The Octagon November 2011 edition by The Octagon

FEATHER MANIA Why are so many girls putting feathers in their hair? (Hint: it’s not for fowl purposes!)

HOMECOMING ANALYSIS At the big game the competitive spirit that characterizes Buckingham matches spilled over into the victory celebration.

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VOL. XXXV, NO. 3

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

WWW.SCDSOCTAGON.ORG

POINTS

INTEREST

RACECAR CRASH Driver Dan Wheldon’s death in a 15-car pileup at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 16 shocked many, including teacher Daniel Neukom, a long-time fan of auto racing, who was at the track. Neukom was in Las Vegas with a group of friends. At his suggestion, they spent an afternoon at the racetrack to watch the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Championships. Only 11 laps into the race, just outside of turn two, several cars grazed each other, causing many others to spin out of control. Wheldon’s car hit another and went airborne into the catch fence.

It’s easy to cheat on the SAT if the proctor isn’t paying attention. Many proctors read or check their phones during the test, and some never walk around the room, even though they’re supposed to. (Photo illustration by Christina Petlowany)

SAT makes it easy for cheaters RECENT SCANDAL PROMPTS COLLEGE BOARD TO INCREASE TEST SECURITY By Mollie Berg

Editor-in-Chief

f you’re taking the SAT next month, there’s a simple way to score a 2400. It takes no studying; it requires no tutors; and it certainly doesn’t involve an early Saturday morning wake-up. All it takes to achieve a perfect score on the dreaded standardized test is $2,500, a fake ID, and a col-

lege student who is willing to spend four hours taking the test for you. Just ask “Gossip Girl” character Chuck Bass—this scheme worked for him in the episode “Desperately Seeking Serena.” But cheating via fake identities may not be as easy as it used to be. An Oct. 25 hearing of the New York state senate’s subcommittee on higher education addressed increasing security for the standardized test. In the testimony, Governor Gaston Caperton, the See SAT, page 6

Example

How do you cheat on the SAT? extra time on another section. Most proctors don’t walk around the room, so they won’t catch you. (B) Have another student get a fake ID and take the test for you. Or if that student looks enough like you, they can use your ID. The proctors don’t scrutinize the IDs closely enough to notice. (C) Look at someone else’s answers. If the proctor’s not watching, you won’t get caught. (D) During breaks, discuss the sections with a friend. If you have different versions of the test, you can get clues about upcoming questions. (E) All of the above

A B C D

Online grade books appeal to some, appall others By Zach Lemos

Copy Editor

eet Jett Arbogast. He’s a sophomore at Rio Americano High School, and his mom usually knows his grades before he

does. Thanks to Rio’s online grade policy, Arbogast’s teachers must plug their grade books into an online program that both students and parents can access—something Arbogast’s mother makes full use of. She checks up on her son after every class, sending him an angry text if he didn’t turn in his homework or received a bad grade.

Helping or Helicoptering? Part 1 in a series of 2 “She doesn’t even get email alerts when (the grade book) has been updated—she’s just always checking it!” he said. “It’s hardly motivating, I’d call it more of an annoying pressure.” It’s stories like Arbogast’s that convinced headmaster Stephen Repsher not to switch the school to an online grade book policy.

online grades in a letter to parents last March. However, even in sending it, he worried his letter would not satisfy parents who lobbied ardently for the change. “I don’t expect that this communication will change minds because the topic of online grades is passionately controversial for some parents,” he said. And he was right. Regardless of the administration’s staunch opposition to online grade books, many parents continue to call for them. In fact, the vast majority of students in the Sacramento area can access their See Grades, page 3

Series since 2006. Neukom saw the crash unfold from the other side of the track. “You could see lots of big, black, oily smoke coming from the wrecks and a lot “After about 10 minutes they covered Dan Wheldon’s car with a yellow tarp. At that point I knew that it was serious.” Neukom and thousands of others waited in the stands for two hours until the news of Wheldon’s death—and the termination of the race—were announced. Many fans wept openly, he said. As he was leaving, a young woman coming in with her boyfriend asked if the race was over. Hearing of Wheldon’s death, she fell sobbing to the asphalt, refusing her boyfriend’s attempts to console her, Neukom said. —Morgan Bennett-Smith

DARING LIZARD CAPTURE watched principal Sue Nellis and assistant Shara Reeves go about their work. lizard peeking out from under her desk but thought it was a twig. So she was taken aback when the “twig” darted into the That day, the lizard evaded capture by Reeves, Nellis, two junior boys and the maintenance crew. Reeves assumed the lizard had left until it reappeared the next day on a shelf above Nellis’s desk. “I just calmly get up and I go out and see (junior) Will Wright walking by,” Reeves recalled. “And being the cowboy he is, I asked him (to capture the lizard).” As Wright bravely removed the trespasser, it bit him more than once. —Garrett Kaighn

2Community

November 8, 2011

The Octagon

Google+ can’t knock out heavyweight Facebook By Mollie Berg and Patrick Talamantes

Editor-in-Chief, Reporter

hen Facebook launched in 2004, the world of digital communication turned upside down. Its appeal at the beginning was simple—the

element of exEvery 20 minutes clusivity. 10.2 million Only Harvard comments are posted on students could Facebook. use it. Then it branched out to all of the Ivies. Soon all college students could be members. And now, everyone has a Facebook account. While Facebook doesn’t seem to want competition from other networking sites, on June 28 Google launched “Google+,” which is theoretically meant to dethrone Facebook from its former networking glory.

mani said. “No one even has a Google+ account,” Frankel said. Senior Wei Dai agrees. “I think Google has the technology, but Google+ is just too late,” he said. Dahmani said that this is because everyone is already

Google+’s video chat feature “hangouts” allows up to 10 people in one video call.

Frankel said. Efforts to allow a Google+ spokesperson to respond to these problems were unsuccessful, on the social networking site as students say it is to use. Senior Cabot Jackman and junior Carter Brown do sometimes use Google+, they said. Jackman plays Google+ games for two hours a week. Brown, who hasn’t used his account in over two months, got it originally because of his interest in the “Stumbleupon” feature called “Sparks.” Sparks allows account holders to enter a subject of interest and receive daily updates on it. For example, Brown entered “quantum mechanics,” so every time he logs in, he receives up-

One in every 13 people on Earth is on Facebook.

And, like Facebook, Google+ started out exclusive. Junior Yanni Dahmani said that the reason because of the site’s element of exclusivity. Before the site became formally public, the only way a user could be involved was if they were “invited in.” Dahmani got an account only because he was invited by junior Carter Brown, who was invited by a Granite Bay friend. It wasn’t until the second day the site was live that users could invite friends to create accounts. People spend over In August, each user 700 billion minutes a got 150 invitations to month on Facebook. give out, and in September, the site was opened to anyone 18 or older. Junior Jacob Frankel started using the site for the same reason as Dahmani. “I got involved solely because it was exclusive,” Frankel said. “That alone attracted me.” After just three months, Google+ was a virtual site for over 50 million users. Yet Dahmani, Frankel, and other Country them hooked long. In fact, only 13 percent of high-school students polled have a Google+ account, and of those, many say they don’t use it. For many SCDS students, the site is too exclusive, Dah-

It cost $585 million and took 500 employees to build Google+.

to randomly switch to another site that works a different way and has different elements to it.” On Google+, friends are part of your “circle,” and instead of “liking” something, you “+1” it. And if you want to video chat your friends, you “hangout” with members of your circle. “I don’t feel like putting in the effort

too attached to Facebook. “They don’t want to Google+’s mobile switch because they’re app lets users used to Facebook. instantly upload And anyways, what’s photos on their the point of switching mobile device to to something nobody the site. uses?” Dahmani said. Dahmani said people use Google+ so little that the most recent of his friends’ postings are from October. “That’s a month of no one doing anything on Google+,” Dahmani said. “Now, compare that to Facebook where you see people posting things every minute.” Dahmani and Frankel also don’t like the site because it’s confusing. “I already use Facebook,” Dahmani said. “It’s annoying

the hangout option, though Jackman said he can’t get the feature to work. Jackman noted that there is no messaging option (like Chat on Facebook). And Dahmani complained there’s no option in Google+ to write on people’s walls. While Google+ may be trying to become the new Facebook, high-school students don’t think it will be. “I don’t use it because I have a Facebook,” said junior Will Wright, who created an account after being invited by Brown. Wright doesn’t know how to use Google+, and he doesn’t want to put the effort in to learn. And even if he wanted to learn, he “doesn’t even know (his) password anymore.” Statistic in green circle provided by “Google+ Cost $585 Million To Build (Or What Rupert Paid For MySpace)” by Forbes staffer Bruce Upbin, in red circle by Google+ website and in blue circle by Wired’s “Everything You Need to Know About Google Plus and Photos” by Charlie Sorrel. Facebook statistics provided by “50 Fascinating Facebook Facts And Figures” by Jeff Bullas.

