Issue 4 13 January 2015

theOctagon

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

Sacramento Country Day School

scdsoctagon.com

VOL. XXXVIII, NO. 4

January 13, 2015

Early Decision Roundtable: Admitted seniors discuss finding dream schools, being done with college essays

By Manson Tung Page Editor

T

he Octagon recently sat down with members of the class of 2015 (Emma Williams, Aishwarya Nadgauda, Melissa Vazquez and Caroline Mehta) who applied early decision.

Early decision is a binding application to a college. If a student is accepted, they must go to that school.

Q: You all applied early decision to your respective colleges. How did you know that school was the right fit for you?

Melissa Vazquez: Washington University in St. Louis filled everything on my checklist. I wanted someplace new that I could explore. It had to be in a medium-sized city a good distance from home, and they had the PNP (a major that combines philosophy, neuroscience and psychology).

Washington University also only has one general education requirement, which is something that I liked about the school.

Aishwarya Nadgauda: Really? I liked the general education requirements at Columbia! Until I saw University of Pennsylvania, my first choice was Columbia because of their core curriculum.

Vazquez: I actually didn’t even look at what their core curriculum is. I just really didn’t like them telling me what classes I had to take, but maybe they are cool.

Washington University wasn’t my first choice until this year actually. Before that, I didn’t know where I wanted to go, but I was going to apply early action to Yale. My dad went to Yale, and he didn’t have a good time there, but he thought that I would like it there.

Emma Williams: That’s the exact opposite from me. I don’t want to say he was unsupportive, but my dad kept asking, “Are you sure you want to apply early to Cornell?”

Caroline Mehta: My parents also asked, “Have you considered Vanderbilt, or Johns Hopkins?” “Are

By Amelia Fineberg Copy Editor Vaccination rates in California are up again after a decade-long dip, according to an article published by the Sacramento Bee on Dec. 9.

This follows a year-old state law which mandates that personal belief forms must be signed by a doctor for students to be exempted from the vaccinations required to enroll in school, such as those for pertussis and whooping cough.

Although certain counties, such as El Dorado and Placer, have significantly higher numbers of unvaccinated kindergarteners, Sacramento County was noted for having a significant decrease in exemption rates from last year.

At Country Day, almost no students are unvaccinated, according

to Christy Vail, lower school principal.

“Probably...three,” she said, “in the entire lower school.”

Parents have to talk about the pros and cons of being unvaccinated with a doctor to get their personal belief forms signed, Vail said.

And if there were an outbreak of something those students aren’t vaccinated against, the school would exclude them until the outbreak was over, Vail said.

High exemption rates can be dangerous for more than just those who aren’t immunized. Some people can’t get vaccines because they have immune deficiencies, so unvaccinated peers may endanger them too.

“Children don’t have as developed of an immune system as adults, so by not vaccinating a child

In celebration of Country Day’s 50th anniversary, a past editor-in-chief of The Octagon will be featured in each issue.

you sure you want to go to GW?” But I just knew that I would fit in at George Washington.

Q: What was it like being months ahead of your friends in terms of the getting-things-together process?

Williams: Amazing. It’s the best feeling ever. I have nothing left to do with college applications, and everyone else is freaking out.

Nadgauda: I finished all my supplementary essays before I heard back from Penn. I would have been done regardless of whether I got in or not, which is nice.

See Roundtable, page 7

Above, senior Aishwarya Nadgauda poses with her business professor while accepting her certificate of completion for the University of Pennsylvania’s Management and Technology Summer Institute. (Photo used with permission by Nadgauda) At right, senior Caroline Mehta talks about having to wait for her early admission decision to George Washington University. “This is just getting me more and more stressed out, you guys,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for five days now.” (Photo by Elena Lipman)

Over half of high schoolers didn’t get flu vaccinations

Blast from the Past

you’re putting them at risk of con- just “a little too lazy.” He’s not wortracting a disease or virus that could ried about getting the flu, though. have very serious, lifelong effects,” “Every time I get sick, I just biology teacher Kellie Whited said. come back stronger, so I think my “Even something as simple as the immune system is strong enough,” flu vaccine—children and the elder- he said.

Sophomore Ryan Canepa, on the ly are far more susceptible to the flu, so the vaccine gives them a chance other hand, decided to “play it safe” of not contracting something that by getting the vaccine.

And freshman Amalie Fackenthal could be potentially life-threatenplays it even safing.

“It’s easier to “Every time I get sick, I just er. She gets the every prevent than to come back stronger, so I vaccine year, “to be caretreat (illnesses).”

And it really think my immune system is ful,” she said. is a matter of strong enough.”

However, she life and death.

—Keegan Crain, senior is in the minoriAccording to ty. studies from And even the past years, 98 percent of children vaccination is hit-and-miss. Acwho have died from the flu have cording to the Centers for Disease been unvaccinated.

Control and Prevention (CDC), Nevertheless, only 47 percent this year’s vaccine is not as effective of the high-school students got flu against the most common strains vaccinations this year. this season, due to flu mutations.

“I didn’t get it because my mom Nonetheless, the vaccine can heard that the shot was less effec- still protect against some predicttive this year,” junior Emma Belli- ed strains and lessen the severity of veau said. any contracted flu virus, according Senior Keegan Crain said he was to the CDC.

