theOctagon
Sacramento Country Day School
2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento
VOL. XXXIX, NO. 5
February 16, 2016
Sophomore parents raise concerns about classes Agenda outlines issues with curriculum, questions teachers’ methods By Zoë Bowlus Online Editor-in-Chief
I
n January, a meeting was held to intro
Reynolds to the sophomore parents. But the meeting took a turn, and in stead parental concerns regarding the sopho more curriculum were brought up. The concerns of a group of parents were around this theme: Some teachers aren’t teaching in a way that all students can learn, and some don’t seem to be prepared for class. group declined to comment for this story. lowing, not necessarily presented in order. The parents stipulated that students’ failures, not failures of teaching. “There is an energy of inciting fear and fail ure amongst some teachers,” they wrote. ed a list of requests, many of which related to teacber Bruce Baird’s World Cultures class. One request was for a “concrete” and “thorough” study guide in the class. Baird noted that he hands out an outline at the beginning of each unit. Students can take notes directly on the outline, in a separate notebook or on an on line copy of the outline. “I talk about the same
History teacher Bruce Baird lectures about the Muslim calendar with a microphone attached to his shirt. His lecture was supposed to be recorded and transcribed for students. The unsucessful idea, hampered by technological issues, was in response to the sophomore parents’ criticism of Baird’s lecture-based curriculum. (Photo by Adam Ketchum)
He emphasized that his teaching style is similar to the style he used when he taught at
problems taking notes in Baird’s class and
For example, Robbie Lemons, ‘10, orig
they’re absent. When it comes to note taking, Baird said he hasn’t had to instruct sophomores in the past. “Students seem to come in here knowing how to take notes,” he said. “I don’t think 10th grade is the place where I’m going to teach them how to take notes.” Baird said he’s always explained that notes
“I talk about the same kind of things that
kind of things that I would talk (about) with college freshmen.” —Bruce Baird, teacher
ten in class, you’re building frameworks for connections be tween things,” Baird said. “The outline is logically organized works.”
Baird said that these questions are a way
freshmen,” he said.
ing them with a list of possible
mastered them. Baird said Lemons realized that he needed
appear on the test. “He just put his nose to the grindstone, didn’t take anything for granted,” Baird said.
memories about what was talked about in
on tests.
See Parents, page 10
New Head’s Priority: Growing student population would provide more social, academic opportunities By Katia Dahmani Page Editor In a Nov. 2 Octagon poll, high schoolers were asked to rank the priorities for Lee Thomsen, new head of school. Starting with this issue, the Octagon will explore the top three choices in that poll. Increasing the school’s population was the third most popular choice. Thirty of 129 high schoolers polled said that Thomsen should concentrate on growing the school. Sophomore Molly Gherini, who at tended Christian Brothers High School for about one month of her freshman year, said she would like the SCDS high school to grow to around 300.
said. “The small size right now makes it so business, which can get annoying.” The larger size could also lead to a
school has been a priority for headmas ter Stephen Repsher, too. Repsher said the school worked from
“If we had a there would be a bigger turnout to dances, more school spirit, and a larger variety of people to hang out with.” —Christian Van Vleck, junior
second campus for the high school in order to increase en rollment. But the school abandoned
would make the social scene better,” Gherini said.
sports teams, Gherini said. also like the high school to increase, al though by no more than 50 students.
Population of the high school dating back to the 2007-08 courtesy of Admissions. (Graphic by Adam Dean)
said that he would like the school to grow to 250. “If we had a bigger school, there would be a bigger turnout to dances,
Repsher collected the necessary in formation for the school’s application and submitted it to the city of Sacra mento on Jan. 5. “The application has been deemed complete, and the city is currently pro cessing the application,” Repsher said. He said he hopes that by May bigger school, the application
school’s resources at the time, he said. Now Repsher is working on modify ing the conditional use permit, which dictates the maximum number of stu
and wrapped up. Thomsen said that ideally he would like the high school to grow to 250 since he’s heard it’s a
It’s also a better size for increasing students’ social opportunities, he said. He said that the two key strategies the school has in mind for increasing student size are to increase the reten tion between eighth and ninth grade
Repsher said he began to lay the city conditional use permit in the fall. He met with the city mitigation mon itoring committee, made a presentation sociation in December, and met with councilman Eric Guerra, who rep resents Sacramento’s District 6.