‘Our Miss Brooks’ kicks off to full house As high-school basketball star Ted (junior Jacob Frankel) listens in, basketball coach Hugo (senior Brandon Nakagaki) describes his sailing trips in Martinique while Miss Brooks (junior Jianna Gudebski) dreams of the time they could spend together. The highschool play “Our Miss Brooks,” based on the television show of the same name, is set in the ‘60s at a public high school, where Miss Brooks is forced to direct a play. The play ran Nov. 3-5. (Photo by Mollie Berg)

News 3

November 8, 2011

Grades: Many local high schools already have online grade books (Continued from page 1) grades just by logging into a website. And so can their parents. Some form of an online grade book is used at Folsom, Bella Vista, Oakridge, Jesuit, St. Francis, McClatchy, Ponderosa, Vista Del Lago and Christian Brothers High Schools, among others. At these schools, teachers are required to update students’ grades at a frequency determined by the school’s individual policy. The student—or their parent—can log into the password-protected online program and access their individual grades at any time. Most public schools are mandated to use an online grade book policy by the “No Child Left Behind” Act of 2002. According to the U.S. Department of Education, in order for a school to receive Title I funds, volve all parents in their child’s education. So many see online grades as a way to partially ful-

that online grades would make her currently reasonable parents too obsessive about her grades. “With daily access, they would become more involved, and it would be something they would want to check every single day,” she said. “It’s my responsibility to tell them if I get a bad grade, and that way I can talk to them about it.” Daniel Neukom, dean of students, agrees. “The parents aren’t in the classroom; they can’t ask questions like the students can. (Online grades) just show the grades in a vacuum,” he said. According to Sue Nellis, head of high school, there was a recent faculty meeting to address the online grades issue, but no faculty members supported the idea. “You have to keep in mind that if the majority of the faculty is against it and Steve Repsher supports us in this, it’s pretty clear that, educationally, we’re against this,” she said. However, senior Adam Pinson likes the idea of online grades. “My parents already ask me for my grades on tests, quizzes and other assignments, so online grades would just streamline the process. The convenience for us (the students) and the teachers would be nice,” he said. And Granite Bay senior Alex

Casa Roble Fundamental High School even has an iPhone/Android app to check grades. Senior Mayuri Sadhasivan’s brother experiences the pressures of online grades daily at Marina Village Middle School. “My dad sees one ‘B’ and the whole house explodes,” Sadhasivan said. “Most parents just don’t handle online grades well; they just say ‘Fix it.’” Even private schools like Jesuit have made the switch. In a July 1 letter to parents, the useful. school announced that teach“I can see what I haven’t ers would be turned in, and posting “deI can see my tailed grade grades whenreports” in all “You have to keep in ever so I can core classes mind that if the ma- calculate what at least every I need on a jority of the faculty is test,” he said. two weeks. “This will against it and Steve Nellis thinks give your son that a small a clear picture Repsher supports us school like of his own in this, it’s pretty clear Country Day performance need that, educationally, doesn’t in the class: online grades all assign- we’re against this.” as the public ments to date, schools do. their point “The relavalues and tionship with grades. It will students alalso provide a new avenue for lows for close communication, teacher and student dialogue,” so I don’t see the need,” she Jesuit said in the letter. said However, with this change The biggest issue the faculty actually came a reduction in has with online grades is the parent-teacher interactions. Je- potential loss of responsibility. suit students need to ask their “We want (the students) to teachers about their grades be- gain the responsibility. By sefore their parents can. nior year we expect students “We stress that grades repre- to be entirely independent,” sent a student’s progress: these Brooke Wells, assistant head of are their grades, and they are high school, said. responsible for them.” Teacher Glenn Mangold, So why doesn’t Country Day who had to post his grade book use a similar system? online when he taught at FolAccording to Repsher’s let- som, sees pros and cons to both ter in March, “Emerging adults arguments. need to develop personal re“On the one hand, you’re not sponsibility, to understand the cutting the apron strings,” he relationship between cause said. and effect, to become internally “But on the other side, it motivated rather than externally meant less work for me because pressured to perform, and to I still have to tell the parent the become more self-reliant rather grade; they just have to jump than overly parent-directed,” through a hoop to get there.” and online grades get in the (In part 2, alumni and parents way of this. weigh in on the online grade Senior Sasha Ragland feels book question.)

Barrie Feusi (left) listens attentively during his differential equations class at Cosumnes River College. Feusi said (Photo courtesy of Feusi)

Junior, seniors get ahead in math courses outside of SCDS DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS, LINEAR ALGEBRA CLASSES ONLINE AND ON CAMPUS CHALLENGE STUDENTS By Ian Cardle

Editor-in-Chief

o further their math education beyond what is offered at Country Day, junior Carter Brown and seniors Wei Dai and Barrie Feusi have enrolled in university-level mathematics courses. Brown is in the Educational Program for Gifted Youth Online High School (EPGY OHS)—an online independent school from Stanford University—and is currently taking a multivariable differential calculus class. The course consists of three units and is one semester long, beginning in the middle of August and ending in December. Brown meets via video chat with his teacher and 14 classmates twice a week. Between meetings, Brown is required to read slide lessons are followed by textbook and online problems. During class meetings the teacher reviews the material covered in the lessons and goes over the homework assignments. All students are required to have a tablet input to their laptops that enables them to write problems and show their work to their classmates and the teacher during meetings. According to Brown, university sophomores usually take the actual course at Stanford, and although he is than he anticipated. Brown hopes to take multivariable integral calculus next semester. Unlike Brown, Dai and Feusi were admitted into physical college courses at UC Berkeley and Cosumnes River College (CRC), respectively. Dai took two college courses during the summer at UC Berkeley: Math 54 (linear algebra and differential equations) and Computer Science 70 (discrete mathematics and probability theorem). Both courses lasted eight weeks (June 20-Aug. 12). The two courses were $1400 each, not including housing. During his stay at Berkeley, Dai lived on campus with a roommate, which he said he enjoyed because of the freedom and weather. According to Dai, Math 54 had 40-50 students, and Computer Science 70 started with 70 students and ended with 66, most of whom were Berkeley students. Dai said he received an A in both classes and one of the highest grades in Computer Science 70. “I went into both classes knowing I would do well,” he said. Dai received UC credit for these courses and is nearly done with UC Berkeley’s entire lower division math. Currently, Dai is enrolled in a free online comput-

er science class from Stanford. He is applying to UC Berkeley and hopes to major in math and science. Like Dai, Feusi was accepted into a differential equations course. Feusi meets with his teacher and 43 classmates on Tuesday and Thursdays nights at Cosumnes River College. Because Feusi is a high-school student, the course is free, although his textbook was $75 and parking is $1 per visit. Between classes, students cover two to three sections of a 69-section textbook. Feusi said that his teacher grades very harshly and that when getting into new topics, he struggles with the material. This is likely because he should have taken two classes before differential equations—multivariable calculus and linear algebra—he said. “I came into this class thinking that it would be one of my many next steps for my math education, but it was actually two steps past what I should have taken,” he said. While Feusi is receiving C’s on tests, he likes the course and intends to take multivariable calculus next semester. “I think it’s getting me very prepared for college,” Feusi said. “I’m not sure if I’m getting the best or worst Feusi is considering majoring in biomedical engineering.