Brad Stohr, ’91, was editor-in-chief in his senior year.

Stohr attended Swarthmore College as a biology major.

He then attended medical and graduate school at Duke University to study how broken DNA is repaired. Stohr now works at University of California, San Francisco, where he is a pathologist and runs his own small research lab. He diagnoses people with cancer and tries to find what makes cancer cells grow and evolve.

Q: Favorite memory of high school?

A: Some of my strongest memories of high school are from the trips: journalism conferences in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, and, of course, the Ashland trips.

It was liberating to spend several days with friends in a setting with limited adult oversight. There was lots of sneaking out and bending the rules.

Q: Any issues on campus?

A: During my time on the paper, there was a scare in the media about the dangers posed by overhead power lines. Some people believed that the electromagnetic fields (EMF) from the wires could cause leukemia.

This was a big problem for Country Day because of the high-voltage wires right over the campus. No parent likes the idea of their kid getting zapped with cancer-causing radiation every day.

As part of the story, I was able to walk around the campus with somebody who had an EMF meter. He showed me that the EMF measurements were much stronger sitting in front of a computer than standing under the power lines.

Q: Any Octagon memories?

A: One change I made while working on The Octagon was redesigning the masthead.

Up until then, the “O” in Octagon had been a really chunky octagon shape. I still get and read every Octagon, and I’ve watched over the years as my redesigned masthead kept evolving.

—Annya Dahmani For more of the interview, visit scdsoctagon.com.

2 Feature

The Octagon

January 13, 2015

Freshman digs it in LA with future beach volleyball Olympians

But she misses two school days a week

By Zoë Bowlus

She also misses a Tuesday volleyball practice in Los Angeles.

But that’s how she manages to stay at t 10 minutes past noon on most Country Day and play for Elite Beach VolleyThursdays, freshman Kyra Pe- ball. tersen isn’t having lunch with her That his daughter is trying to balance friends. school and beach volleyball shows how much Instead, she’s on her way to the airport for she loves the SCDS environment, including the teachers and students, her father said. a flight to Los Angeles.

Otherwise, it would be easier for the famiPetersen practices there with a team called ly to move to Los Angeles.

Elite Beach Volleyball at Manhattan Beach from 3:30 p.m. until the sun sets.

Petersen has been playing volleyball since fifth grade, but this is her After the Thursday afternoon practices, first year playing for Elite Beach there’s more practice on Friday and SatVolleyball. urday.

Her father introduced her to Petersen also has individual pracbeach volleyball the summer tice with her coaches every Saturday. of 2013, when he took her to At least one of her parents acSouthern California, where companies her to Los Angeles, the family stayed for where they rent a condo by four weeks. There she the beach.

“All the players that go met other volleyball Petersen likes the nice weather and the fun vibe of through (the program) end families and college the city. up doing amazing things, players. One family “I really love it down going to the Olympics, get- told her about a coach named Barbra Fonthere,” she said. ting scholarships.” tana, a beach volleyball Usually, Petersen returns —Kyra Petersen, freshman Olympian. home on Saturday night.

In the spring of That is, unless she has 2014, Petersen met and another individual practice trained privately with Fontana.

Last summer, scheduled. In that case, she flies home on she attended many camps, trained with FonSunday. tana for seven weeks and met other coaches.

So every week Petersen misses part of Then she came back to Sacramento in time Thursday and all of Friday at school. This will to start practice with the school varsity volbe the arrangement until March, when the leyball team. season ends.

She returned to Los Angeles in September to try out for Elite Beach Volleyball.

Before she started flying down to practice (which began the week before Thanksgiving), Petersen talked with Brooke Wells, head of high school, about how to deal with missing two days of school each week.

Freshman Kyra Petersen dives to pass a ball at a tournament in Long Beach last They made arrangements for Petersen to summer. (Photo by Grace Petersen ) use FaceTime (a video-chat app) to sit in on classes if necessary.

“And she is exposed to a couple of very sucPetersen said she is happy with the volley- cessful, positive women.” ball arrangement.

Fontana and Holly McPeak, another of her But sometimes, she said, she feels bad coaches who’s also a former Olympian, are about the whole situation, especially with the “smart” and “very empowering,” her father Girls’ Sand Volleyball vs. details she has to work out with the teachers. said.

“All the players that go through (the proShe said she talks with the teachers before Girls’ Indoor Volleyball gram) end up doing amazing she leaves so she things, going to the Olympics, can be ready for Court Size the work she will “I give her a lot of credit. getting scholarships,” Kyra Peneed to do.

That’s a tough decision to tersen said.

Indoor: Aside from the positive athletIf there is an make when you’re only 14 18m x 9m, with a parallel attack ic experience, Petersen is learnimportant lecture, line that is 3m from the center line. ing about efficiency, both on the she can FaceTime years old.” one of the stu—Drew Petersen, father beach and in school, her father Back row players must stay besaid. dents and virtually hind this line when hitting the ball. be there for class.

“She’s learning to focus even more on the school task at hand,” he said.

“I’m really thankful for that,” she said.

Beach: However, there are some downsides to the Keeping up with her classes in this way can arrangement. be challenging, she said.

16m x 8m, and there is no attack Petersen said she doesn’t like missing this On Friday, she checks in with the teachers line. A player may hit the ball from much school. again to make sure she has everything. anywhere on her side of the net.

