leads to carelessness and insensitivity about potentially harmful jokes.

Racist jokes are around at this school, just as they are at other high schools, because they’re “funny” and not often punished.

People on the receiving end of these jokes are stuck between laughing them off, as I do, or taking offense. But due to the friendly environment, it’s hard to be seri-ously angry. In fact, it’s socially awkward to be.

“What, you can’t take a joke?”So most victims don’t confront the offenders even if

they’re truly hurt, and consequently the people think that their jokes are okay and continue making them.

The racist jokes at Country Day are so minor that they don’t bother me, but I understand that that’s not the case for others.

I really believe (and want to believe) that the offend-ers don’t mean their jokes to hurt. But I encourage the victims to confront these jokesters if the jokes do sting.

Maybe for some, equality among races is now so es-tablished that jokes about a race are just as reasonable and humorous as other common jokes.

But then again, maybe the time still isn’t right.

Subtle racism can hurt

just as much

Orchids to. . . the

student body for

donating 42 boxes of

supplies to Movers for

Moms and WEAVE. This

support wi l l make a

difference for moms in

need.

Onions to. . . all the

students who still

have not turned in their

course requests and

elective forms. It makes

scheduling classes that

much harder for the

faculty.

The intersection of Latham Drive and Munroe Street is dangerous. There’s no question about that.

Nearly half of high-school students report having a close encounter with a car (see story, p. 1), and many have to traverse this crosswalk regularly to get to their cars or Loehmann’s Plaza.

Maybe there hasn’t been a serious accident yet, but

inattention of drivers, one could happen at any time.Drivers go too fast and don’t stop for pedestrians,

especially with no warning of somebody in the cross-walk.

And students, impatient after standing at the cross-walk of the Latham/Munroe intersection for several minutes without being given an opportunity to cross, often start walking without knowing for certain if driv-ers will stop for them.

Stop signs and stoplights are excessive measures—the important issue is the safety of pedestrians, and it

crossing the street.

crosswalk beacon. It’s activated only when pedestri-

As an added bonus, it’s much cheaper than a full stoplight.

This particular intersection is not a top priority for the city, which is understandable, considering there are intersections in the city with higher collision rates.

And the city claims to have enough funding for only one or two new signals per year—one or two new $300,000-minimum full stoplights.

in the neighborhood of $15,000 to $25,000 for the entire project. Surely that could fall within the city’s funding.

Maybe the city’s resources truly are invested in more pressing matters. But it really doesn’t matter who funds the crosswalk. It could be the city, the school, the neighborhood or some generous benefactor.

Maybe the school could work with the neighbors to

Another partial remedy might be unlocking or -

dents who park on American River Drive to cross at the stoplight and walk directly into the campus.

Granted, this would not aid the neighbors or stu-dents walking toward Loehmann’s Plaza, but it would take care of part of the problem.

expensive and the school has little control over the decision, but something needs to be done.

That might mean pressing the city for change, fund-ing the beacon or working with the neighbors—any-thing that might lead to a resolution.

Regardless of the solution, the current issue re-mains: when half of the high-school student body has had a close encounter with a car already, there is too much at risk not to do something.

Onions

Orchids

10 Editorial The Octagon May 28, 2013

&

EDITORIAL: Flashing crosswalk would protect students from inattentive Munroe Street drivers

Editors-In-Chief

Jeffrey CavesYanni Dahmani

Madeleine WrightCopy Editor

Garrett KaighnBusiness Manager

Jeffrey CavesNews Editor

Yanni DahmaniEditorial Editor

Ryan HoCommunity Editor

Aishwarya NadgaudaKamira Patel

Centerpoint Editor

Madeleine WrightFeature Editors

Connor MartinKamira Patel

Sports Editors

Micaela Bennett-SmithSkovran Cunningham

Opinion Editor

Emma WilliamsOnline Editor

David MyersPhoto Editors

Kelsi ThomasWill WrightReporters

Annie BellZoe Bowlus

Emma BrownElise DeCarliEric Hilton

Madison JuddGrant MinerMax ShukuyaManson Tung

Foreign Correspondent

Margaret WhitneyCartoonist

Shewetha PrasadAdviser

Patricia Fels

Late nights in the illustrious CaveThere is a silly presentation we give at the end of each year

to eighth graders who are interested in joining the Octagon.