class. (Photo courtesy of Feusi)

4Sports

November 8, 2011

The Octagon

Sports Shorts Senior earns HA rating from US Pony Club Senior Anna Young, hoping to impress colleges, passed the U.S. Pony Club’s second The U.S. Pony Club is based on the England Pony Club, which was founded by a group of fox hunters that wanted to organize a club to teach their children about horses. The HA rating tests knowledge of aspects agement and veterinary services for horses. months studying articles and veterinary papers on all things horse. The test held in Castro Valley, July 8-11, took three days to complete. and answering questions on its injuries. The second day, Young went through numerous 20-minute stations where she bandaged and creating a lesson plan to teach novices about horse managing. Of 15 people from places like Colorado, of 12 to pass and receive an HA rating. —David Myers

Running Club running strong Meet the Running Club. During lunch every other day teachers PaRagland and Grace Mehta and junior Hana Owaidat leave campus to run 5-10 miles along the American River. Dias, known for marathon running, enjoys the fresh air and encourages more students and teachers to come along. “(Running) is most enjoyable when you’re going with someone else,” she said. Dias likes to be able to get to know her students a little better by talking to them, while the students say it’s a good opportunity to get some exercise and feel productive. “It’s nice to run under the sun by the river and trees,” Owaidat said. “I joined the club just to give me a good jump start to exercise, but then I realized that I really enjoyed it.” Dias and Owaidat plan to run together in the Shamrock’n Half Marathon, March 11. —Kamira Patel

Cameron Graham, Mary-Clare Bosco, Devin Moss and Sadie Stroup, the four honorees of the House of Hoops Gamechanger Awards, gather in front of the 7-foot posters of Graham and Bosco on the store’s wall. (Photo by Jennifer Bosco)

Hanging with Ticha and Tyreke, junior gets her 15 minutes of fame By Ryan Ho

Page Editor

unior Mary-Clare Bosco was in total shock when she received a phone call, Sept. 29, telling her she had just been nominated as an honoree for the House of Hoops Gamechanger Award. The caller then asked for her basketball statistics, GPA, and other extracurricular activities. Immediately, Bosco was told she was one of the winners. Bosco was one of four high-school basketball student athletes selected in the Greater Sacramento region, sponsored by the House of Hoops (HOH), a basketball shoe wear store The winners were two boys and two girls: Devin Moss of Rocklin High School, Cameron Graham of Sacramento Charter High School, Sade and Bosco. Bosco was entered in the contest by basketball coach Dave Ancrum without knowing “how big of a deal it was,” she said. The award recognizes students who not only demonstrate superior basket-

Junior Elise DeCarli plays libero, the defensive specialist, on the girls’ varsity volleyball team. She bested the Cavs’ single-match record for digs three times, her highest being 13.

The opening event was in collaboration with the presentation of one of Nike’s newest basketball shoes, Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011, under the slogan “Take Every Advantage.” As Bosco entered the store, she her hanging on the wall and by the See Gamechanger, page 13

year on cross-country, is the league champion. He also played a key part in the soccer team winning the league championship.

We thank The Caves Family

ball skill but also contribute to the community and succeed in school. On Oct. 8, Bosco, Stroup, and 98 male student athletes were invited to a free HOH Game Changers Skills Academy held at Natomas High School. This was a one-day workshop at which student athletes practiced drills to improve skills, such as ball handling and rebounding, under the supervision of experienced basketball instructors. There was even a dunking contest during the clinic. “(Clinics) are pretty rare,” Bosco said. “They don’t do this very often.” The four winners left early and were brought to the opening event of a new House of Hoops store at

The Nichols Family (Case, ‘11) The Martin Family

The Williams Family

Suzanne Kyle Design, Inc.

The Bosco Family

The Berg Family

Q& A Mary-Clare Bosco was interviewed live by “Big Al” of 102.5 KSFM on Oct. 8 Q: How does it feel to get this award? A: It feels good to get the recognition about something that I feel really passionate about. Q: Who are the three people that inspired you? A: My parents and my brother. My parents are very supportive of me, and encourage me to keep going no matter what. My brother plays competitive baseball, so I know what kind of work it takes to play at a high level. Q: If you could play at any college right now, where would you go? A: Harvard University. (The audience laughs.)

November 8, 2011

Soccer rebounds, dominates game By Ian Cardle Editor-in-Chief

he boys’ varsity soccer team broke the Venture

playoff game of sections. The victory restored the Cavs’ early season rhythm after their 1-2 loss to Cornerstone Christian Builders, Oct. 31, which ended an 11-game winning streak. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen us play a game like this,” senior Richard Whitney said of the Venture game. Despite the chilly, windy weather, the Cavs started strong right from the get-go, with senior Trevor Sutley scoring in the Sutley and junior Jackson Dulla followed with two more “We could really see the guys in the front working together to get the shots and crosses they needed to win,” senior Cabot Jackman, an observer, said. In the second half, junior Morgan Bennett-Smith wasted no time in securing the win, scoring two goals four minutes apart at the beginning of the half. According to junior goalie Gerardo Vergara, the team excelled in defense, marking and communication—areas they had been struggling with in previous games. “This was the game that brought us closer as a team,” he said. Although a few Mustangs slipped through their defense, the Cavs quickly corrected this, Vergara said. the starting line-up were absent until the second half of the Cornerstone game: juniors Donald Hutchinson and Logan In addition, before assistant coach Jason Allen arrived, minutes. were able to fend off the Builders, 0-0, until coach Matt Vargo returned with the cross-country runners. “It was great to get the other guys more playing time,” Vargo said. But the exhausted normal line-up fell short in the second

By Zach Lemos Copy Editor

Day will host a girls’ varsity volleyball playoff game. This comes following the Cavs’ victory over the Valley Christian Academy Lions in three games, Nov. 1.

half, giving up two goals to the Builders, while Bennett-Smith scored only one. “Now our guys won’t take anything for granted,” Vargo said. Fortunately for the boys, Cornerstone Christian was neither

This win brought the team’s league record to 10-2 and their overall record to 12-5, ranking them second in their league. The Cavs started out poorly in their games at Valley Christian. “We were behind in all three games, but one,” head coach Jason Kreps said. The team won 25-23, 25-21 and 25-23. According to junior captain Madeleine Wright, the girls weren’t playing as well as

in the Cavs’ league nor part of their sections schedule. In their last playoff game before the section championship, the boys play Elliot Christian (whom they beat in overtime last year and lost to 0-1 two years ago) at home today at 3 p.m.

they had in other games. “When we played Faith, we came in and “But when we played Valley, we played poorly until we were down. Then we picked it up and played like we did at Faith.” Though the team didn’t start out well, Kreps was pleased with their overall performance. “In the last game we were losing 21-15,” from.” Some players stood out in the Nov. 1 game: senior Christina Petlowany with nine kills, Wright with 31 assists, junior Elise DeCarli with 12 digs and junior captain Alison Walter with four aces and 12 digs. Because of the girls’ win against Valley, today against Trinity, a team they beat earlier this season. A win today will pit them against either Valley in another home game, or Tioga, depending on which of those teams win its match, on Thursday. If the girls do face off against Tioga, they will do it in Groveland after a two-and-a-half hour drive. And if the Cavs make it all the way to the championship match, complications arise. On Nov. 17, the day of the championship match, four of the team’s starters, Wright, Petlowany, junior Mary-Clare Bosco and senior Mollie Berg currently plan to be in Minneapolis, Minn. for a national journalism convention.