“I never missed school when I was youngIf there’s a test, she can try to take it during a free period. And if there’s a class activity er,” she said. “It’s kind of hard. It’s tiring to go that’s too hard to miss, such as a lab or a pre- back and forth.

Players Per Side sentation, Petersen will simply not go to Los “I have Monday and Tuesday to figure out Indoor: Angeles. and catch up. And then Wednesday’s a regular There are six per side, and each playFor instance, the week before Winter day.”

Break, she stayed at school to manage tests Then on Thursday, it’s back down to Los er usually has a specialized position. and projects.

Angeles.

And she plans to stay in Sacramento the Additionally, Petersen hasn’t been able to Beach: weeks before and of finals. spend much time with her friends.

Is typically played with doubles.

Petersen hopes to continue playing for “(This experience) also forces her to betElite Beach Volleyball, she said, but hasn’t ter understand sacrifice, as she misses friends Most players are well-roundthought much about the future. and some of the social opportunities with the ed and can hit, dig and block.

According to her father, the decision to Sacramento Country Day community,” her father said. play for this team has been positive.

“I give her a lot of credit. That’s a tough de“She’s gotten an opportunity to play a sport Petersen spikes a ball in a match at HerInformation collected by Madison Judd cision to make when you’re only 14 years old.” that she is passionate about,” he said. mosa Beach. (Photo by Grace Petersen)

Sports Editor

A

Quick Facts

January 13, 2015

Sports

The Octagon

3

By Elena Lipman Page Editor

Sophomore Aidan Cunningham and freshman Rick Barros III guard Freedom. (Photo by Madison Judd)

Young players bring big wins

Varsity boys beat some schools by over 30 points

By Elena Lipman Page Editor

C Freshman B.J. Askew makes a layup during the Dec. 2 game against Freedom. (Photo by Madison Judd )

oach Dave Ancrum coolly walks backwards on the court, listening to the beat of a single basketball hitting the backboard over and over again.

The boys run in a circle around him, catching the ball and throwing it back up, never letting the ball touch the ground, keeping the same constant beat.

Even under the stress of competition, they keep this calm rhythm.

The varsity team is 13-2, having lost games only to teams in higher divisions (Hiram Johnson High School and Bear River High School). They also won the Redding Christian tournament on the weekend of Dec. 13 for the first time in school history.

“They kept their composure during a

stressful tournament,” Ancrum said.

“A lot of the players are only freshmen, and you don’t know how they’re going to act. I get nervous before every game. The kids think they know, but they’re just babies.”

But the four freshman starters—B.J. Askew, Rick Barros III, Cole Johnson and Jayce McCain—don’t play like babies.

Barros is the high scorer with 256 points. Askew has scored 226 points, closely followed by McCain with 217.

“They’re having fun tearing it up this season, and we’re having fun with them,” senior captain Skovran Cunningham said.

The team has won some games by over 30 points. They beat John Adams Academy 82-6 on Dec. 8 and Woodland Christian 84-48 on Dec. 16.

During the season, the boys have

worked mostly on layups and taking time off the clock. If the team has a considerable lead, they pass the ball around to let the clock run down.

However, Ancrum said that the boys still need to work on their spacing, rebounding against bigger people and boxing out (putting oneself in between an opposing player and the basket).

At the first league game against Valley Christian on Jan. 8, the boys won, 87-75.

In the win over San Juan High School and loss to Hiram Johnson, the boys had a tough time guarding against the other teams’ bigger players, some of whom reached a height of 6’4”.

Barros said that the game against San Juan was his favorite.

“It was a close game and we won by a single point. The lead kept turning over.

That’s how basketball is supposed to be played.”

Coach predicts success for girls’ team with experienced leaders supporting newbies

By Madison Judd

hard because they were so evenly matched.

The match’s intensity led to three players—Bennett-Smith, Owaidat and Brown—fouling out in the final minute.

“Although it sounds cheesy, we had such amazing heart With a wide range of experience on the girls’ basketball team, the Cavs are expecting to beat the majority of the teams (that night),” Owaidat said.

“All of my girls were aggressive. Usually when I yell during in their division, who are less experienced and younger.

Because the majority of last year’s winning league teams games, I’m the only one yelling, but (that game), they were all lost their strong senior players, coach Matt Vargo said that just as pumped as I was.”

The Cavs’ first league game was against Stone Ridge Christhere is “a very bright future for the Cavs.”

The leaders of the team—including seniors Micaela Ben- tian, Jan. 3. The Cavs lost, 17-29.

However, this was an unusual performance for the Cavs, nett-Smith and Isabella Tochterman, junior Julia Owaidat, with a score 21 points less than average. sophomore Natalie Brown and fresh“Our main problem was that we were men Yasmin Gupta and Annya and Katia “(Against Delta) we had such really out of shape after Winter Break,” Dahmani—are another reason why Vargo amazing heart.”

Bennett-Smith said. anticipates the Cavs’ success.

—Julia Owaidat, junior Vargo attributes some of the Cavs’ pre“(The leaders) have really stepped it up season losses to scheduling problems. and have been extremely supportive of the other girls,” Vargo said.