In this presentation we tell them the “8 reasons to join the

Octagon.”

In order, they are:

Number 8:

rate convention cities.

This is where inside jokes are born and where we play Ma

rio Kart until 3 a.m. before getting up three hours later and

Number 7: Winning awards/becoming a better writer.

and that no one else has ever heard of that award is as won

derful as it is maddening.

Number 6: if adviser Patricia Fels would sooner commit seppuku than

Of course, discussing college does give a certain editor and

that shall remain nameless.

Number 5: Becoming more outgoing. This is probably the

most profound impact the Octagon had on a freshman who

had to be dragged kicking and screaming to write a cooking

column.

But, to be honest, I can’t say it was the Octagon that did

that; it was the people on it.

The people who shaped who I am today and became my

closest friends were responsible, not a few sheets of paper.

Number 4:

known.

This was where everyone was so

focused on putting out the issue that we

school newspaper.

Number 3: Changing things. Maybe

this is why we thought the Octagon was

more than it really was.

I know it sounds silly. I know at the end

of the day we didn’t change anyone’s life.

But we did change things. Partly be

cause of us and the editorials we wrote,

students have laptops, WiFi and iPads.

ing that campus security is treated as a real issue.

We tried to talk about things in our community that no one

maybe, hopefully, all that work did some good.

Number 2: Camaraderie. This is what all those late nights

amounted to. This is the reason that I tell younger students

to join the Octagon.

I tell them, honestly, they will work harder at this than any

of their classes, silly as that may seem.

They will abandon sports and extracurriculars that they

should, I tell them it is all worth it.

It is worth it for the simple reason that

nothing bonds people closer than sharing

the same stressful, infuriating, exhausting

experiences night after night.

Number 1: The Cave. This is where

all of the above happens. This is the place

where our absurd devotion to Octagon is

on display. The Cave is the place where

the change and the award winning and

the camaraderie happen.

The Cave is not just our place. It is the

place where 30 years of editors and writers have sat where we

are now, making decisions that we too have to make.

I guess that’s what I’ll miss most about Octagon.

It won’t be the deadlines or the writing or even the ability

to change things.

It will be that Cave, and the people inside it.

A family I didn’t know I neededIcebreaker games are the worst. The question “Tell us

something interesting about yourself ” invariably pops up, and

whenever it does, my mind tends to go blank.

So I’ve always reverted to the one about myself I know I

It usually gets a few attentive nods, and then the person

next to me is up, talking about how she’s broken 12 bones,

But what those people who nodded don’t realize is that

having a twin has meant I always have family wherever I am

People, myself included, describe the

I’m sure the students, who are able to call

themselves academics, athletes, musi

forever grateful.

But having that “family” experience was

never my goal in the 14 years I’ve spent

already had that place

my entire life. It was next to Will, my

twin, and I knew I was never alone.

That was where the Octagon came in.

So I joined and began writing, design

ing and obeying the orders of our adviser,

Patricia Fels.

work harder and invest myself more.

searching for had found me. The Octagon, in all its stressful,

disposable glory, had taken me in, and made me one of its

own.

home.

full of drama and dysfunction.

Sometimes I wanted to strangle people,

but most of the time I couldn’t imagine

my life without them.

When I look back on high school, the

Octagon is what I will remember the

most.

was always around, and rather than being

at the table next to me, they were in all

the Cave.

my answer to the Icebreaker games that plague orientation

week will be that I’m a twin.

dearly.

Whatever it is, I know that I will owe it to the Octagon.

Like a family, it taught me who I am.