At the Nov. 1 Valley Christian game, Mary-Clare Bosco winds up for a “2,” a high middle hit that’s supposed to hang in the air two seconds. (Photo by Morgan Bennett-Smith)

Bosco said. “We have been working really hard for several months, and a win here would solidify us as a seriously competitive team. It’s

Volleyball Score Box Overall League 12-5-0 10-2-0 Aug. 31 Forest Lake Christian* 2-3 Sept. 7

Woodland Christian*

1-3

Sept. 9

Trinity Prep*

3-0

Sept. 13 Victory Christian*

0-3

Sept. 15 Sacramento Adventist 3-2 Sept. 20 New Life Christian*

3-2

Sept. 27 Buckingham Charter

0-3

Sept. 28 Wilton Christian

3-0

Sept. 30 Lutheran

3-0

Oct. 11

Sacramento Adventist 3-0

Oct. 14

Valley Christian

3-1

Oct. 17

Faith Christian

3-1

Oct. 18

Wilton Christian

3-0

Oct. 21

Buckingham Charter

0-3

Oct. 25

Lutheran

3-1

Oct. 27

Faith Christian

3-0

Nov. 1

Valley Christian

3-0

*indicates pre-season non-league game. 

6 News

November 8, 2011

The Octagon

SAT: Cheaters not reported to colleges (Continued from page 1)

president of the College Board, who said he is “deeply disturbed by the cases of test taker impersonation,” implemented a series of security changes for the Nov. 5 administering of the SAT. Caperton said that

picious ID’s or test center misbehavior (like cell phone use). She said that each year, the College Board questions around 3,000 test takers’ scores, clears around 2,000, and cancels 1,000. When senior Grace Mehta took the test, she was “I thought ‘Wow, he is slow,’ but very frustrated to then it dawned on me that he see a boy always working ahead, she said.

“The proctor just sat at his desk,” Cardle said. “He didn’t walk around at all.” Yet according to the College Board website, proctors should “walk around the room to ensure students are working on the correct exam section.” However, in cases as extreme as Great Neck High School’s, more stringent security procedures may need to be implemented. Chris Munzing, deputy director of communications for the Nassau County district

enhancing training for test supervisors, informing high schools and colleges (and any other score recipient) about the moved on to the next one.” ed photographing students before the test. important role they said that ETS would send the test results –Grace Mehta, senior section when she to He play in ensuring test the students’ schools, so that the schools integrity, and conlooked over at the can determine the identify of the student in ducting a post-test student next to each picture. analysis to enhance their “ability to identify In fact, in the late October hearing, many potential impersonation cases.” tions of the section, Mehta said. new security details were discussed. The changes are in response to the arrest of “I thought ‘Wow, he is slow,’ but then it According to Kathleen Fineout Steinberg, Emory University student Sam Eshaghoff eardirector of communications to the College lier this year. He has been accused of taking tion and had moved on to the next one,” Board, Caperton has even hired a global the SAT for at least six current and previous Mehta said. risk high-school students, according to the press According to Mehta, the student even director Louis Freeh, to review test security. release sent out by Nassau County’s district picked up his calculator and started using it “No one despises cheating more than the attorney Kathleen Rice in September. during an English portion of the test. College Board,” Caperton said in a NewsThe students, from Great Neck High “I thought, ‘How could no one else catch week article. School in New York, each paid Eshaghoff that?’” she said. But Rice and $1,500-2,500 to get a fake ID and take the Mehta thought Munzing believe SAT for them. about telling on him more should be Eshaghoff was charged with a scheme but didn’t because “No one despises cheating more done than just takto defraud, falsifying business records and she “didn’t want to than the College Board.” ing photos criminal impersonation, and he could be be obnoxious.” Right now, when –Gaston Caperton, president a cheater is caught, imprisoned for up to four years if convicted. And even though While it is unlikely that any Country Day she “glared at him” of the College Board ETS doesn’t notify students have gone to such measures to do for the rest of the colleges. Instead, well on the SAT, a recent poll showed that test he didn’t stop. they cancel the 13 percent of juniors and seniors have seen She said that if she students’ scores other students cheat on the test. “could have done that” her “scores would and offer them a refund, a free retake or the Two students even admitted to cheating. have shot up.” opportunity to arbitrate, the early press reIn a Oct. 27 interview with the Octagon, Senior Maddie Galati, who has taken the lease from Rice said. Kathleen Fineout Steinberg, director of com- test three times, said she often sees students Munzing calls this an inadequate “punishmunications for the College Board, said that start on the test while the proctor is still read- ment,” if it should be considered any punishstudents aren’t caught very often. ing instructions. ment at all, for cheating on the SAT. Steinberg said that every year, Educational In October, when senior Ian Cardle took “There need to be consequences for this Testing Service (ETS), who administers the the SAT at Kennedy High School, he ob- type of thing,” Munzing said. SAT, dismisses about 750 students for vari- served a student working on the essay during “Students who have obtained a position to ous infractions, including inadequate or sus- a much later section, he said. a school through cheating have created an

TA’S TAKE OVER The many tasks that plague a high school teacher, such as preparing solutions and labs, may seem to be too much to handle on a day-to-day basis. That’s why a new elective allows students to become assistants to teachers Alan Beamer and Kellie Whited. Seniors who took (or are taking) AP Biology or AP Chemistry help teachers by lightening their workload. “I really enjoyed Chemistry and I wanted to give back,” Cabot Jackman said. TA’s prepare solutions, proofread and research new labs. “Basically, we walk in and ask what needs doing,” Jackman said. Principal Sue Nellis suggested that Beamer take on TA’s unfamiliarity with his students. Whited took on a TA because of her biology class’s increased size. Beamer currently has three TA’s: Jackman, has only one: senior Hayley Graves. — Grant Miner

IMPROV CLUB STARTS Headed by Cooper Jackman, the Improv Club already has more than 20 members after just six weeks. Participants play improv games, some of which were played on the improv TV show “Whose Line is it Anyway?”, that encourage them to think on their feet and use their imagination. One game—called “Customer Service”—involves a customer in a to have the customer service employee deny them as rudely as possible, and by any means necessary. Many of the club members are in drama already and are looking to improve their acting skills. However, there are many drama newcomers too, according to Club sponsor Brian Frishman. Jackman said that Improv Club plans to have at least two performances before the year ends. — Skovran Cunningham

unfair advantage. We believe there should be a penalty,” he said. Four of the students involved in the Great Neck scandal have gone on to college, despite having their test scores withdrawn without explanation. Privacy restrictions involving minors prevent ETS from contacting colleges about cheaters, Steinberg said. PJ Petrone, associate director of admissions at Whitman College, said that he would want to know if one of his admitted students had cheated. “We want to have ethical, fair and honest students in our student body,” Petrone said. The College Board and ETS are also quired. However, Steinberg and the College Board are wary about adding too many security measures. “We must always be mindful that future enhancements must not unnecessarily burden test takers with additional costs and/or discourage any student or group of students from taking the SAT and affording themselves an opportunity for a college education,” Steinberg said. “There have always been—and always will be—students who try to gain an unfair advantage over others.”

A B C D 13 2 A B C D

percent of juniors and seniors have seen cheating students said they have cheated

The Octagon

Feature 7

November 8, 2011

Alumnus finds new home in South Korea

Furillo embraces long-admired culture during semester abroad By Darby Bosco Page Editor

sannakji

gopchang Furillo,

—Andy Furillo, ‘09

Andy Furillo (in blue), parents Andy Furillo and Deborah Anderluh and friend Jasmine Oh, ‘11 (in red) show oﬀ their traditional Korean attire at a tea ceremony in June. (Photo courtesy of Furillo)

Brothers share the stage Whitneys work together in ‘Scrooge: e Musical’ Reporter

eventh grader Jack Whitney has sat through a number of musicals in the last

“I hope my being there makes him feel more

together,

Jack admired this actor so much that he joined the

upcoming “Scrooge: The Musical” alongside the actor that inspired pened to be his older brother, senior Richard