For instance, in the game against Delta, The Cavs also have a large advantage when it comes to their Tochterman, Gupta and the Dahmanis were missing, resultsenior players. ing in the Cavs having only three substitutes.

Had another player fouled out, the girls would have had Tochterman is a two-time all-league player, and Bennett-Smith has the Cavs’ “strongest defensive presence on the only four players on the court.

The girls’ next game is tonight at 7 p.m. against Wilton court,” Vargo said.

Freshman Yasmin Gupta takes a shot at the Jan. 8 league Christian at the Galt Small Gym in Wilton.

The other leaders also have ample experience. game at Sleep Train Arena. The girls lost 25-66 against Their next home game is at 6 p.m. against Faith Christian Gupta has trained with coach David Ancrum for a year and Valley Christian. (Photo by Madison Judd) on Friday, Jan. 16. a half and has practiced with the San Juan High School girls’ basketball coach for the past three months; both Dahmanis have played on the SCDS teams for the past four years; Owaidat has played for a total of six years, including one year of competitive basketball that was coached by previous varsity basketball coach Alisha Harris; and Brown has played two years for SCDS. This experience is evident in the number of points the leadSenior Micaela Bennett-Smith Senior Skovran Cunningham ers have scored—Tochterman with 78, Owaidat with 67 and stands out for her positive atis the varsity basketball capGupta with 48. titude, teamwork, hustle, detain. A very hard worker, he fense and rebounding. has made a difference in the All of these assets have resulted in an overall record of 4-4. team’s defensive scheme.

One of the girls’ strongest games was a preseason match against Delta High School, Dec. 4, according to Owaidat.

Athletes of the Month are chosen by the athletic Although the Cavs lost 32-34, the teams fought extremely department on behalf of the Sports Boosters

Page Editor

Sports Boosters’ Athletes of the Month

4 Editorial

The Octagon

January 13, 2015

“Tight Quarters” by Jake Sands

My Angle

By Grant Miner

By not asking us good questions, colleges waste everyone’s time Writing college essays is a soul-crushing experience.

I use the phrase “soul-crushing” a lot—almost always in hyperbole—but this isn’t one of those times.

Ever since I started the long grind of writing all of my supplemental essays for different colleges, I’ve gotten the nagging feeling that something is just plain wrong.

It was only after I had finished my essay for Colgate University that I realized what was causing that feeling.

Despite having sent six applications, I had not applied to a single school.

Sure, I had filled everything out and clicked “send,” but none of it was me.

When students write college essays, we mold ourselves this way and that like putty in a kid’s hands. We are who the admissions committees want us to be.

EDITORIAL: With the math and science center done, it’s high time for the fine arts building Okay, we’ll admit it. We’re jealous of the new middle-school building, especially our seniors, who were the last class to leave the lower school before that new building was finished.

Teacher Daniel Neukom has repeatedly called the new science building the “Middle School Taj Mahal.”

It shares a few of its Indian cousin’s qualities: it’s a bit big for what it contains, and it’s one heck of a building.

Huge rooms, classroom TV’s and even a little lounge area—believe us, if there were a way we could fail out of our classes so badly that we had to repeat middle school, we would do it.

And what’s more, it was built on time. We were promised a new building by the end of December, and we got a new building by the end of December— something that’s even more impressive considering the delays the construction started with.

But speaking of construction delays, what’s up with that new sign?

It was a great idea to put up a sign to advertise our school, especially since all you can see from Munroe is a large open field. Both students and faculty are sick and tired of having people at Peet’s (only two blocks away) ask us where Country Day is.

But it strikes us as slightly ridiculous that we have a 2-foot-high concrete wall that’s constantly lit up. It’s a nice wall, but it doesn’t warrant 24-hour lighting.

the Editor-in-Chief Emma Williams Online Editor-in-Chief Aishwarya Nadgauda Business Manager Zoë Bowlus Feature Editor Aishwarya Nadgauda Opinion Editor Grant Miner Sports Editor Zoë Bowlus Copy Editor Amelia Fineberg Social Media Editor Maxwell Shukuya Page Editors Grant Miner Aishwarya Nadgauda Maxwell Shukuya Emma Williams Madison Judd Manson Tung Elena Lipman

But we digress. After every successful construction, it’s important to ask, “What’s next?”

The answer is obvious, and has been for many years: SCDS needs a fine arts building.

The band kids rehearse in the acoustic equivalent of a cardboard box and are constantly rearranging all of their equipment to make room for the myriad events that use the MP Room.

Not only that, but the drama department doesn’t even have a real stage to perform on. No, just because the floor is a different material doesn’t mean that the stage is Broadway-ready.

Moreover, the art room is ancient and accommodates only about half of the kids it needs to. The ceramics class has to work outside, for heaven’s sake.

And maybe we could give our school publications some space. Octagon has only half a classroom, and the Medallion doesn’t even have its own room.

And a fine arts building would benefit not just high schoolers.

Most Lifers have been taking some form of music education since kindergarten, and many stuck with the instrument that they received in fifth grade.

Country Day’s motto is “Academics, Athletics and the Arts Every Day,” but we seem to have forgotten a third of that statement. If we haven’t, we sure have a poor way of showing it.