A life lived by musicThere is one thing I hold close to my heart: music.

this column: my last piece of writing for the Octagon.

niscence. Each artist or song represents a stage or moment in

my life that is hard to express in words.

Let me try to do just that.

The top of my library was freshman year. Those were the

Beatles and rock ’n’ roll days. I, unlike everyone else in my

to constantly scream,” I always thought. But still I listened to

ing to the sweet voice of Lennon and his inspirational words.

Scroll down some more in my library, and I come to the

turning point in my life.

I changed my sophomore year, when at a ski and snowboard

race my ears were assaulted by the sounds of the electronic

It was from the moment that I heard the infamous bass

mainstream music that I found myself.

zy music tastes and giant glasses were who I became.

It was here that I was surrounded by amazing people and

alyze it.

broke loose as students dedicated the

wee hours of night to creating this amaz

ing paper.

But it is also this song that will remind

me of the one thing I was never able to

to never be given a “+” on one of my ar

ticles.

you, Fels, for never giving me that plus. So long and thanks

11OpinionThe Octagon May 28, 2013

Editors:I was happy to hear in the March issue (“Students

clamor for computer science; programming class sparks interest,” March 18) how many students were interested in learning computer science. I was sad-dened, however, to hear that people feel that there’s little opportunity to do so.

I was able to take the AP Computer Science A exam my senior year in the 1999-00 school year. SCDS did not offer the class, but then physics and chemistry teacher Marcus Romani decided to volun-teer his time to me and one other student as an advis-er to an independent study. He suggested reading and assignments, and we met every week or two to show off what we had done.

That opportunity to learn the fundamentals of computer science has proven immensely valuable in my career. Many things have changed about program-ming in the last decade, but the fundamentals of data structures and algorithmic complexity are constant.

Sue Nellis is correct that knowing how to operate a computer and being able to pass the AP are different things, but, with all due respect, it was not a challeng-ing test. The AP Computer Science A test is meant for one semester of instruction, and so one assignment and meeting a week was more than sufficient to ace it.

One of the most amazing things that has changed over the past decade is the accessibility of program-ming frameworks. There are excellent development environments that are completely free for languages used every day by professionals like C++, C#, Py-thon, Java, PHP, and Javascript. Many programmers are self-taught, so don’t let the lack of a class hold you back.

For motivation and support I suggest forming a club that meets after school like a sport.

First, find an adviser who can guide you and sug-gest a book. Spend a semester focusing on fundamen-tals, syntax, and code organization. This should give enough background to pass the test and build more complex programs.

Spend the second semester putting those skills to work by working on something together like an app for other students, and find some artists who can help make it look good. Collaboration, especially with non-programmers, is an essential part of program-ming that employers look for. Finishing a project, get-ting feedback, and improving it is another one.

Phillip Saltzman, ‘00

Letter to the Editors

“This is the reason—even if adviser Patricia Fels would sooner com-mit seppuku than ad-mit it—that many of us

”—Jeffrey Caves

Editors bid farewell to the Cave and ‘tiger mother’

“It was from the moment that I heard the infamous bass drop that my world changed ”

—Yanni Dahmani

“And like a family, it was full of camaraderie, but also chock-full of drama

”—Madeleine Wright

MadeleineWright

Jeffrey Caves

Yanni Dahmani

Track

Golf

Baseball

12 Sports The Octagon May 28, 2013

By Elise DeCarliReporter

Teams !nish seasons strongly, look ahead to next year

"ree months o# the road seems a lifetime for competitive bicyclist restricted to full back brace

(Photo courtesy of Valdez)

(Photo by Ryan Ho)

(Photo courtesy of Cunningham)

Photo by Kelsi Thomas

As a Bennett-Smith, it’s fair to say I have a lot to live up to.

Being the youngest of four definitely has its perks. But there’s an expectation

that I will excel in the same areas that my siblings ex-celled in. And all of them were amazing scholar ath-letes.