SCDS would make parents and students realize what they could lose if they were to choose another option, Thomsen See New Head, page 10
2Feature
The Octagon
February 16, 2016
Bennett Lumban (center, wearing brown beanie) poses after his dance routine with his Sacramento-based hip-hop crew, the Boogie Monstarz, at the Prelude Norcal Competition. The Boogie Monstarz danced in the exhibition division of the event. Lumban is the group’s creative director. (Photo used by permission of Lumban)
Lower-school assistant stars in hip-hop crew Dedicated to passion despite heavy workload, Lumban now teaches dance
By Alexa Mathisen Reporter
E
very Monday at 3:30 p.m., the MP Room echoes with the sounds of stomping, clapping and a young man chanting a beat, while low
direction. But this guy is always dancing, whether it’s while he’s just walking through the school or His name is Bennett Lumban, and he’s also the kindergarten assistant and has been an ASE counselor for eight years. Try searching his name on YouTube, and
ter he and a friend watched the movie “You crew in Los Angeles. Right away, Lumban said, he and his friend groups who danced as street buskers. “We watched the movie repeatedly until we had learned all of the routines because we thought it would make us cool,” he said. At the time Lumban, who was born in Mis sissippi, was living in Germany and attending Ramstein High School. And as a sophomore, When he and his friends had learned all the movie’s dances, they looked up more on the Internet.
views. taught, and I never took any formal dance The video depicts Lumban teaching a classes until college,” Lumban said. routine to a group of dancers for a weekend When YouTube really be dance workshop. came popular in his junior “I saw Filipinos on the Jabba- and senior years of high Lumban stands be fore the group making wockeez, and it made me so school, it was easier to get sharp movements with to other dancers for proud to be Filipino and want access his hands, hips and legs inspiration and technique while describing the to be like them.” instruction. moves. So Lumban started to —Bennett Lumban, ASE Lumban wears all follow the best American counselor black and a backwards dance crews and became a hat. He keeps a straight fan of famous groups, such face while clenching his as Kabba Modern and Jab muscles to keep his body sharp and rigid. bawockeez, both based in California. Then his students struggle to learn the “I was always teased as just being the quiet, moves. nerdy Asian kid,” said Lumban. Other videos show Lumban performing “I saw Filipinos on the Jabbawockeez, and original choreography at UC Davis to a cheer it made me so proud to be Filipino and want to be like them.” The routine is called “Gravity” and starts When it came time to choose a college, with Lumban sitting in a chair. He then walks Lumban decided to go to California, in part and backwards hat, dragging his feet graceful ly. Reaching for the crowd, he pops and locks his neck, making him look like a robot. Lumban started dancing in high school af
lived on the West Coast. He eventually chose UC Davis because three of the main Jabbawockeez dancers were from and trained in Sacramento and he had
Lumban also knew Davis was the home of MK Modern, a collegiate dance crew. He danced with them for all four years of college and was the director of the group his last two years. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, he moved to Sacramento. Now the creative director of Boogie Mon of younger adults, 18 and older, he continues to take classes and work on his moves. And it’s all leading towards his biggest goal: dancing for Jabbawockeez, which now per forms in Las Vegas. The Jabbawockeez dance in white masks
and clapping to sound like a snare drum. When the kids start to get frustrated, Lum ban stops and has them take deep breaths for a “mental break.” And, sure enough, the students perform so much better and more “I love learning new dance moves, and Mr. Bennett is such a good dancer,” said “My favorite part of Mr. Bennett’s teach ing is how descriptive and easy to understand he is.” But Lumban doesn’t want to stop there in “I always thought it would be great if we had our own dance team like other high schools in Sacramento have!” he said.