Octagon Reporters Adam Dean Marigot Fackenthal Zane Jakobs Elena Lipman Ulises Barajas Lily Brown Annya Dahmani Katia Dahmani Sonja Hansen Evann Rudek Graphic Artists Anna Wiley Jake Sands Photographers Erin Reddy Adam Ketchum Jake Sands Kevin Huang Elena Lipman 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, California 95864. Phone: (916) 4818811, ext. 347.

The online Octagon (www.scdsoctagon.com) is updated daily.

Orchids

&

Onions

Of course, I’m not saying I ever lie on my supplements, but they’re definitely not the truth.

I start off with my basic self, edges sanded and extraneous parts stripped off so that colleges can get my qualities a la carte. In the end, they get what they order.

Sure, Oberlin, I really admire your diversity even though your student body is over 70 percent white and all very, very liberal. Why, of course Hamilton is a special school, despite offering what is basically an identical experience to every other liberal arts college on the East Coast.

I realize that the time an admissions officer can spend on an applicant is limited and that things need to be cut for the system to work. We all want to tell the complete truth, but sometimes that’s just not possible, and I get that.

However, it’s not that schools don’t have time for our life stories that upsets me. Rather, it’s something far worse.

Whitman College asked me to choose three words or phrases that describe me and write about them.

The word limit? 250.

I was allowed 250 words to completely sum up who I am.

I know that admissions officers have a lot on their plates when it comes to reading, but for god’s sake, that’s fewer words than this column, and you’ve only be reading this for, what, 30 seconds max?

The fact is, when they ask a question like that, they’re getting a bare-bones, pandering piece of dreck—dreck that I’m ashamed to have written.

So that leaves us two possible explanations, both of which are equally upsetting. Either colleges are too dumb to realize that they get nothing out of these questions, or they do and they just. Don’t. Care.

O

rchids to. . . the custodial staff for adding cinnamon air freshener to the boys’ bathroom. It helps mask unpleasant scents coming from the locker room and toilets.

O

nions to. . . teachers who assigned massive amounts of homework over Winter Break, especially to seniors who had to work on college essays. You know who you are!

O

rchids to. . . college counselor Jane Bauman for providing a pizza lunch at the Freshman Panel.

Now that there’s pizza, it doesn’t even have to be mandatory.

nions to. . . the soda machine in the gym lobby for breaking down. You won’t be getting money any time soon if the dollar bill slot continues to be jammed.

O

January 13, 2015

Opinion

The Octagon

5

Freshmen Lily Brown, Molly Gherini, Smita Sikaria and Sonja Hansen work hard to stay upright while skating at Iceland (left). Sophomore Elena Lipman skates into the kids’ area at Skatetown (above).

(Photos by Bianca Hansen and Karyn Lipman)

Some Sactown Ice-capades Reporters try out Iceland and Skatetown, giving both the cold shoulder

Graphic

played in the small patch of slushy, gray snow in the middle tion to cardboard cutouts of Elsa and Olaf. That is, other than of the rink and threw goopy snowballs at the slow skaters, the screaming of small children. including me.

The emotionless, empty eyes of Olaf the snowman followed It wasn’t easy to gain confidence with me everywhere I went in the arena. From my ice-skating skills while toddlers skated the gigantic blow-up snowman peering like they were training for the Olympics “The emotionless, empty over a corner of the rink to the little party and a girl, who had taken possession of one eyes of Olaf the snowman hats on some of the skaters, I couldn’t get side of the rink, did spins and jumps while from him and his big-toothed smile. followed me everywhere I away her coach provided harsh commentary.

Once I stopped drowning in “Frozen” Iceland After gaining more faith in myself, I de- went in the arena.” paraphernalia, I started to appreciate the “Why did you have to choose the sketchiest one?” fresh—Elena Lipman more sophisticated icicle-shaped Christman Smita Sikaria asked me as our mini-van pulled into the cided to attempt a spin to take that girl down a peg. I raised my arms, kicked out mas lights dotting the glass surrounding parking lot of Iceland (1430 Del Paso Blvd.). my leg and fell on my butt. Of the indoor rink. They added an icy elA lady with bright-green hair course, both the girl’s coach and my friends were egance to the skating experience, especially when the main and a couple of 12-year-olds with “To start, the rink has no watching. ceiling lights were turned off. nose rings had just entered the With sore ankles and stiff backs, we decided The actual facility matched the decorations in quality. building, so freshmen Lily Brown, roof, and parts of the buildto leave after just two Skatetown has two indoor and one seasonal outdoor rink.

Molly Gherini and Sikaria had ing were crumbling.” hours.

One of the indoor rinks was being used for hockey practice, been a little thrown off. However, —Sonja Hansen All in all, I’d be just while the other two were open to the public. they got out of the car anyway. as happy if Iceland either I mustered only a few half-hearted laps around the rink beIceland’s parking lot was one underwent major refurfore my ankles started to hurt from my loose-fitting rental big mud puddle after a recent bishments or was set ablaze again to skates. Luckily, I didn’t fall, but I nearly crashed into a few storm, so we had to drive around the corner to the back. small children wearing sparkly blue Elsa dresses.

We passed a woman in the parking lot who was selling glit- be put out of its misery.

—Sonja Hansen Then an employee came on the ice with a megaphone and tery, skin-tight leotards and entered a small courtyard. started a game with some kids having a birthday party.