My sister, Meredith, ‘06, played varsity basketball and was co-captain of the varsity girls’ soccer team.

Miles, ‘09, was co-captain of the soccer team and played baseball, cross-country, and even did wrestling. He then went on to play club soccer, club basketball and club baseball at Stanford University.

And Morgan, currently a senior, followed in their footsteps, running cross-country and playing baseball and varsity basketball. He will play varsity soccer at Oc-cidental College in Los Angeles in the fall.

The first game I watched from my booster seat, sippy cup in hand, was Meredith and Miles’s basketball game at the YMCA.

As I grew older, the sports multiplied. Baseball sea-son started, and with it came long evening practices and games every weekend at Loomis Park.

I’ve spent my va-cations on trips to soccer tournaments and sat through six years of section championship soc-cer games. When they lost, I lost, and when they tri-umphed, so did I.

Understand that I’m not complaining. I’m very proud of their accomplishments, and I’ve never begrudged any of them.

But sometimes I get tired of being compared to my siblings by my teachers, coaches and even my parents.

When I joined the basketball team, coaches David Ancrum and Matt Vargo would encourage me to prac-tice more by reminding me that I was a Bennett-Smith.

It’s in my blood. “You’ll be getting at least 10 points a game next year,” Vargo said.

As I grew older and realized that maybe I would nev-er reach the same skill level in the traditional Country Day sports (soccer, track, basketball) as my brothers and sister, I decided that I could make my own legacy in water sports. I’m a swimmer, I played water polo and I’m a lifeguard.

When I was younger, I loved bragging to all of my siblings, especially Morgan, about how I was the best swimmer in the family.

But Morgan could never admit this. We had many arguments about who was the best swimmer, and he always maintained that it was he. Once he said to me, “I’m stronger, faster and better than you.”

As I got older I started to think about why Morgan could never just admit that I was the best swimmer. I think the main reason was his un-yielding competi-tiveness.

Morgan chose a different path from me. He decided early that he would make his name by

being extremely competitive.He worked hard, specifically in soccer, to achieve this

goal, not only to improve the Bennett-Smith legacy, but to make his own.

But I don’t have Morgan’s competitive drive.I also don’t have all of my siblings’ strengths. I’m not

a sports star like them, and I’m not going to be. I’m okay with that.

But let me just set the record straight. I am the best Bennett-Smith swimmer.

Not going to tennis practice has turned out well for sophomore Caroline Mehta. For two years in a

row Mehta has made it to the division

Mehta remained undefeated for 11

III school, and was eliminated from the competition.

According to coach Haitham Batarseh, Mehta could have won the match, but she got bored with the game.

Mehta advanced to the

defeating all of the women’s singles competitors in her league.

Mehta claimed easy victories in the league competitions, winning a majori

Felipe Monroy, Mehta’s private coach, considers Mehta’s strongest moves her serve and her groundstroke.

Mehta has achieved this without attending tennis practice regularly.

“I went to practice a couple times last year and I didn’t feel as if it was helping me,” she said.

Instead, Monroy, who has been coaching her since she began playing at

to three hours a week. As a result Mehta only plays singles.

Caroline has gotten, they play singles,” Monroy said.

she used to compete in up until a year ago were more challenging.

“At these competitions she did fairly well, but she never got a state or national ranking,” Monroy said.

a member of the U.S. Tennis Association and the Sacramento Tennis Association, she participated in northern

California tournaments hosted at Arden Hills.

“I feel like the people in my league I play now are not as experienced as I am,” Mehta said. “Although we have good rallies in the matches, I could be playing people at a higher level.”

13SportsThe Octagon May 28, 2013

Girls’ soccer coach George Champayne said he may not be

next year.Of course, he said

the same thing last year.

“Its been a rumor for 18 years, and this year is

letic director Matt Vargo said.

But the girls’ soccer sea

year.