600,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram combined, the group appeals to Lumban be cause “their style is their own,” he said. “When ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ was on TV, I saw the Jabbawockeez performing, and it was a crazy and humbling thing to see Asian Americans killing it,” Lumaban said. Lumban has tried out for the Jabbawock eez in the past; however, he hasn’t made it yet. He plans to continue training and work ing until he succeeds. If he were to make the Jabbawockeez or a professional dancer. In addition, Lumban wants to pass on his
hop class. I watched one afternoon while he taught a new routine to two students. “Keep those hands at your sides like a hands here!” Lumban said with a laugh. Lumban teaches the students about mak ing music and art through their movements, such as stomping to make bass drum noises
Above: Bennett Lumban dances at the Urban Paradise Showcase. Below: Lumban (center, wearing brown beanie) dances with his dance crew at Prelude Norcal. (Photos used by permission of Lumban)
February 16, 2016
News
The Octagon
3
New PSAT evokes positive reviews, higher scores Juniors reflect on differences between tests, plan for upcoming SAT By Quin Lacomb Reporter Junior Shriya Nadgauda was awakened by her mother at 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 7, the day that the new PSAT scores were posted. “You need to wake up! Your father has your PSAT scores,” her mother told her. “You can’t see them until you get ready.” Nadgauda got dressed and had break fast, but she was running late so she end ed up checking her scores on her father’s phone on the drive to school. And the news was good! Nadgauda had improved her score from last year. But she wasn’t all that surprised.
gauda said. This year, the College Board revamped
ferred it because the math problems were harder on the new test. On the reading section, the juniors were split down the middle. Five said they pre they preferred the new. The rest of the ju niors had no preference. Of the students that preferred the old reading sections, many argued that a lot of questions were based on answers to previ ous questions, and that the questions were often asked ambiguously. “There were questions that were based on previous answers,” junior Austin Tala mantes said. “So if you didn’t understand the previous questions, you got the next question wrong.” Students who preferred the new test said that it had easier vocabulary, longer passag
“The stories were more interesting, so while reading I was changes for the SAT more engaged,” and PSAT tests include “The stories were more in- much junior Avi Bhullar said. that students are no longer penalized for teresting, so while reading “When I got to the wrong answers and that I was much more engaged. questions, I remem more.” the test questions con When I got to the questions, bered tain more familiar vo The last section, the I remembered more.” cabulary. writing portion of the The junior class, the —Avi Bhullar, junior test, was nearly unan imously preferred on only one that’s taken the new PSAT. Reasons both the new and old ranged from its being tests, was polled before and after receiving simpler to students completing it faster. scores to compare the two tests. In an Oct. 20 poll, juniors were asked The juniors had promising results. In a whether they preferred the new test, pre second poll on Jan. 26, when the juniors ferred the old test or had no preference. knew their scores on the new test, the ju Of the 28 juniors polled, 24 said that they niors all did either the same as or better either favored the new test or had no pref than last year’s assessment, with 18 of 25 erence. juniors stating that they did “much better.” Only four said they favored the old test, and three of the four agreed that they pre juniors said that they improved over their
ple per section said that they did worse on the new test. Before the arrival of the new test, math teacher Chris Millsback and English teach class to prepare for it. Bauman said that the PSAT prep class had 34 students, 19 of whom were ju niors. “There were more juniors than usual this year,” she said. However, any junior who didn’t want to take the class or buy the study book could always head on line. Bauman said that all four of the sample tests online are the same as the sample tests in the College Board prepa ration book. The College Board also has an app and website that sends a daily SAT question to users. After answering a question, the student can see the correct answer and an analysis of why it’s correct. In addition, Khan Academy has teamed up with the College Board to provide math practice for the new SAT, which begins in March. However, Bauman said that the Col lege Board book is the only book to use for studying. “The College Board and Khan Acad emy materials are in sync with the new test, but the test is too new for other sources,” Bauman said. She also said that students tak ing the new SAT need to prepare to concentrate for an hour on the reading section. And she advised them to buy a cheap wristwatch and manage their time well.