A perky attendant had us fill out a waiver and, after ducking Skatetown Sorry, but no limbo for me. into a shed, cheerily gave us our skates ($8 for the day). Brown “What do we love?”

However, before I left, I tried an ice-rink staple: the churro. and Sikaria received padded skates, but the rest of us had plas“‘Frozen!’”

I haven’t eaten many churros in my lifetime, but this one tic ones that gave us blisters by the end of the day.

When I walked made me want to eat more. It had the perfect amount of Because the snack bar had only a couple of bags of chips Skatecinnamon and crunch, and was slightly soft on the inside. and a few candy bars that cost a dollar each, we decided to into pass on buying snacks and wobbled into the main building town (1009 And the mozzarella sticks were even better.

Orlando after putting on our skates.

I look forward to returning to Skatetown, but in The exterior of the building may look like a classic 1950’s Ave. not until the “Frozen” fad is over. skating rink—with a neon spire and turquoise stripes running Roseville), —Elena Lipman I first noticed around the building—but the inside told a different story. enormous To start, the rink has no roof, and parts of the building are the number of “Frocrumbling away. zen” posters, in addiIn 2010, arsonists set fire to Iceland and the roof caved in. Instead of rebuilding, the owners decided to hang a few tarps where the roof used to be.

The rest of the building is in similar disrepair. There are few lights inside, so it feels a little gloomy, and the massive puddles underneath the rotting wooden bleachers hint that Iceland has some problems with leaking.

While teetering past the bleachers, I heard a fallen child scream and start crying, which didn’t give me much confidence.

I’ve always had a problem with balance. On one lower-school report card, a teacher wrote: “Sonja has no athletic ability and never will.”

On my first lap around the rink, I clung to the wooden railing and kept my eyes on my feet. My friends glided across the ice, but I was fully committed to staying upright, so I took my time.

There was a small crowd of about 30 on the ice, and most of the spectators stood leaning on the railing instead of sitting on the soggy bleachers. Some little kids

by Anna

Wiley

6 Community

The Octagon

January 13, 2015

Ginny Gardner hits big screen in sci-fi picture

Former student scores role in Michael Bay produced film, ‘Project Almanac’

By Maxwell Shukuya Social Media Editor

S

he worked 12-hour days for months away from home, all the while under the scrutiny of strangers.

Yet for former Country Day student Ginny Gardner, show business still hasn’t lost its glamour.

Of course, not many 16-year-olds decide to skip high school to hightail it to Tinseltown. And even fewer teens actually make it to the small screen, let alone the big one.

But Gardner did. And since flying the coop after her sophomore year at St. Francis, she’s landed a recurring role in “The Goldbergs” (an ABC sitcom), starred in “Glee” as Katie Fitzgerald and now has a role in the upcoming sci-fi film, “Project Almanac,” produced by Michael Bay. Getting the role was especially surprising for Gardner. “I had auditioned for (the movie) back in November, and I got a couple of callbacks, but I didn’t think much of it because you expect a lot of rejection,” she said.

But luckily for Gardner, she got another call in April, and two days after her second audition, she was on her way to Atlanta to shoot her first movie.

Although filming ended in July 2013, Gardner said that she still talks to all of her costars including Sam Lerner and Johnny Weston.

“You get really close working with people on movies and practically living together, and you don’t really get that shooting a television show,” she said.

In television, the show isn’t usually filmed on location, so there’s no opportunity to live with the cast, she said. But with early-morning shoots starting at 5 a.m. and late-night shoots from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., there wasn’t a lot of time for casual chitchat or partying—instead, the group was more focused on making the movie.

“I was scared out of my mind when I got there, but after the first week (the cast) became like a family,” she said.

The film follows a group of friends who go back in time through a garage-constructed time machine which they exploit to win the lottery and to fix past mistakes.

However, because of the complexities of time travel, a lot goes wrong.

And, of course, with famed blockbuster producer Bay (who directed and produced “Pearl Harbor” and “Transformers”), there’s bound to be action.

Gardner plays Christina, one of the five teens who builds the time machine. It also appears as if Gardner “films” a lot of the movie, as “Project Almanac” is filmed in a found-footage style.

The idea is that the footage is presented more realistically, as if the entirety of the movie were filmed on a camcorder left behind by one of the protagonists.

Gardner found integrating acting behind a camera to be the most challenging aspect of the film.

She explained that the actors had to look at the actual camera instead of at her when they were speaking, as she didn’t really film the footage.

According to Gardner, “Project Almanac’s” director, Dean Israelite, is committed to this “Project Almanac’s” cast huddles for the movie’s poster. Dean Israelite’s film will premiere on Jan. 30.

Ginny Gardner relaxes on set in Atlanta, Georgia.

(Photo courtesy of Gardner)

realism despite the far-fetched plot.

“A lot of the acting was improv, which made it feel a lot more natural, and the time machine is made out of Xbox parts,” she said.

And audiences will be seeing more of Gardner, as she just finished filming her second full-length movie, “Good Kids,” an indie coming-of-age film slated to release in 2015.

But despite finally “making it,” Gardner still emphasizes the difficulty of acting.

“People are out here for six years and being told no is exhausting, and it’s really difficult work,” she said.

“Being on set is easy—getting the job is the hard part.”

