Octagon 2022-23 Issue 6

Seniors recall application season pressures

BY ANISHA MONDAL

Class of 2023: 35 students; 506 college applications; 135 schools.

Country Day seniors are preparing for college life and have now completed the application process.

The class of 2023 felt the pressure. Director of College Counseling Alicia Perla has noticed an increase in applications per student compared to last year.

“I believe we’re at about 14 applications per student this year, as opposed to maybe 11 applications last year,” Perla

said. “We always have a lot of students applying to the Universities of California, but it seems like more students applied to all the UCs than last year, and that may be due to how unpredictable they were last year.”

Senior Ryan Paul said the pressure from family and friends increased the number of colleges he applied to.

Senior Adam Akins struggled with narrowing down his college options, as he started with a list of 58 different schools of interest. Akins also had arguments with his family while deciding which colleges to apply to.

“First, you have to manage your ex-

pectations and understand what’s realistic to you,” Akins said.

Secondly, he said you need to manage your parents’ expectations.

Akins combed through his essays, rewriting word by word in order to perfect the voice. Akins also had progress and editing checks with friends and family.

Many students, like senior Minh Dang, had to juggle between her college options because of her parents.

“I have to balance between schools that my dad wanted me to get in and the schools that I wanted to get in. So,

ADMISSIONS page 3 >>

SCDS community speaks multiple languages

BY SIRI ATLURI

Country Day students are always chattering about something; whether it be their next class, fresh new gossip, or simply wondering when lunch will finally arrive. However, not everyone is speaking the same language all the time; students can be heard calling their parents at the end of the day, speaking in Cantonese or Spanish, while other students chat amongst

themselves in physics class in Turkish or Uzbeki. One of the everyday ways Country Day’s multiculturalism manifests itself is linguistically.

Here, some of Country Day’s students living in bilingual and multilingual households share their language experiences.

Grace Zhao

Junior Grace Zhao understands Man-

CAMPUSCORNER

On March 18, the school will be hosting its annual fundraising gala, Shaken and Stirred. The theme is 007 Bond, and guests are encouraged to wear black tie attire. The gala will include a red carpet, live music, dancing, food, casino games and a martini bar.

ONLINE PSAT

On March 31, sophomores will be taking the Compass Practice PSAT. This standardized practice test will be their first opportunity to experience the new digital format of the PSAT. Starting with the class of 2025, CollegeBoard’s standardized test will be taken via computer.

darin. Zhao grew up with the language, having two fluent parents at home and close ties to extedended family in China.

When Zhao was young, before reaching kindergarten age, she would spend months at a time with her grandparents in China. That was the best her Mandarin had ever been.

“I picked it up like my first language. English was actually the second language

BILINGUALISM page 3 >>

FEATURE

SCDS heads to Mock Trial state

BY ISHAAN SEKHON

Country Day’s mock trial team will be heading to the state finals after triumphing over Elk Grove High School at the Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County competition.

The Cavaliers took two ballots to Elk Grove’s one and earned a score of 505-504.

The Feb. 15 trial was the fourth time the team has gone to finals and the second time the team has won the county competition since SCDS formed its team in 2005. Last year, Elk Grove beat Country Day in the finals of the county competition with tied ballots and a score of 607-605.

Mock Trial is a competition that simulates court trials. Each trial is judged by three scorers, two of whom voted for Country Day and one who voted for Elk Grove this year.

Junior co-captain Grace Zhao was amazed by the team’s performance.

“It feels great to win this year,” she said. “We worked so, so hard. We were in a much better place in terms of preparation this year despite the number of new members to the team.”

Zhao credited the team’s dedication and confidence as big factors in the finals.