Photo by Kelsi Thomas

keep bumping into each other,

the

brothers

both in the oldest group, they sing their combined According to Richard,

—Richard Whitney, senior

est, so he hopes his being

Jack plays the role of Peter Cratchit, the brother

See Whitney, page 13

November 8, 2011

The Octagon

Don’t take others to school events

It’s 4 p.m. Your soccer game starts in an hour, and the school van has already left. Your best friend, who has been driving for a year and a half, offers to take you. Is there anything wrong with that? The high-school handbook doesn’t say so. Yet Sue Nellis, head of high school, said that the rule that forbids students driving students to school events has been in place ever since she came to SCDS. “The rule is: students cannot drive (other) students to any Country Day event,” Nellis said. students driving students led to an accident resulting in an injury, the school would most likely be named as a defendant in a lawsuit. Petchauer said that the school has no insurance coverage for accidents in the case of students driving students. Litigation attorney Edward Wright, father of

juniors Madeleine and Will, is especially cautious about having his children ride with minors. “The potential liability arising when a teen (under 17) driver is involved in an accident with a proscribed minor on board is huge—really huge,” Wright said in an email. According to Wright, the “huge deal” is why the school’s rule is so serious. He added that if he found out that Will or Madeleine was driving minors (before they had at least a year of experience), they could “kiss their license goodbye.” “The parent or school that knowingly condones (teens driving teens) very likely faces the same liability,” Wright said. “For these reasons, schools, both public and private, have a policy of not allowing students to drive other students for school functions,” Petchauer said in an email. “We want to make sure we are protected as much as we can be so we’re not exposed to liability,” Nellis added. However, Nellis admitted that there are a lot of “gray areas.” For example, are students allowed to drive students to a summer volleyball practice? A junior boy said that during the summer a senior drove him to a Mock Trial meeting—he didn’t see anything wrong with that. Greg Kaighn (father of sophomore Garrett), who used to be an insurance lawyer, said that SCDS would be liable for any sanctioned school event but that it would take some “fairly unique circumstances,” considering there is no summer school. Dances are school events. Do parents, ac-

cording to school rules, have to drive their kids and their dates to dances? “We have to live in a reasonable world,” Nellis said. “There is an exception that students will drive to dances.” Kaighn said that dances hold a lesser possibility of school liability because parents are involved in allowing the child to attend a dance. Yet sporting events and other after-school activities are closely monitored. Junior Anthony Valdez said that after one soccer game, he wanted to get a ride home with a friend, but coach Matt Vargo wouldn’t allow it. “We were all about to leave, and Matt told me to get in the van with the rest of the team,” Valdez said. “We fought back and forth for 10 minutes straight.” “I kept yelling at him to get in the van,” Vargo said. In the end Valdez ended up going back to school with the team. “Matt said I could go to (the teammate’s) house after I got back to school— but there was no point. I just went home,” Valdez said. See

page 14

Drive by yourself for 12 months

Glancing to her left, all the St. Francis junior

On a warm June evening last summer, three St. Francis juniors were on their

was

See

page 14

STUDENTS HAVE THEIR DRIVERS’ LICENSES

STUDENTS HAVE ILLEGALLY DRIVEN FRIENDS

STUDENTS HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING

November 8, 2011

The Octagon

Don’t take others to school events

page 14

Drive by yourself for 12 months

Glancing to her left, all the St. Francis junior

On a warm June evening last summer, three St. Francis juniors were on their

was

See

page 14

STUDENTS HAVE THEIR DRIVERS’ LICENSES

STUDENTS HAVE ILLEGALLY DRIVEN FRIENDS

STUDENTS HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING

10Editorial

November 8, 2011

The Octagon

By Ian Cardle

My Angle Just who is this applicant? It’s hard to say in 500 words

EDITORIAL: It’s true that cheating on the SAT is easy, but fixing it could be, too

heating happens. But there are several inexpensive steps that the College Board could take to minimize it on the SAT’s. First, proctors need to walk around the room regularly to ensure that students can’t work on sections they’re not supposed to. The College Board’s website states that proctors are expected to walk around the room. But, in reality, many don’t. So how can the College Board ensure that proctors do this? The solution is simple. Let students review the proctors. The end of the exam contains questions asking students about their calculator use on the SAT and during math classes so the College Board can do research for the test. The writers should add an additional “research question,” asking students if their proctors repeat-

edly walked around the room. Proctors would be more likely to take their jobs seriously if they knew they were being observed. Nassau County (New York) District Attorney Kathleen Rice suggested that each person’s picture should be taken before the test to prevent testing “identity theft.” However, this would lengthen the test-taking process, and it would be incredibly expensive to organize this system nationwide. Instead, students should be required to upload a picture of themselves when they create their College Board accounts. This picture would appear on the attendance sheet for all of their tests. The proctors could check to make sure that the picture is of the person taking the test. So, unless this student was intending to have the same person take every exam, the student would

have to submit a real picture. Furthermore, if there was any suspicion about the identity of the person who took the test, there dent had submitted someone else’s picture, the College Board could easily verify that the person who took the test was not the student whose name was on the test. Finally, the College Board should alert colleges when scores have been cancelled for cheating. There need to be consequences for a student’s transgressions. Currently, the College Board only cancels the scores and even gives the student a refund. If caught, essentially all a cheater stands to lose is his or her time. Meanwhile, the answer to question 16 is C. If you didn’t know that, I’ll gladly take the test for you—we probably won’t get caught, and it won’t matter even if we are.

he road to college is long and strenuous. There are tests to take, personal and academic info to submit, and, worst of all, essays to write. And with the new requirement that restricts students’ Common Application essays to 250-500 words, the road has become even more arduous. How do officials for the Common App—an online undergraduate application used by over 400 colleges and universities—expect us students to present ourselves to colleges in only 500 words? True, most students will be accepted to college with or without the 500-word cap. Their exemplary GPA and standardized test scores will steer them to acceptance. But for those with fair test scores who apply to some of the country’s most prestigious universities, the essay is their only chance, albeit small, for acceptance. Admittedly, most schools require supplements too, which have essay components. However, these essays usually ask why the student wants to go to that specific school and thus, in my opinion, influence admission only for bordeline candidates. For these reasons, the Common App essay is a way for under-qualified applicants to distinguish themselves from applicants that are, on paper, better candidates. Standardized tests can only tell so much about students (assuming they tell anything at all), while an essay can express much more, such as their personality and the diversity they would add to the college community. But for admission officers to become acquainted with us as people and to evaluate our potential impact on their school’s community, a short essay is inadequate. If someone were to write an essay about the death of a family member and its impact on their perception of death in 500 words, it would be depressingly vague. In all honesty, this change isn’t new. For 31 years, the Common App enforced a similar maximum essay length. It wasn’t until four years ago that it started to experiment with no cap on length. So why would the Common App officials reinstate the 500-word essay limit? Sure, application officers don’t want to read hundreds of rambling 1500-word essays I understand that. We want them to read our essays, not skim them. But might 750 words be better? Why settle on 500? “Since there is no magic number that would be acceptable to all, we returned to our historic 500 word limit,” executive director Rob Killion and director of outreach Scott Anderson said in an email to an electronic mailing list used by college counselors. Common App officials shouldn’t decide on a 500word maximum just because it is “historical.” This resolution is entirely baseless and selfish. Common App officials, why not learn from your “historical” mistake instead of repeating it? Oh, it seems I’ve exceeded my 500-word limit. . .

The Octagon

Editors-In-Chief Feature Editors Madeleine Wright Mollie Berg Margaret Whitney Ian Cardle Online Editors Christina Petlowany Anthony Valdez Copy Editor Yanni Dahmani Zach Lemos Morgan Bennett-Smith Assistant Copy Editor Photo Editor Garrett Kaighn Kelsi Thomas Business Manager Photographer Ian Cardle Will Wright News Editor Graphics Editor Christina Petlowany Kamira Patel Editorial Editor Reporters Jeffrey Caves Micaela Bennett-Smith Community Editor Skovran Cunningham Yanni Dahmani Grant Miner Sports Editors David Myers Mary-Clare Bosco Max Shukuya Patrick Talamantes Darby Bosco Emma Williams Ryan Ho Cartoonist Centerpoint Editor Camille Getz Mollie Berg Adviser Opinion Editor Patricia Fels Connor Martin 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: octagon@saccds.org, Web address: http://www. scdsoctagon.org.