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January 13, 2015

The Octagon

Remainder

Roundtable: Conversation turns to College Confidential and getting admissions decisions (Continued from page 1) Vazquez: I didn’t do anything, so I would have been screwed if I didn’t get into Washington University.

Williams: I know. They were like, “I hope you didn’t get your financial aid package, so that I can have your spot in regular decision.”

applying early decision, if I got in and stayed and I didn’t like it, there was nothing I could do about it. I ended up staying with a stranger that I discovered through one of my college counselor’s former clients.

Vazquez: Well, (English teacher Patricia) Fels emailed me and said that the results for WashMehta: I’m really hoping that I don’t have to ington University had arrived (after looking on Mehta: I think it helps if you know someone do all these applications! I was supposed to find College Confidential). It’s 4 p.m., so I go on who goes to that school or you go to a program out on Monday, but that this frantic search to find at that school. I think you really have to go to got postponed until the day “I’m really hoping that I don’t out what my decision is, that school before you know whether or not after tomorrow. If I don’t and the Washington Uni- you want to apply. I visited some schools that I find out by Friday, then I’m have to do all these applica- versity portal isn’t working was going to apply early to, but I am really glad going to have to start on all tions!” and says it is undergoing that I visited, because after my visit I didn’t the applications. If I do get want to go there at all. Vanderbilt seemed per—Caroline Mehta, senior maintenance. in, then that will be a waste I hadn’t received a sin- fect on paper, but when I visited, it didn’t give of my time. But if I get regle Washington Universi- me the right feeling. jected, then I have no time to finish them. So ty email. I discovered that all my Washington it’s incredibly stressful.

University emails for the past several months Williams: I didn’t have any questions about (had gone to a separate inbox) on my personal whether Cornell was the right choice. I’ve Q: Did any of you use College Confiden- email account. visited the campus so many times (Williams’s tial? I know some of my senior friends are There was an email that said, “Your letter father is a Cornell alumnus) that there was fervent about the site. has been mailed, but to find out the immediate never a question about if I liked it or not. The results, check the portal.” The portal wasn’t worst part was that everyone knew that I loved Nadgauda: I didn’t go on College Confiden- working, so I called the admissions office, but Cornell, everyone knew I was applying early tial until the night before the results came out. because St. Louis is a couple hours ahead, they decision and everyone said that I would get The University of Pennsylvania thread is con- were already done with in. Then I thought, “What stantly being added to. There was one person their workday, so no one if I don’t get in?” It would “The rejected Cornell appli- be really awkward and dewho said, “I found a comma error in one of my was manning the phones. supplements. This is basically grounds for reI spent the whole night cants are really mean. They pressing. jection.” Then there were these moms saying, refreshing the portal on my all said, ‘You guys suck be“My son applied and got in with errors. It’s not computer.

Vazquez: I didn’t stay a cause you got into Cornell night anywhere else, so I the end of the world.” don’t know whether or not Mehta: You guys are giv- and took my spot.’”

Williams: They are so depressing on the Cor- ing me major anxiety now —Emma Williams, senior I could like another school (as much as) I like Washingnell thread. After you get your decision, people because I don’t find out for ton University. I don’t have go on the site and post their stats and whether two days! any problems with it because the program is they got in or rejected or deferred. The rejected Cornell applicants are really mean. They all Q: Is there anything about early decision unique, but I do have reservations about being in the Midwest. said, “You guys suck because you got into Cor- that you dislike? nell and took my spot.” I was thinking, “Come on, don’t say that!” Then there were the de- Vazquez: In order to make the huge decision Williams: Welcome to the Bible Belt! ferred kids. about whether to apply early decision, I wanted to stay a night at Washington University. But Two days after this discussion, Mehta was accepted Nadgauda: Oh, the deferred kids are the you can’t stay a night at Washington Univer- to George Washington University. For more of the sity until you have applied. But because I was Roundtable, visit scdsoctagon.com. worst!

7

Melissa Vazquez Washington University in St. Louis

Emma Williams Cornell University

Caroline Mehta George Washington University

Aishwarya Nadgauda University of Pennsylvania

8 Feature

The Octagon

January 13, 2015

Burnt Trap

Shawty

Bop

Teenagers create a world of subtweets and slang

Y

our parents, your grandma, your longlost cousin Bill—they’re all on Facebook.

What was once the frontier of social media is settled.

But now there’s a new frontier, the Wild West of social media—Twitter.

And of the over 70 percent of Country Day highschool students who have a Twitter account, half say they tweet at least once a week.

They’ve exploited the unregulated nature of Twitter, creating their own world and subculture. “(On Twitter) there’s no filter,” senior Skovran

Cosgrove says that even she has been subtweeted ing to leave,” while the popular about. crowdsourced website Urban Dictionary has a total of 19 definitions of “It’s kind of hurtful,” she said.

But even with the negative effects of subtweets, the word.

Definitions on Urban Dictionary range Cosgrove, a two-year Twitter user, sees the indirect, from “a term used to express excitement” unregulated nature of Twitter as a positive, too.

“You can be more yourself with less judgment, be- to “a wild-card for any curse word.” Howcause if you’re going to get judged, you don’t have to ever, Cosgrove’s definition of the word isn’t listed. deal with it in person,” she said.

Kuppermann, a two-year Twitter user, says Also Cosgrove says she often relates better to the Internet community due to the sheer size of Twitter that after repeated use, a lot of these words lose meaning. and variety of people.