I had 32 girls come out for the team,” Champayne said.

could compete with Rocklin

and other big schools. But now we’re struggling against small schools.”

team was eliminated in the

showed up for

Many girls stayed home because the game was the night before the AP U.S. History exam.

“After that, I thought that my career at Coun

be over,” Champayne said.

but I stuck with Country

push.”But this season proved

to be even more of a disappointment than the last, he said.

“This year was one of the roughest in my time at

said.The team lacked ef

fort and only a few girls showed up to practices regularly.

year with an over all

not make it to the play

“My sophomore year there was a lot of spirit; we were a cohesive unit,”

said.“You could say ‘I’m on

the soccer team,’ and there

would be a sense of identity in that. This year people completely lost that sense of unity and identity.”

But despite the lack of commitment, Champayne admits that he would have a hard time leaving. “I would

hate to leave the Coun

to know all the families is a huge plus,” Champayne said.

“Now I have the choice to stay and coach eight girls or take over a powerhouse school. From a professional standpoint, this decision would be

school.“But I have made so

many connections here that I can’t just leave without thinking about it twice.”

And his players feel the connection too, even those

who chose to quit the team this year.

“He was the reason I came back to play my sophomore and junior

said.

play this season because of her commitment to row for UC Berkeley next year.

And she wasn’t the only senior not to play. Natalie Polan and Jianna Gudebski, both of whom had been on the team for three years,

chose not to return either.

However, Champayne said he understands the seniors’ decisions.

“I always encourage my players to do what they

want. If they want to pursue academics or drama, I want them to do that,” Champayne said.

“And I’m obligated to share practice time with track and other

So it’s hard to practice well.”

But without Champayne many believe that there might not even be a team next year.

In fact, according to senior Kelsi Thomas, near the end of the season, Champayne took her and another player aside to talk about just that.

“Right now I’m making the decision whether I want to come back to a team of eight, but as a coach I need more than that,” Champayne

said.“If I had a roster of 21,

then I would stay. And when you enjoy the job and the people you work with, you never want to leave. But sometimes you need to know when to move on.”

Girls’ soccer coach calls it quits—maybeBy Skovran CunninghamPage Editor

“I have made so many

connections here that I

can’t just leave without

thinking about it twice.”

–George Champayne, girls’ soccer coach

My Angle

ByMicaela

Bennett-Smith

I’m not the same as my siblings, okay?

Tennis star goes her own way for practice, still makes playo!s By Aishwarya Nadgauda Page Editor

Coach George Champayne and senior defender Marisa Kindsvater -

ing jobs at St. Francis and El Camino in the past and is unsure whether he will return to SCDS next year. (Photo by Kelsi Thomas)

Sophomore Caroline Mehta eyes the ball in a match against San Juan. (Photo by Alex Kardasopou-los)

“I went to practice a

couple times last year

and I didn’t feel as if it

was helping me.”

–Caroline Mehta, sophomore

“Sometimes I get tired

of being compared

to my siblings by my

teachers, coaches,

and even my parents.”

“He worked hard...

not only to improve

the Bennett-Smith

legacy, but to make

his own.”

14 Remainder The Octagon May 28, 2013

also annoyed that I had to present again.”In fact, several students, such as Cvetich, did not want to present

again.“I already had my grade and I didn’t care about winning, but I felt

ent again because she wanted to win.

focus.“I’m not so much determined to win as I am determined to

step up, do something I never do, and nail it,” he said.

Crunch Time

amongst themselves while waiting for Wiley to present on day two

It was time.

remaining chairs, friends gave their last words of support.

“All right, Anna,” Wells

are.”

long breath.

for someone munching on a chip in the corner.

“Hi, my name is Anna Wiley, and I will be

age...”A lower schooler opened the library door. The heavy metal door

Wiley paid no attention.

Omega-3’s and WingdingsThe sophomores agreed that the worst part of presenting was the

time directly before the presentation. Once they had started, they said, they forgot their nerves and focused.

tions before him.

seemed to melt away.”