36%
14%
preferred the old PSAT
88%
scored higher on the new PSAT
0%
of juniors preferred the new PSAT
50%
had no preference
12%
scored similarly on the new PSAT
scored lower on the new PSAT Graphic by Marigot Fackenthal
Thank you to our sponsors for keeping us in the black The Barajas Family The Bowlus Family The Christian Family The Claire Family The Dahmani Family The Fackenthal Family The Fineberg-Chiu Family The Hansen Family The Judd Family The LaComb Family The Longoria Family The Mathisen Family The Naify Family The Needler Family The Scott Family The Tung Family The Wolkov Family The Zhang Family
4Sports
The Octagon
February 16, 2016
Alumni leave sports once in college
Injuries, time commitments force athletes to part with activities they love
By Ulises Barajas Page Editor
W “Why not end now knowing that I could get injured later?” —Elise DeCarli, ‘13
College,
William Wright, ‘13, and four teammates competed in what he called a “hectic” cycling competition on Jan. 30. (Photo used by permission of the UCSD Cycling website)
February 16, 2016
Sports
The Octagon
5
(Photos by Ethan Hockridge)
Skiers rejoice as El Niño brings snowy weather Frosh add stellar performances, helpful parents to previously tiny team By Jack Christian Reporter
Hockridge said the quality of the snow is also better this year.
T
he ski and snowboard team is currently third in their league as many changes have been made to the team and program, including more members, more support, more training and more snow.
nior Elizabeth Brownridge, who had never raced before.
or snowboard team, a school must have
They are now 16 points behind Chico High School.
his normal position,” said Hockridge. The team has doubled in size, with 10 members instead of
This year there are four men’s skiers, so there will be a team in that category. But Kreps said that he will send the top three skiers as a team to the state competition.
lot harder and drier, providing faster runs.” But the weather hasn’t always been perfect for the Cavs. At the Jan. 22 race at Northstar, rain was predicted, although snow began to fall as the racers arrived at the mountain. And the Jan. 29 race at Boreal was can celled because of strong wind, rain and “No complaints about the snow predictions. weather this year.” The training of the ski and snowboard —Jason Kreps, coach team has also changed. Hockridge’s mother, Carol, has taken
performance.
three. Hernried has raced on the school team in the past, and even
two in two of the four races. And in women’s ski and snowboard, a member has consis tently placed in the top 10. Coach Jason Kreps and Hernried both attributed the im proved performance partly to the freshmen.
Kreps has also said he will send some of the best racers in the other divisions as individuals to states.
super aggressive.”
the Cavs to win, according to Kreps. Scoring relies on the placing of racers, so a team with four
“(The freshmen) are MVP’s.” —Daniel Hernried, junior
that race outside of school and have been doing it all their lives,” Kreps said. Northstar ski team. The two have been racing almost identically, with their
Kreps. She leads a program of pilates, yoga, stretching and core strength two or three times per week. However, only about half of the ski and snowboard team Several team members either don’t want to participate or are participating in an alternate sport. for physical education credit.
the team still has more members who can receive points. “We have to have three really solid racers to win,” Kreps said.
High School. “They have a really big team that is really good,” he said. Weather has also been a big factor in the team’s success. “No complaints about the weather this year,” Kreps said.
to be a ski instructor. also increased.
And team members no longer have to worry about rides or places to stay, as many of the parents are willing to shuttle students back and forth from Tahoe.
vidual runs.
Sports Boosters’ Athletes of the Month Julia Owaidat Owaidat has shown “outstanding senior leadership.” She averages 9.5 points per game. Owaidat has been a starter on the girls’ basketball team since freshman year.
Luca Procida phenomenal,” according to coach Jason Kreps. “He’s raced consistently this season.”
Athletes of the Month are chosen by the athletic department on behalf of the Sports Boosters.
6
Centerpoint
The Octagon
February 16, 2016
Super-Commuting Students For some, home sweet home is far, far away
I
t’s 6:15 a.m. and senior Jake Sands is up and moving. He doesn’t have a test to cram for, nor does he have insomnia. What does he have? A
Jag said.