“No one knows exactBut the encouraged freedom of expression “People (tweet cryptic words) to ly what (yeet) means anymore,” she said. also results in some usseem like nonconformists.”

However, some words like ers tweeting obscure, —Skovran Cunningham, senior bae, which was recently addvague tweets in order to ed to the Oxford English appear “edgy.”

Cunningham, a one-year Twitter user, said.

Dictionary, and squad Kuppermann says that “It’s cool, raw, and people feel freer to say stuff be- nonsensical tweets are typical of high-school stu- have generally well-established definitions. cause there aren’t any authority figures.” dents, and they are a sign of immaturity.

Out of the 28 definitions on Urban Cunningham said that once parents got on Face“(Teens) try to seem cool when they say stuff that book, most of his friends left. has a mild shock value,” said senior Alex Bushberg, Dictionary, most agree that a squad is a posse, gang or group of friends. “(On Twitter) you can still post stuff you don’t an active Twitter user for three years.

Cunningham is in one of these self-prowant your parents to see,” Cunningham said.

For example, Bushberg says that someone might So what exactly are these teens tweeting? tweet an unattributed song lyric or a single, cryptic claimed squads with seniors George Cvetich and Erik Morfin—they call themselves the trap One key aspect of this unregulated Twitter subcul- word. ture is subtweeting.

“People do it to seem like nonconformists,” he squad.

Even on Twitter they’ve changed their names to A subtweet, junior Elie Kuppermann explains, is a said. non-confrontational tweet used to address a specific However some, like Cunningham, say that there is make them trap squad oriented.

Skovran Cunningham and George Cvetich are no but unnamed person. more to these vague, seemingly meaningless tweets.

For example, if your co-worker Jim stole your “You can share thoughts that are intimate, and you more. Meet trap stallion 916 and trap jesus 916.

Cosgrove is also in a squad with her dance friends, parking place, you could subtweet, “I can’t believe might even say stuff that won’t make sense to anyone and coincidentally, they too call themselves the trap you just did that. . . You’re the worst.” else but you,” he said.

While the tweet doesn’t specifically mention Jim, And surprisingly, these tweets often get “favorit- squad.

“My trap squad and I say yeet, but we aren’t really when Jim reads the tweet ed” or “retweeted” despite their serious when we do or say these things,” she said. in his feed, he’ll know it’s cryptic nature.

“It’s like, why do I care about that “It’s all kind of a joke.” directed towards him— “No one should care (about dude’s wheelbarrow poem?” hence the “sub.”

Some of these words, such as yeet, become so these tweets), but people do,” Kuppermann said —Cunningham Cunningham said. “It’s like, popular that they are part of many teens’ vocabthat these subtweets can why do I care about that dude’s ulary, not only on the web but in conversation too. sometimes start fights on wheelbarrow poem?

But Kuppermann avoids using Twitter slang too Twitter, where people will subtweet back and forth.

“It’s sometimes cool to try to figure out what much, as she finds it excessive and annoying.

Last year, senior Lauren Larrabee deleted her they’re trying to say.”

“On our class trip, there were certain Twitter account partly for this reason.

Another aspect of this meaningless, cryptic sub- people that felt the need to say yeet every other word on a six-hour bus ride,” she “(Twitter) added more negative things to my life culture of Twitter is the distinctive slang. than anything,” she said.

“A lot of words that people start using, they hear said.

But luckily for Kuppermann, words like “They want to call someone out on something, but in rap songs, online and on Vine (video-sharing social yeet and swag are part of only a small subthey’re really just hiding behind their phone because media),” Cosgrove said. they’re too cowardly to say it to their face.”

“They think they’re cool and they want to fit in, culture of Twitter.

Kuppermann says that most adults she The appeal, junior Dakota Cosgrove says, lies in and they want to be trendy.” the indirect, vague nature of the subtweet.

Twitter slang includes words like bae, yeet, thot, fin- follows tweet for news-related reasons— they haven’t caught on to the vague, teen“If you get annoyed with someone, sometimes you na, yung, shawty, swag, swerve, squad and urb. can’t say it to their face,” she said.

Cosgrove says that there’s a tenuous definition driven lexicon or passive-aggressive subtweet culture.

“But on Twitter, you can subtweet about someone, when it comes to these words.

And that’s why Twitter, the Wild and you can always deny that it was about them,” For example, Cosgrove defines yeet as “I’m goWest of social media, is so popular she said. with teens. Their parents don’t have a clue.

Th

ot

Yung

@TwitterSlangDefinitions

Sw

er

ve

Tu r

nt

By Maxwell Shukuya

na

Fin

e

Ba

Instructions: Match the word to its definition (answers at right) The area where drug deals are carried out Finna Means baby, sweetie

Swerve

A slang pronoun, used in place of someone’s name

Shawty

Often used to imply dodging someone

Yung

Your girl

Turnt

Normally means “going to”

Trap

Hype for a party, or at the club

Yeet

Squad

Finna: Normally means going to Bae: Means baby, sweetie Swerve: Often used to imply dodging someone Shawty: Your girl Yung: A slang pronoun, used in place of someone’s name Turnt: Hype for a party, or at the club Trap: The area where drug deals are carried out

Bae