“It made me feel a little more

ed to,” she said.“Just the thought helped me

Cvetich, who didn’t care whether or not he won, said he didn’t have to worry about nerves.

“I tried to have fun with it. I changed my Powerpoint fonts to

serious.

said, ‘Questions’ I put that in

Opting Out

ening, some want to opt out.

a second time.

opt out; however, they are encouraged not to.

in the past, but all presented in the end.

“I didn’t want to do the second

ents and teachers pushed her to do it.

through.”

He added, though, that if a person was afraid of presenting, then

Bauman agreed that no student should be allowed to opt out.

then others could win even if their presentations were not as good.

Kindles and Bragging Rights

were not announced until April 29.

Nellis postponed the announcement.

ing me.”

third respectively.

Bauman said that winners “explained their information in a com

dents with the best written essays will be given awards.

The essay winners will be announced during the awards ceremony today.

Sophomore project: Stress and strategy culminate in annual competition

teacher, will be retiring after completing her

dition to the faculty, will replace Levy.

in Kansas City.

ence teacher, will be moving up to the middle school, where she will teach Algebra I and

past. “The greatest challenge will be teaching

geometry, since I have never taught that be

graders show towards their teacher. “But be

dents,” she said with a smile.

she loves teaching second grade. However, after consideration, she decided that it was a “good time to change.”

future second graders will miss out on an important tradition.

would have the students paint pictures from

ful for. Larrabee recalls painting a wolf. “My grand

ma still has mine in her house,” Larrabee said.

lette, will continue this tradition.

tradition.

teacher, in the hopes that she will learn how to incorporate more technology into her curriculum.

is pleased about the change, she will miss

“There is a sweetness and naivete that

Mathisen said.

Shu!e: Lower school changes

through. The guitarists went at their parts with gusto, burying not only their vocals but their quieter bandmates as well. I distinctly

away, a disappointed and slightly vexed expression on her face.

usual sound guy wasn’t there. But the fact remains: this was the worst I’ve seen Luigi’s since their remodel.

Nonetheless, I wholly recommend Luigi’s. It’s a great place to eat dinner and listen to

the next morning.

Music: Local talent discovered

Claire PinsonSophomore Claire Pinson quali-

-

-

Sophomore Ryan Hoddick presents his sophomore project in front of judge Glenn Man-gold. (Photo by Will Wright)

“ -”

–Micaela Bennett-Smith, sophomore

“

-”

–Caroline Mehta, sophomore

15Community The Octagon May 28, 2013

Race: students see the two paths for minoritieswere not nearly as separated, and there seemed to be a much

But Ritchards still did not feel as comfortable at Grinnell

“It came down to the question of whether I was going to go to Grinnell and not have to make that choice between

“Or I go to Carleton where I felt more at home because it was what

Still, Ritchards won’t know what path she will take until she arrives at Carleton in the fall and is able to decide how much of a role race plays

“It’s not really a conscious choice

probably continue with my choice of individuality, but even with that you have to make the choice to not

But Ritchards has already made this very same choice once

Spelman College, a Historically Black College/University

HBCU’s, which include schools like Howard University, Morehouse College and Spelman, along with 103 others, are

But it was this community Ritchards experienced on her tours of these schools that dissuaded her from choosing to

segregate next year at Carleton, in the form of joining cul

themed house, for example, I would be cutting my

After she had been accepted, Thomas came across a page called “Georgetown Confessions: Micro

“And it seemed like every post was about how hated black people, poor

The obvious “categorizing” of minorities and evident racism on the

Georgetown campus made her seriously reconsider her decision to attend the school, but after visiting

who attends Connecticut College, already made

And while she agrees with Thomas that there are two paths minority students can take in college,

Ragland described Connecticut College as “probably one

But Ragland never made a conscious choice between to

relatively diverse friend group naturally based on shared in

At the beginning of the year she did sign up to join a num

didn’t need to have that group as part of my

However, she says she may attend in the fu

and father is white, has been described as an

it, she doesn’t understand the reference in terms of herself because she’s “not sure if I can

“I just live my life as an individual, not really

Ragland said she has never experienced racism at Connecticut College based on her skin

She knows assumptions, based purely on skin color, will be something she encounters at

“In college your life experiences or social standing don’t matter to those who don’t know

“Suddenly I’ll be treated some way because

Have you ever gone to the meat section of a grocery store and wondered where those nicely wrapped packages come from?