“We had a lot of new people trying new positions who were always super dedicated to their MOCK TRIAL page 3 >>

Fashion in focus

Learn about the unique styles of four members of the SCDS community. (PAGE 6-7)

APPLYING PRESSURE Country Day seniors race against one another in the admissions process. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ADAM AKINS & SAMHITA KUMAR

PHOTO BY ADAM AKINS

PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Simone DeBerry

Garman Xu

ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Adam Akins

Samhita Kumar

NEWS EDITOR

Ishaan Sekhon

FEATURE EDITOR

Ava Eberhart

SPORTS EDITOR

Jacob Chand

A&E/OPINION EDITOR

William Holz

PHOTO EDITOR

Adam Akins

PAGE EDITORS

Andrew Burr

Jacob Chand

Emily Cook

Simone DeBerry

Ava Eberhart

Saheb Gulati

William Holz

Lauren Lu

Ishaan Sekhon

Garman Xu Garrett Xu

BUSINESS STAFF

William Holz, manager

Aaryan Gandhi

Saheb Gulati, assistant Garrett Xu

SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF

Samhita Kumar, editor

Ava Eberhart, assistant

Lauren Lu

REPORTERS

Rehan Afzal

Siri Atluri

Eesha Dhawan

Aaryan Gandhi

Daniel Holz

Irene Jung

Sophia Monasa

Anisha Mondal

Anika Nadgauda

Zema Nasirov Ryan Xu

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Rehan Afzal

Adam Akins

Simone DeBerry

Anika Nadgauda

Zema Nasirov

MULTIMEDIA STAFF

Garman Xu, editor

Jacob Chand

Simone DeBerry

Ava Eberhart

Irene Jung

GRAPHIC ARTISTS

Brynne Barnard-Bahn

Lauren Lu

ADVISER

Bonnie Stewart

The Octagon is the student-run newspaper of Sacramento Country Day High School. The print edition is published eight times a year, and the website is updated daily. The Octagon is committed to unbiased and comprehensive reporting, serving as a source of reliable information for SCDS students and the school community. The Octagon will publish all timely and relevant news deemed appropriate by the editors-in-chief and adviser. We seek to highlight high-school-related events and spotlight the voices of those with a story to share. Further policies can be found on our website or by scanning the QR code below.

HELPING

OF EMILY COOK

Volunteer opportunities to help the homeless

BY ZEMA NASIROV

Many nonprofit organizations across Sacramento are striving to help those experiencing homelessness, yet the number of those who often live on the street and often go hungry remains an issue.

In 2022, the homeless population in Sacramento County stood at 9,278 people, increasing by 67% since 2019 when the population stood at 5,561 people.

Solving the issue requires people to go out of their way to dedicate time to helping those in need. Many nonprofits provide opportunities to help, and now it is Sacramento Country Day’s chance to step forward.

Loaves & Fishes

One Sacramento area nonprofit is Loaves & Fishes. It performs multiple services to help the homeless, including serving meals, providing shelter and much more.

The Dining Room was its first program, created in 1983 to serve food to the homeless.

At the Dining Room, student volunteers are able to come in on the weekends to prepare, cook and serve over 500 meals to those in need. In order to volunteer, students under the age of 18 require a chaperone to be present on-site and volunteer alongside the student.

Starting at 7 a.m., students check-in with the Kitchen Manager to be assigned jobs for the day until 1 p.m. In order to maintain efficiency and cleanliness, students must follow a dress code consisting of closed-toe shoes and long pants and shirts.

There are many programs at Loaves and Fishes. Find more information at https:// sacloaves.org/join-the-community/#volunteer

Packs for Cold Backs

Packs for Cold Backs is an organization dedicated to providing life saving resources to families in need across Washington, California and Arizona. To complete its mission, volunteers deliver backpacks full of survival supplies, nutritious meals and hygien`e products to those in need.

“Each backpack includes a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, razor, beanie, two pairs of socks, gloves, poncho, fleece blanket, PPE, hand warmers, scarf and an array of snacks and food. We also include sanitary products for homeless women and pet food for those with companions,” according to

Packs for Cold Backs.

In addition to their services of supplying backpacks, Packs for Cold Backs offers transportation, help in searching for permanent jobs and housing, and assistance in navigating complex government programs for those who are unhoused.

Their main program, Monthly Community Outreach, is intended to create a space where volunteers can help those experiencing homelessness not only by passing out backpacks, but by providing additional services such as booths where volunteers can assist clients with any online forms or resources.

At outreach events, Packs for Cold Backs is also able to provide hair cuts, warm meals, resource sheets, tents, sleeping bags, water filtration systems and occasionally a pop up shopping where guests can select their own clothing.

Founded in 2011, Packs For Cold Backs has helped 13,000 people experiencing homelessness. After its expansion in 2021, Packs for Cold Backs has begun a new navigation program that connects the homeless community to resources after the individual or family completes a physical, mental and emotional assessment.