By Manson Tung
Tales of a 38-mile, 90-minute drive
“It’s rough.”
made the choice easier,” she said.
morning air. Up and down
we
he often sets up dances and other student activities.
to start,” he said.
option.” Sands
said
the
I’ll wake up at 2 a.m., do my homework, and by the time I’m done, it’s time to go to school again. —Jake Sands, senior
his weekend activities.
A portly man holding a vibrant orange sign with the words “John 3:16” scrawled in thick black ink came into view.
seen since Loomis.
for the move, he said, was the com
the trip even worse. In addition to the shorter commute,
driving.
ing,” Jake said.
were making good time.
we strode down Latham. ramento to shorten the commute. mute. he didn’t take the commute into consideration, he said.
imous.”
crash for eight hours,” Sands said. ner said.
19%
of students commute 21-30 minutes
Graphics by Manson Tung
Based on 128 surveys distributed on Feb. 9.
21%
of students commute 31-40 minutes
7%
of students commute 41+ minutes
7
6
Centerpoint
The Octagon
February 16, 2016
Super-Commuting Students For some, home sweet home is far, far away
I
t’s 6:15 a.m. and senior Jake Sands is up and moving. He doesn’t have a test to cram for, nor does he have insomnia. What does he have? A
Jag said.
By Manson Tung
Tales of a 38-mile, 90-minute drive
“It’s rough.”
made the choice easier,” she said.
morning air. Up and down
we
he often sets up dances and other student activities.
to start,” he said.
option.” Sands
said
the
I’ll wake up at 2 a.m., do my homework, and by the time I’m done, it’s time to go to school again. —Jake Sands, senior
his weekend activities.
A portly man holding a vibrant orange sign with the words “John 3:16” scrawled in thick black ink came into view.
seen since Loomis.
for the move, he said, was the com
the trip even worse. In addition to the shorter commute,
driving.
ing,” Jake said.
were making good time.
we strode down Latham. ramento to shorten the commute. mute. he didn’t take the commute into consideration, he said.
imous.”
crash for eight hours,” Sands said. ner said.
19%
of students commute 21-30 minutes
Graphics by Manson Tung
Based on 128 surveys distributed on Feb. 9.
21%
of students commute 31-40 minutes
7%
of students commute 41+ minutes
7
8 Editorial
The Octagon
February 16, 2016
“Good point” by Jake Sands
My Angle By Amelia Fineberg College applications complete, pointless boredom ensues Man, you should have seen me right before my college apps were due. I was a mess. For about three weeks before the new year, when the majority of my apps were due, I grad
prised I didn’t drown in a sea of my own corti So you can imagine my relief that application season is over. But now, although the stress is much less immediate, there is a new peril: the wait for results. Every time college counselor Jane Bauman an nounces another acceptance for one of my peers, I feel a part of myself withering away. Don’t get
EDITORIAL: By all means, increase Increased population, more students, a larger student body - whatever the wording, the consensus seems to be that the school should grow. It’s unlikely that anyone would argue against the bene-
that the waiting is eating me alive. Of course, I didn’t apply early anywhere. If I had, I probably would have been much more my peers hyperventilate over their early decision apps, thanking myself for not going that route. However, many of those same classmates who
overpopulation. New students must come last - they will be easily ac-
is not whether or not the student body should grow, but Without additional students to help shoulder the costs, current students will see a rise in tuition. teacher-to-student ratio. Because Country Day’s main selling point is its small classes, increasing the number -
ings. The numbers may work out on paper, but where
ly apps in have been paid back in full with the assurance that they’ve been accepted to at least one place. Some of them, having applied early decision, won’t even have to agonize over which At this point, there’s nothing I can do to im prove my chances, and that powerlessness, more than anything else, stresses me out. mester is over and grades for midyear reports are most of my classes, I’m in no danger of failing, and without the push to get into a good college
Day education. dent-teacher relationships and individualized attention. appeal when compared to other schools. -
After all, if colleges don’t care about my sec
sports teams and the powerline company regulations. In addition, student parking at Country Day is limited and cumbersome. Students are not allowed to park in -
ple, the 17 students in teacher Jane Batarseh’s Latin II -
Students are not even allowed to park on Munroe Street larger high school would make the already dire parking situation even worse. The school needs to solve the park-
to accommodate increased numbers. -
and the agonizing wait of another six weeks for the emails that will determine the course of my life. But what makes this more frustrating than anything is that I honestly have nothing to worry about. I applied to nine schools, at least seven of which I have a very solid chance of getting into. All of my schools are places at which I would be happy to end up. I have nothing to fear. And yet, I worry. Oh, how I worry.