Well, freshman Adam Ketchum can tell you exactly where that meat comes from and how

Ketchum participates in the worldwide

tury when the United States Department of Agriculture realized that farmers were not adapting to new ways of farming and established programs to teach the techniques to

Nine years ago Ketchum joined the ranks of

But Ketchum doesn’t intend to be a farmer

So why join?His interest began with his own family’s

Ketchum’s mother was a member of the club, and his grandparents live on a farm in

child he learned how to feed cows, sheep and

“I loved taking care of the animals from the farm, but I really wanted to start raising an animal of my own,”

choose one or two subjects on which they

The subjects include plants, animals, healthy lifestyles, personal development, leadership, earth sciences, technology, citizenship, expressive arts, government

Counselors, who are in charge of the young

pated in only the activities that his counselors

arranged for him, like photography lessons, bicycle recycling

But recently, Ketchum decided to focus on raising, presenting and selling rabbits, since he wanted an animal that he could

“Raising rabbits is rewarding to me because they are like pets that have an actual purpose in

Since he began showing his rabbits in seventh grade, Ketchum has presented seven: three

Showing rabbits are judged on their appearance and weight while the owners give them a

rabbits are ranked by the judges,

Meat rabbits are judged on only their

The potential buyers are allowed to know the weight of the rabbits and are able to see the rabbits when they are being presented by

After all of the meat rabbits at a fair have been sold, they are sent to the butcher later that day and given to the highest bidders

The minimum bid for a rabbit is

has sold his for

money earned goes toward the costs of

According to Ketchum, selling his meat rabbits

avoid getting attached, Ketchum jokingly named

them Rabbit, Stew, Tweedledee and Tweedle

“Since they were mean and looked possessed, I never had second thoughts about

Do animal rights advocates ever step in to

they can try to save animals by buying them,

buy their children’s animals for the same rea

In the Sacramento region, the biggest events for showing and selling animals are the Sacramento County Fair and the California

brown rabbits, Samoa and Chestnut, at the

presented his white rabbits, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, as meat

Myers was also a mem

In high school, Myers raised lambs on her

When the lambs were ready for showing, Myers would take them to the Siskiyou Coun

When Myers was 15, she owned a lamb

Coincidentally, Myers’s neighbor bought

When her neighbor invited the Myers family to dinner one night, it wasn’t until after the meal that Myers realized that she had just

Although Myers never became a counselor,

If this happens, Ketchum may be the counselor for sixth graders Vittoria Van Vleck and Rene Quiggle and eighth grader Christian Van

because their parents wanted them to con

The Van Vlecks sell their lambs at fairs for

kept on their uncle’s farm,

that the Van Vlecks showed lambs at the fairs instead of

After joining four years ago, Quiggle and her family

kept on her grandparents’ farm in Wilton, Ca

Ketchum has felt compassion for some of the rabbits that he raised for their meat, but he said that hasn’t stopped him from eating

“I have never eaten a rabbit that I have

seem right to eat an animal that was practi

In 4-H, freshman Ketchum raises rabbits for showing, eating

Eighth grader Christian Van Vleck, sixth graders Tori Van Vleck and Rene Quiggle, Dominic

the 2012 Sacramento County Fair. (Photo courtesy of Ketchum)

By Maddy JuddReporter

A young Ketchum and his mother pose along with his cousin’s sheep. (Photo courtesy of Ketchum)

“I never had second thoughts about selling my meat rabbits.”