Orchids

Onions

rchids to. . .the new school ID cards. They look far more official than in previous years, and it’s nice to know that student wishes are taken into account.

nions to. . .teachers who give tests during the last week of the quarter. Tests could easily be rescheduled so that students aren’t faced with five in a single week.

nions to. . .the lack of signups for Run to Feed the Hungry. Thanksgiving will soon be upon us so get it together, people.

rchids to. . .parent Sheri Kindsvater for providing the Chalk Mural artists with T-shirts celebrating the Andy Warhol theme.

The Octagon

Opinion11

November 8, 2011

By Jeffrey Caves (Illustration by Kamira Patel)

Sugar Plum—not so sweet By Connor Martin Page Editor

eganism is a lifestyle reserved for only 3 percent of the most eco-friendly, diet-conscious Americans. And while bacon can never be replaced by tofu or tempeh, vegan food can be incredibly tasty. Having had many positive experiences with vegan food, I had high hopes for Sugar Plum Vegan (2315 K St.), which I originally intended to review. Running a little late, I called Sugar Plum at around 2 p.m., on Oct. 2, explaining that I would arrive in a half hour. The staff member who answered So I arrived at 2:30 p.m., 30 minutes time. But when I asked for a table, to my surprise, the hostess told me they had already closed. Uh, closed? I had arrived 30 minutes before closing. So I told them I was planning to write a review. “I’m sorry. This is the restaurant business,” the hostess said. Pfff…whatever that means. Sugar Plum not only rejected service within their hours of operation, but rejected service to a reviewer. In refusing to serve me, they sacri-

I didn’t even know restaurants did this. According to teacher Daniel Neukom, Americans value good service more than those in some areas of the world, such as the United Kingdom. When Neukom lived in England in 1986-87, it was normal for shops and cafes to close earlier than posted, he said. Once, Neukom went to a restaurant in town. Even though he arrived 45 minutes before closing, the staff was “skeptical” about letting him and his wife in. “At 20 (minutes before closing), they asked us to lift our feet so they could sweep under us,” Neukom said. “We never went back.” And that’s what I’ll do to Sugar Plum—never go back. I did call Sugar Plum to ask about their closing policy. The hostess who answered remembered me, and said they had closed that day because they ran out of food. Really? They ran out of food? If, on that day, the hostess had said, “Sorry, we’re out of most of our food, but we can prepare a few dishes for you to sample,” then I, along with any sane critic, would have given them kudos. And, apparently running out of the more popular dishes is fairly common,

according to the hostess. To Sugar Plum’s credit, they make their food fresh daily, so they have to guess how much to make in advance, according to the hostess. And they had released a Groupon coupon several days before my visit, which boosted attendance, causing them to run out of food earlier than anticipated, she said. Well, Sugar Plum, I’m no expert in the art of restaurant management, but I guess it would make sense to be on the safe side and make more food than needed, especially after releasing a Groupon. And if you end up with a little extra food that day, offer it to the customers, or take it home yourself. According to junior Anthony Valdez, Sugar Plum already visits neighboring businesses, such as City Bicycle Works where Valdez works, to give out extra food regularly. “I had a veggie burger with French fries and it was really good. Some veggie burgers taste like grain. (But Sugar said. So it wouldn’t differ much from the norm if Sugar Plum had a little left over. Sugar Plum, your food may be good (I wouldn’t know), but this service is unacceptable. By the way, when I called Sugar Plum, the hostess never apologized. Not classy.

Cooking in the Cave Chef Jeff ’s squeeze on nature’s fruity phalanges

ou are wandering in the garden after dark, trying in vain to locate some mint when you feel something on your shoulder. You look back to find a large, manyfingered hand grasping at your neck. Its skin is wrinkled and pale, its fingers long and thin. Dozens of them hang limply in the darkness, dimly visible in the moonlight. But this was not what it seemed. I hadn’t stumbled into some bizarre psychodrama but into my citrus garden. And this was not a severed appendage but a Buddha’s hand—a citrus fruit almost as strange as its outward appearance would suggest. Though the mere presence of a plant bearing footlong, many-fingered fruits might have seemed a touch odd to those whose lives lack a small collection of abnormal citrus, to me this was a warm, fragrant reminder that citrus season will soon be upon us. The unfortunate thing about the Buddha’s hand is that, despite its ghoulish appearance, it is of little practical use in the kitchen unless you are flavoring large batches of vodka in your basement—its primary commercial use. In fact, the Buddha’s hand lacks juice altogether, making it unique among citrus—though the citron and a number of other Southeast Asian citrus have only a small amount. This lack of juice saddens me, for, as useful as citrus zest can be, it is the juice that completes a citrus. And when it comes to juice, no other citrus even comes close to rivaling the glory of the Meyer lemon.

A Buddha’s hand citrus (Photo used with permission of Creative Commons) The Meyer is the finest of lemons—a sweet, thinskinned deviant from the rest of its thicker-skinned clan. Like the Buddha’s hand, this lemon originated in China (the birthplace of citrus fruits) probably as a cross between the common lemon and a primitive variety of orange or tangerine—giving it its characteristic sweetness. This is the lemon I turn to when I crave sugar—even eating them like oranges at times (not something I recommend for most people) but mostly turning them into tarts or curd and throwing them into anything sweet. The juice of the Meyer is unique. It features a light and nuanced sweetness that lends far more to dishes than the simple, often overpowering sourness of ordinary lemons. And just as less spiciness in a chile allows more subtle flavors to come through, this lack of sourness exposes deeper flavors of the lemon itself rather than mere citric acid. Unfortunately, the Meyer—like most great things— is fleeting, available only from January to April. And the lemons themselves are expensive, as the trees are fickle and can’t tolerate most climates. But don’t let that deter you. Plant a Meyer (or several), care for them well and then, perhaps, you can move on to a Buddha’s hand of your own. Chef Jeff uses Meyer lemons (but not the Buddha’s hand) in his recipe for Lemon Sugar Cookies. See “Cooking in the Cave” at www.scdsoctagon.org.

12 Feature

November 8. 2011

The Octagon

Flying high–birds go bare for fashion’s sake Freshman Clare Fina said that it’s hard to remember sometimes that the crimps and feathers are still in the hair and can be Graphics Editor pulled out when brushed. Bosco’s hair started to become knotne would expect to see them on ted at the base of the feather and formed birds, but feathers in people’s a small dreadlock until she got the feathers hair? removed. Along with Brazilian Blow“The hairdresser had to condition my hair and even then a lot of hair came out with are at their highest in popularity. Currently, nine girls in the high school Otherwise, the feathers can stay in for a have either feathers or tinsel in their hair, as very long time—about four months. well as many girls in the middle and lower Freshman Erin Reddy wears tinsel in her school. hair instead of feathers and freshman Claire Even celebrities like Steven Tyler, Ke$ha, Pinson wears both. Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus are showing Reddy got the hair accessory put in near off their feathers. the beginning of eighth grade for a dance and fell in love with the sparkly shine, so feathers are the new thing. she decided to keep the tinsel in her hair. According to many salons who get their The tinsel, unlike feathers, is just tied supply of feathers from sporting goods to a lock of hair and needs to be replaced shops, the shops have been running out more frequently – usually after a couple of of the plumage in order to satisfy wom- months. en’s desires to look more fashionable. “People hear about feathers, but not Feathers cost less than $10 each. Sophomore Darby Bosco said that different, and I really don’t want to look like they are just a cute way to express one’s self. “They’re exotic, different and an alternative to

said. The feathers take (Photo by Mollie Berg)

to install. Using a metal ring, the feather is crimped to a lock of hair.