toward growth.
the Editors-in-Chief Madison Judd Manson Tung
Online Editor-in-Chief Zoë Bowlus
Octagon Manson Tung Marigot Fackenthal Sonja Hansen Ulises Barajas
Reporters
Manson Tung
Alexa Mathisen Allison Zhang Ben Miner Chardonnay Needler Grace Naify Jack Christian Jake Longoria Mac Scott Mohini Rye Nicole Wolkov Quin LaComb Sahej Claire
Annya Dahmani
Jake Sands
Business Manager Sonja Hansen
Feature Editor Madison Judd
Opinion Editor Marigot Fackenthal
Sports Editor Zoë Bowlus
Copy Editor Amelia Fineberg
News Editor
Social Media Editor Page Editors
Adam Dean Amelia Fineberg Annya Dahmani Katia Dahmani Madison Judd
Graphic Artist
Photographers Adam Ketchum Kevin Huang Ethan Hockridge
Adviser
Patricia Fels
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. For more information (including the Octagon’s mission statement and policies for editorials, bylines, corrections, and letters to the editor), visit scdsoctagon.com.
Orchids
&
Onions
O
rchids to. . . Julie Nelson and Amy Wells for constantly providing the Octagon with the stats that fill our articles. We really appreciate your valuable time.
O
nions to. . . the people who spilled ketchup on the carpet in the Latin room. Now we have even fewer classrooms to eat in during lunch when it’s cold outside!
O
rchids to. . . Student Council for lowering the prices for Winter Ball. Having the tickets cost $50 at the door instead of the original $60 was helpful on Valentine’s Day.
nions to. . . the sophomores who ditched the mandatory life skills class. The school is providing you with a class that can teach you how to deal with your stress.
O
February 16, 2016
The Octagon
Opinion
9
What’s worse than being single on Valentine’s Day: sharing a drink with your friend or dining alone? Sophomore Jake Longoria and f reshman Ben Miner jokingly sip a vanilla milkshake at Rick’s Dessert Diner. (Photo by Adam Ketchum)
Couldn’t find the perfect date for Valentine’s? Reviewers discover the best restaurants to bury your broken heart in grease Squeeze Inn dresses up burgers in greasy yet delicious cheese ‘skirts’
Too dark for Snapchat filters, Zelda’s lets singles wallow in misery
“What is the greasiest item on your menu?”
Most Squeeze Inn burgers come with their patties covered in cheddar cheese. Reviewer Jake Longoria was shocked by how large the cheese “skirt” was on his cheese and bacon burger. (Photo by Adam Ketchum)
Spend Cupid’s special day with thick shakes, Oreo Tarts at Rick’s
10 Remainder
The Octagon
February 16, 2016
New Head: Parents: Upperclassmen respond Lee Thomsen to meet with community When it comes to teacher support, if a student’s performance dips, Jacobsen said she becomes alarmed.
said. But junior Alexa Mathisen said she doesn’t want the school to get larger. Mathisen, who attended Rio Americano High School from her freshman to half of her sophomore year, said she wouldn’t want SCDS to lose its small population, which originally attracted her to the school. According to Mathisen, at Rio her class teachers didn’t even know her name.