–Adam Ketchum, freshman

“People shouldn’t be forced to not embrace all sides of themselves. It’s wrong to negate part of who you are.”

–Kelsi Thomas, senior

(Continued from page 4)

Kelsi Thomas

Imani Ritchards

Sasha Ragland, ‘12

It’s two on two, senior Jack Lewis and his teammate against two opponents. Lewis waits in the back, taking care of the “minions” surrounding his partner, who attacks the two enemies.

That’s when it happens. The two opponents kill Lewis’s teammate. Lewis is alone

with no one to help him. Fate is against him and the chances of survival, slim.

So he runs straight into the thick of the fray, knowing that he will very likely lose his life.

Ten seconds later, his enemies die instead.All right. I’ll admit it. Lewis wasn’t actually in any danger.

Welcome to the world where Lewis not only plays champions but is one. Welcome to the world of League of Legends.

Developed and published by Riot Games Inc., League of

Sounds simple, right? Well that’s where the simplicity ends.

that both champion and item stats are constantly tweaked by

it would be harder for an enemy to kill you, you could choose

regeneration stat.Not only are the character and item choices vast, but the

strategy, or “meta,” behind LoL is just as confusing.

the player chooses one of these lanes to charge through and

destroy the turrets protecting the entrance.“I’m still surprised that people get into this game,” Lewis

said. “There’s a lot of info you need to know to play.”“To become decent, it took me three months of playing,”

tively know which items are best for which champions.”Even with the knowledge required, LoL has a huge fanbase.

And it’s in this vast world that Lewis is a champion. Literally.

was playing a similar game called Defense of the Ancients. He saw an ad for LoL, decided to try it out and was instantly hooked.

But it wasn’t until this year that his true potential emerged. LoL is split into two overarching game modes: normal and

looking to play uncompetitively.

and is a competitive game in which summoners are ranked

Challenger league.

be placed in a league and division and then continues playing ranked to reach higher leagues and divisions.

After four weeks playing ranked, Lewis reached Diamond I.But Lewis’s prowess didn’t stop there. He soon found he

“I knew that some people coached,” he said. “So I looked for coaching jobs online.”

found a more suspicious means of income: “boosting.”Another entry in LoL’s vast dictionary of jargon, boosting

is when a player allows another better player to play on their account to increase the number of wins they have, and move them up in ranking.

else, I said ‘Screw it’ and tried it out.”

But boosting and coaching aren’t the only sources of income

for LoL players. “Top players stream their games live for people who want

to learn new strategies or enjoy watching others play,” senior

watching.”Streamers get paid through advertising that sites put on

their videos. So the more viewers, the more the ad works and the more the streamer earns.

But there is an even more lucrative LoL occupation: the professional LoL player.

These players compete in tournaments hosted by Riot and the League of Legends Championship Series. In fact, the

But unlike tournaments in basketball and football, in which physical ability is of the utmost importance, LoL is all about strategy and mental focus.

moment to attack,” Lewis said. Otherwise you run the risk of not just losing but angering teammates.

And that is the main problem that many Country Day LoL players see with ranked.

players,” sophomore Grant Miner said. “I’d be playing with a lot of people who were way above my

level, and they’d destroy me and call me a ‘feeder.’”In LoL, a feeder is someone who “feeds” the other team kills

with their death.

have a thick skin when you’re doing badly.”“If you or someone else messes up, there are people who

continuously say ‘you suck,’” Fesler said.While other students don’t like ranked, Lewis continuous

press time.

Lewis’s team. The enemy had destroyed the defensive turrets protecting their bottom lane.

“I’m kind of new to this champion. I started playing her two days ago,” Lewis says, as he kills three more champions.

But then Lewis’s champion is killed as he and his team rush the middle lane. His teammates massacre the other team and

ByYanni Dahmani

16Feature The Octagon May 28, 2013

Senior ‘summoner’ rises to the top

octagon may 2013 edition

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