Photos by Madeleine Wright)

Furillo: Alum aspires to help reunite the Koreas (Continued from page 7)

The Korean students Andy Furillo knew are scattered all over the world.

and dakbal (chicken feet). Furillo also regularly enjoys kimchi, a spicy red pickled cabbage that is one of the most common Korean side dishes. “Kimchi is served with pretty much every Korean meal, similarly to the way bread is served at restaurants in the

“If not chewed enough, the (octopus) tentacles can actually become stuck in the throat –Andy Furillo, ‘09

Furillo has found there are many Western-and-Korean According to Furillo, “(the restaurant has) had problems with mixed with traditional Korean spices. “There are some great burger places, some of which proBut, after Furillo showed his college ID and explained that vide an interesting combination of Korean spices with the he was currently living in Korea, he was welcomed. classic burger taste—one of quite a few places that offers “They were showing English soccer on TV, so when we were leaving I pointed out to the manager that despite his dislike of But while Furillo has tried to immerse himself in the culture, he is not always welcomed with open arms. said. Being a tall, fair-skinned, brown-haired American, Furillo cannot help but stick out. Though Furillo will come home in January, he is very interSeveral times in the months he’s been there, he has been ested in Korean politics. discriminated against for being a foreigner. He hopes to one day become an American ambassador to Recently, Furillo was initially denied service at Akbari, a bar and restaurant in Seoul notorious for not letting foreign- South Korea, working to reunite the country with its neighbor, North Korea. ers in.

Remainder13

November 8, 2011

Whitney: Brothers act in RCTC (Continued from page 7) Unlike his younger brother, this will be Richard’s sixth RCTC performance. He started in eighth grade as a chorus member in “42nd Street.” He also appeared as a gang member in “West Side Story,” a teenager in a cool gang in “Back to the 80’s,” and a retired soldier in “White Christmas.” Last year Richard starred as Albert, Conrad Birdie’s songwriter, in “Bye Bye Birdie.” In “Scrooge,” Richard has two songs, and they are both duets. RCTC is no small commitment for the brothers. They practice six hours or more every Sunday, and sometimes they have additional

At home, Jack Whitney practices “The Beautiful Day.” In “Scrooge: The Musical,” Whitney sings the song with the rest of the Cratchit family during the second act. (Photo courtesy of the Whitney family)

It also helped him this summer when he worked at Breakthrough Sacramento. “A lot of acting is being able to be comfortable in front of lots of people so you always have to be ready to improvise” Richard said. “When I worked at Breakthrough, I realized how much of teaching is improvising. There are a lot of unpredictable things that

formances there is “Tech Week,” (this year Nov. 7-10) when they practice 12 hours on Saturday and from 5-10 every weekday. Richard feels that even though for the most part it’s not physically demanding, you “always have to be on the top of your game, and the worst part of practices is the waiting around.” Richard said performing has made him able to stand up in public to make announcements.

can happen in a classroom, and you always have to be ready.” Richard would like to continue acting in college because unlike some of Country Day’s plays (which are mostly comedies), he prefers more serious or advanced plays. The Whitneys will be appearing in eight performances, Nov. 11-19.

Margaret, Jack and Richard Whitney leave Hiram Johnson’s theatre after Richard’s closing-night performance of “Bye, Bye, Birdie.” (Photo courtesy of the Whitney family)

Gamechanger: Junior interviews with Big Al, meets celebrities (Continued from page 4) crowd waiting for her. ances by WNBA player Ticha Penicheiro of the “People came up to me and shook my hands, Los Angeles Sparks and NBA player Tyreke Evsaying I’m the girl from the poster,” Bosco said. ans of the Sacramento Kings. Bosco was awarded with a glass plaque, her “The crowd started chanting ‘Ticha Swag’ biggest award outside of school. over and over again,” Bosco said. The surprises continued when Bosco and Before Evans and Penicheiro were interthe others found themselves in a nervewrack- viewed by Big Al, Bosco and the other honorees ing live interview with Big were able to Al of 102.5 KSFM while meet them facing a store packed with each for 10 over 100 people. minutes in “The crowd was very their private intimidating,” Bosco said. limousines “The other girl forgot the parked by name of her favorite basthe loading ketball player.” docks of the With respect to the mall. event’s slogan “Take Every Bosco reAdvantage,” student athmembered letes shared their stories the priviof how they do so in their leges and lives. luxury the The event reached the Mary-Clare Bosco (left) and the other honorees professional height of its excitement surround Ticha Penicheiro (middle) in her limo. players enwith the special appear- (Photo courtesy of Bosco) joyed.

From the loading docks to the HOH store, “we had to climb stairs, and they got to use elevators,” Bosco said. “Their limousines were full of food, champagne and Nike products. It was really fancy.” Bosco met Evans and his brother, along with many from his entourage. “What caught my eyes was his shiny diamond watch,” Bosco said. “He was very celebrity-like.” Evans, however, was not as talkative during the 10 minutes as Bosco had expected. “He didn’t say a single word the whole time,” Bosco said. “I probably would’ve been more starstruck if he had said anything.” On the other hand, Bosco said that Penicheiro was really friendly and talkative. “We were talking, interacting, and getting to know her,” Bosco said. “She made us feel really special.” Bosco called the day “amazing.” “It was like my 15-minutes of fame. It was my moment.”

Campus Perspective California Gurls. George (Cvetich) made everything awkward by staring into space and singing.

The Sassy Sophomores because they were really cordinated, and the lip syncing was really exact.

Before being interviewed by Big Al, MaryClare Bosco posed with Tyreke Evans outside the Arden Fair Mall. (Photo courtesy of Bosco)

14Remainder Student drivers tell all

November 8, 2011

School liability: students put Country Day at risk (Continued from page 9)

Law breaking: Parents risk being sued when they let new drivers transport others (Continued from page 9) caused him to have an accident, but the fact that he had two accidents while he was in high school made me cautious about how real the risk for accidents is,” she said. Gillette is not far off the mark. According to www.adtsea.org, nearly of driving. Katrina Jackman (mother of senior Cabot and junior Cooper) also feels that, while most of the time student drivers will drive other minors for their own personal reasons, oftentimes the reason the law is broken is on behalf of the parents. “A lot of parents choose to allow their kids to drive others out of convenience,” she said. “If they need their other child and his or her friend to be taken somewhere, the parent can ask their student driver to do it, and this way the parents don’t need to hire someone to pick them up from school.” One senior boy has experienced Senior Zach Lemos, who has had drives one student home after every crew practice—with the consent of not only his parents, but of the other minor’s parents as well.

“A lot of parents choose to allow their kids to drive others out of convenience.” —Katrina Jackman “I don’t mind it because my parents are okay with it—the other parents are even going to pay me. I’m basically driving carpool,” Lemos said. Lemos also admitted to driving his friend to and from a park where they play volleyball on Friday nights. One time Lemos brought his friend back to his house where the friend’s parents were going to pick him up. Lemos’s parents’ reaction was not what

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he was expecting, however. “They wanted me to drive my friend all the way home to make it easier on his parents,” Lemos said. “My parents were telling me to drive him illegally, more.” Another junior girl said that her parents regularly ask her to pick up her brother and his friends from school, simply because they don’t want to. “My parents don’t care if I drive others, and if it makes it easier for them, why should they?” she said. Attorney Mary Antoine (mother of

“My parents were telling me to drive him illegally, more.” —Zach Lemos, senior

that new drivers are much more easily distracted and haven’t developed the skills that only come with experience, she said. Secondly, she said, if an accident does occur, the law has already been broken, and, as a result, it’s a lot harder to prove that it was not the student driver’s fault. Also, parents who permit their students to break the law may be creating additional liability for themselves, Antoine said. As the St. Francis junior and her friends waited for the police to arrive, the driver worried how the parents of her friends would react. “I thought they were going to sue me,” she said. According to insurance lawyer Greg Kaighn (father of sophomore Garrett), the junior’s fears had merit. Kaighn said that if a student driver still in the provisional licensing period did drive other minors and was in a car accident, two things could occur. First, the injured passenger could sue the student driver on his/her parents’ insurance policy, the defense

being that the passengers got into the car knowingly. Or, the injured passenger could sue the parents of the driver for the act of giving their child the car. “Why would you expose your parents to that kind of a risk?” Antoine said. For Jackman, however, the possibility of being sued was not her priority in the matter of illegal student driving. “My only concern is why would you (a parent) put your child in a position where they have to live with the consequences if anything happened or harm another person’s child?” she said. “It’s no different than forcing a child to take an advanced class where they aren’t ready. You’re putting a child in a situation where they might fail.” The California driving laws reconcern. Two years ago, the state DMV changed the restriction on student drivers from six months before driving minors to one year. to wait only six months, now has a child going through the licensing process who is subject to this change in policy. “How can you make a blanket statement that some teens are ready to drive others, while others really are not?” she said. “There are maother factors.” However, she said that if she did have to choose an age for a child to get a driver’s license, it would be provisional period. As a punishment for driving others and being in a major car accident, the St. Francis junior had to work “Everyone learned their lessons about driving other people, and definitely about being aware of what is going on,” she said. “I was just so happy I wasn’t sued.”