“The only successful changes come about when you have buy-in from constituents.” —Lee Thomsen, future head of school
ratio makes it easier for me to learn and have a good relation ship with all my teachers,” Mathisen said. Thomsen said that his will be to meet
members of the community and build connections with students, faculty, alumni, friends of the school and others. “It’s very important for me to know them and for them to know me,” he said. Thomsen said that he plans to learn about the community by inviting every member of the faculty and the Board of Trustees, and parents and students who wish to come, to share their opinions of the school over the summer. “The only successful changes come
class on a certain day. “These are skills that are useful for preparing kids to do well in college: how to succeed in college, how to struggle, what to do to overcome challenges,” he said. Baird said he hasn’t adapted his classroom style in response to the parental concerns. “I refuse to change anything until someone can give me a very good reason, a pedagogical reason,” he said. “I also don’t think it’s ethical to change a course midstream in re sponse to unreasonable demands that would end up punishing the students who are doing all the right things.” However, Baird and Brooke Wells, head of high school, have now designated a sophomore note taker in the World Cultures class, who
tate a need for that. “Now it is also for students who are absent, which is not something we’ve done in the past,” he said. Another idea was to record Baird’s class every day. Baird tried using a Dragon microphone to transcribe his lecture. This was in place for only a day, as the program works when only one voice is talking, and the transcribed result was garbled, Wells said. Four students have withdrawn from Baird’s class and are now tak ing an online World Cultures course. Another point in the Agenda was that teachers are not teaching students how to stay organized in preparation for college and need to hold students accountable every day. In Patricia Jacobsen’s math classes, the parents asked for daily
homework approach, where she would teach the material and assign the homework daily. “I’m always willing to try new things,” she said, including an op tional homework policy. “The kids who really want to do the homework and really learn it are going to do their homework regardless if I assign it,” she said. Jacobsen said she thought the policy had been working really well. participation,” she said. ets with hundreds of review questions with attached answer keys. “The kids were super excited about the worksheets,” Jacobsen said. “So it hit me: kids are always excited about doing worksheets.” So she made another homework change, although it was not con nected to the recent parent requests, she said. Each week, she hands out three to four packets that are collected Jacobsen checks the even problems when she grades the packets.
ents,” Thomsen said. ple a part of the process through commit tee work and by making sure everyone who has an interest has an opportunity to give their insight and input.”
often hands out old exams as well. “When students take the time to engage in the course fully,” she said, “they recognize problems from the test as the same problems
to tell that student that that’s not okay,” she said. Jacobsen said she tells her students that she’s available for help
After school, “I’m always just sitting here by myself,” Jacobsen said.
In Patricia Fels’s English class, the parents asked Wells to review a test to see if he thought four days was enough study time. Fels said she was surprised there was a problem with the allotted
view days and four nights to study. Another Agenda point related to the Sophomore Project, which the parents said needed more “written guidelines” and deadlines. Fels, who is in charge of the research section of the project, said “The reason it’s not as clear as it’s been is that I have revised the requirements this year,” she said. While she said she thinks the students understand what’s expected of them for the project now, she said she still needs to establish some absolute deadlines. Two other parent requests were for weekly advisor meetings to “guide kids on time management with their unique obligations” and feedback.” Student reaction to these demands was immediate. In fact, the ju nior and senior classes organized documents to voice their opinions. “I felt that it was our job as the students and seniors who have been here forever to let the administration know how we felt about what was happening,” senior Emma Brown said. So she created a Google document to share with the seniors. Brown said that most of the seniors’ comments praised the teach ers and the school’s academic rigor. Brown and senior Jenny Kerbs assured the document was appropri ate and accurate. The they submitted the document to Wells. Brown said she thinks creating the document brought the senior class together. “A lot of students were supportive of the document, and that made me really happy,” she said. The junior class responded similarly. Junior Isabelle Leavy said the juniors were worried that in the con versation from student to parent to teacher to administrator, some things were being missed. make it very clear to faculty and administration that we know what part of this school and we want to contribute to it,” Leavy said. The juniors also sent their document to Wells, who Leavy said was receptive to the students’ point of view. “That makes me feel very good about the future of this school and the way that this issue is being handled,” she said. “Whenever we have concerns expressed by parents, we always take them seriously,” headmaster Stephen Repsher said. “We look to see what we can do to improve the situation, to ameliorate any problems that we see and to help students and teachers to work together more
work, and the same problems on the quizzes.”
College: Concussions, back injuries force alumni to quit teams Bosco was hit in the head by an opponent’s shoulder and had “a screaming headache,” she said. Although she was taken out several plays later, she didn’t miss any games after that, even though she had bad head aches, couldn’t stay balanced, and was sensitive to light. At the recommendation of her coach and athletic director, she started therapy sessions. “I had to go to balance therapy,” Bosco said. “Many people could stay balanced while their eyes were closed, but I would fall over.” She said it took about three months to regain her sense of balance. Bosco said after the concussion she also had prob lems focusing. Bosco said. After just one season, Bosco started thinking of quitting once she started taking harder classes her sophomore year. Now Bosco stays active by running and hiking. She said she misses the sense of community, but she doesn’t miss basket ball trips because balancing sports and classes is hard.
end. It’s more like a job.” Bosco also said passions get in the way of sports. In her case her major, environmental economics, became her passion. “I realized at the base root of all the issues that everyone healthy planet to live on,” Bosco said. In her free time, Bosco also interned for Stratecon, Inc., writing for the Journal of Water.
so he could get up early the next morning. “It was your life,” Wright said. “Practice dictates your life.” year after lifting heavy weights. That meant he could no longer deadlift, work out or go to practice. Wright said the pain in his back, which he experienced “That was when the pain got worse and worse,” Wright said. “It became very painful to even walk around, and that’s when I told the coach.” So during his sophomore year in college, Wright redshirted, going to practice but not participating in competition. In addition, he went to physical therapy four times a week his whole sophomore year. “It got better, but not to the point that I thought I’d be able to compete again,” Wright said. One of Wright’s teammates had gone through a similar in jury, quitting a year before Wright did. Wright said the main reason he joined cycling was because he missed the camaraderie. “I missed that competitive and team dynamic I had on row ing,” Wright said. In addition, he had grown up riding bikes. “I’ve always loved cycling,” Wright said. “It was something that was easy on my back.” Although Wright said he misses rowing, he has more free time as a cyclist. said. “It tailors to your schedule.” three hours, went to class without showering, practiced again
Elise DeCarli, ‘13, played volleyball throughout high school. (Photo used by permission of DeCarli)
11 the total abs WORKOUT
February 16, 2016
Community
The Octagon
50 JUMPING JACKS 10-minute run 40 CRUNCHES 40 LEG LIFTS 40 SQUATS 30 push-ups 20 sit-ups 20 lunges Graphic by Annya Dahmani
Training together takes ‘work’ out of workout
Students challenge, help, tease and encourage each other to get stronger By Chardonnay Needler Reporter
I “Working out by yourself is boring. But working out with your friends is more fun and more motivating.” —Brad Petchauer, senior
Do you work out aside from a sports team?
YES
63%
NO
37%
126 high-school students were polled on Feb. 2
Do you work out with any other students?
YES
22%
NO
78%
12 Feature
Weird Collections The Octagon
February 16, 2016
Graphic by Madison Judd
W
ith more than 40 model airplanes, half a jar
By Allison Zhang
Ethan Hockridge, freshman Two video and six still cameras
Esme Bruce-Romo, sophomore 15 ladybug-themed items
Natalie Brown, junior 21 wind-up toys
I cried for the rest of the day (when my dad stepped on one of my wind-up toys), so (he) ordered that same wind-up toy online. 窶年atalie Brown, junior
Saachi Sikaria, senior 30 foreign bills and coins the rest of the day, so my dad ordered that
Nate Jakobs, freshman Roughly 20 special baseballs
Alex Rogawski, freshman 40 model airplanes
Nina Dym, sophomore Half a jar of soda-can tabs