“Matt is really, really serious about not allowing people to (drive students),” said junior Donald Hutchinson, a member of the soccer team. Despite this, there are incidents where students have gone to sports events with other students. An anonymous junior girl intended to drive herself to a game until she discovered her car had no gas. “I asked a close friend of mine to give me a ride,” she said. “I got my stuff, I snuck around the corner off campus to her car and we sped off to the game.” There are also a lot of “loopholes” to the rule. A junior boy said that at one practice, Vargo said that if you go off campus and then “He said that it was a way to get around the rule,” he said. “I drive with people like that to soccer games all the time,” he added. However, Vargo said that he is very strict about not allowing students to drive other students. But areas like Nellis, Vargo admits that the rule does have a lot of gray. For example, he said, if there is a volleyball tournament on a Saturday and a girl sleeps over at a friend’s house, the girls will most likely drive to the game together. “We’re not always going to be able to control when kids go where,” Vargo said. Kaighn, who is the SCDS golf coach, said that he also would not want to see one player drive another because of the liability issues. “Any young driver should not be placed in a position of responsibility for the safety of any other student for (a school event),” Kaighn said. The school’s driving rule doesn’t stop at sports events—it also extends to any activity that has meetings outside of school (i.e., Mock Trial, journalism, Ambassadors, etc.). After a recent journalism convention in downtown Sacramento, Octagon adviser Patricia Fels realized the complications of the school’s rule. When several people were leaving before the last class session to return to school for Homecoming, “I became aware that kids (non-siblings) were going home together,” Fels said. The students suggested that they walk to someone’s house and then drive from there, therefore not breaking the rule “to or from” a school event. “It seemed unlikely to me that that would change anything materially,” Fels said. “But I didn’t have any solution. I said, ‘Drive carefully.’ “What I realized as I sat in the last session is: This has got to happen all the time.” Another potential lawsuit could result from teachers driving students. Teachers and parents have to become approved drivers by SCDS to drive students other than their own to school events. In order to drive for school functions, parents give the school a current copy of their DMV Report and a copy of their Auto Policy Declaration, which proves the parents have enough coverage in

“When lawyers are involved, everyone gets sued.” —Greg Kaighn, insurance lawyer case of an accident. Latin teacher Jane Batarseh sometimes drives her classes to the downtown restaurant Hot Italian for lunch, and other teachers used to drive to Dyer Kelly Elementary School during lunch time. Fels said that she always felt morally obligated to drive to Dyer Kelly, but that her nerves about insurance coverage got in the way. “My understanding,” Fels said, “is that if I were to drive (a student) in my car, and there were an accident, my insurer would be

“What if it had been a worse accident and I was carrying a number of kids? What would that do to my insurance coverage? Is it worth it to me?” Fels said. According to Kaighn, this rule is how the school protects itself. “If there is ever an accident, every possible insurance policy will be involved,” Kaighn said. Many teachers and coaches protect themselves by driving the school vans to events. Yet, according to Kaighn, the van doesn’t have much effect on the resultant insurance. “The school is directly liable for anything that happens in the van, but as a practical matter, the same result is likely in the long run for a privately owned vehicle,” he said. After all, he said, “When lawyers are involved, everyone gets sued.”

November 8, 2011

Fierce rivalry creates rough Homecoming game By Margaret Whitney Page Editor

he humming of the portable stadium lights

(Photo by Ryan Eytcheson)

Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cross-country claims 3rd league title; boys take their 6th By Mary-Clare Bosco

Page Editor

(Photo by Elena Bennett)

16 Feature

November 8, 2011

Beautiful hair bites back By Kamira Patel It’s a tangled, knotty, frizzy, dried-out, dulllooking mess, fried until the ends split because of overheating. It’s everywhere, and it takes forever to tame the twisty jumble of stuff on top of your head. It’s called your hair. And now there’s something curly-headed girls can do about it. The solution is the Brazilian Blowout. Unlike other hair treatments, the Brazilian Blowout claims that it doesn’t damage hair. But because it contains the chemical formaldehyde, the treatment is controversial. The Brazilian Blowout Solution is a cream that is applied to the hair when wet and massaged in, very much like conditioner. First, the hair is blow dried and straightened in order to seal the product into the hair cuticle. The cream is then washed out, and the hair is blow dried and straightened again. Freshman Caroline Mehta had a Brazilian Blowout last August.

about the dangerous chemical in the Brazillian Blowout Solution: formaldehyde. According to the American Cancer Society, there is a higher risk of getting lymphoma, leukemia and brain cancer when there is prolonged exposure to formaldehyde. The Brazilian Blowout solution contains methylene glycol, which emits formaldehyde gases when heated, according to the FDA. Since the process of the Brazilian Blowout includes blow drying and straightening the hair, toxins are released when the product in the hair is heated up. So why take the risk? Antoine said that the treatment has made her life so much easier.

she came to school to get the shiny and straight effect; however, with the Brazilian Blowout she spends only a few minutes brushing it. Now she is able to go to the pool at Duke University, swim and get out––and her hair dries straight. The treatment usually lasts 12-15 weeks. However, it doesn’t last as long on very curly hair (usually 3-5 weeks), whereas it can last up to 6-8 months on thin wavy hair. Middle-school teacher Melissa Albrand has had a Brazilian Blowout three times, she said. “I don’t actually like the way I look with pinstraight hair, but I like the way it feels,” she said. “After a couple of weeks, the treatment will wear off a little, and my hair gets a little more volume. Albrand loves how she can just wash her hair and then go to work without having to fuss over it. “My whole life I have battled my thick curly ier, even after the treatment wore off. hair,” she said. Nicole Antoine, ’11, who also had the treatAt approximately $250, the Brazilian Blowout ment in August, agrees. is expensive. “My hair looks 100 percent shiner and it However, some places, like Arden Hills Coundoesn’t look fried at all,” Antoine said. But Antoine isn’t planning to get it again. timers, something both Mehta and Antoine took “There are studies showing that it causes can- advantage of. cer,” she said. In response to the service’s rising popularity, Lately there has been a lot of controversy Hoshall’s Hair Salon in Folsom frequently does

Brazilian Blowouts, too. Hairstylist Rebecca Ward says that the smoothing treatment creates a protective protein layer on each strand of hair, which eliminates any frizz and split ends. “(The product) makes the hair look just like new,” Ward said. Albrand will get the treatment for the fourth time in the spring. “I’m not particularly concerned about the formaldehyde aspect,” Albrand said. “I’m only getting it done twice a year.” She said that none of the hairstylists that she goes to have been alarmed by the formaldehyde. why should I?” she said. However, some stylists are worried. Lauren Buchanan, who owns a salon called Lauren’s, won’t do Brazilian Blowouts because she feels very strongly about the well-being of her clients and herself. “When you open up the bottle, you can smell the chemicals,” she said. “When I used to do it, my lungs burned every time and my clients would comment about the smell.” Albrand felt the burning in her eyes, but passed it off as something that just came with the procedure. “We do so many other things to our hair anyway: highlights, coloring, perms,” she said. “The Brazilian Blowout isn’t that different.” When Mehta had her Brazilian Blowout, she As a result of the accusations about the formaldehyde, the Brazilian Blowout Company has created a solution that they say contains no formaldehyde at all called the Brazilian Blowout Zero. However, the treatment done by the Zero solution doesn’t last as long. And though the company promises no formaldehyde in this new product, Buchanan isn’t ready to use it. “I want to know the product that I’m using before I use it on my clients,” she said.

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