Find more information at https://www. packsforcoldbacks.org/become-a-volunteer/

Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services

The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families of Sacramento County become independent through free services including food, clothing, parent education, adult education and youth education.

In 2021, the nonprofit and Partner Agencies distributed 37.2 million pounds of food and served an average of 216,512 people every month. All food comes from donations from local grocery stores, regional farms and the community, according to the SFBFS website.

The SFBFS team is composed of both paid professionals and volunteers. The minimum age requirement for volunteers is 10 and volunteers from ages 10-15 must have an adult with them. Volunteers ages 16–17 must receive parental permission to volunteer and fill out a signed waiver.

Volunteer opportunities include bagging produce, boxing canned goods, and food distribution. Bagging produce and boxing canned goods are done at the Food Bank Campus, while food distribution is done at various locations.

An assembly line is commonly used for

bagging produce or boxing nonperishable goods without much social interaction, making a suitable volunteer option for those who prefer less socialization. With food distribution, volunteers directly interact with individuals and families and provide them with fresh produce and take-home groceries. The SFBFS also offers health & nutrition information and shares community resource information. Find more information at https://www. sacramentofoodbank.org/volunteer

ISSUE 5 CORRECTIONS

It is The Octagon’s policy to correct factual errors and to clarify potentially confusing statements. Email us: octagon@scdsstudent.org

Page 5: AT Anatomy and Physiology class was misidentified as “AT Anatomical and Physiology class”

THOSE IN NEED Seniors Emily and Elizabeth Cook volunteer for the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services by boxing nonperishable food for distribution to individuals and families in need. PHOTO COURTESY

Mock Trial: SCDS triumphs against Elk Grove

(continued from page 1) positions. Personally, I had much more confidence this year,” Zhao said.

The finals were held in the ceremonial courtroom.

Zhao said the experience was incredible. “It is the biggest courtroom in the entire courthouse. It’s used for ceremonies like its name suggests. The open space in front of the judge, which we call the well, was massive,” Zhao said.

Freshman Ike Reynen said a highlight of the finals was Zhao’s opening statement, which scored perfect 10s in the finals.

“She completely blew the prosecution away with her opening. All that was left in my mind was how Grace delivered her opening and her presence while speaking,” he said.

This season’s case covered the story of two actors and roommates, Billie Scher and Jordan Franks, who were performing on a cruise ship.

One day, Scher caught Franks trying to steal his ring, which had belonged to William Shakespeare, whom he admired. This led to an altercation that resulted in Franks’s breaking Scher’s arm.

The prosecution charged Franks with battery, petty theft, grand theft and robbery. The defense claimed that Franks was

merely removing his cell phone — which resembled the ring box — from the room.

The pretrial motion in this year’s case concerned an unlawful search and seizure of a document found in Franks’ safe. The defense alleges Franks’ consent was coerced and therefore involuntary.

The awards ceremony followed the trial. Country Day had another strong performance, winning awards in every category.

These awards were:

• Outstanding Clerk: freshman Anisha Mondal

• Oustanding Bailiff: freshman Rehan Afzal

• Oustanding Prosecution Pretrial Attorney: sophomore Saheb Gulati

• Oustanding Defense Pretrial Attorney: senior Garman Xu

• Oustanding Witnesses: junior co-captain Grace Zhao, freshman Ike Reynen, sophomore Garrett Xu

• Outstanding Attorneys: junior co-captain Grace Zhao, senior co-captain Samhita Kumar, senior Shakhzoda Khodjakhonova

• Team MVP: senior co-captain Samhita Kumar Reynen was stunned when he was awarded the best witness award.

“I was in shock. I got this huge rush of dopamine and I was overjoyed. I was com-

pletely ecstatic. Everyone was clapping and cheering for me. I was totally overthrown by the moment,” Reynen said.

Coach Rick Lewkowitz praised Garman Xu’s performance and composure in his pretrial arguments.

“I was very impressed with Garman Xu,” he said. He worked hard to improve his pretrial arguments and he did very well against a tough opponent. His analytical

skills have always been really good, but he has to deliver them in an interesting way to the judges,” he said. Garman Xu’s understanding of the issues was extremely strong, he said.

Lewkowitz also praised the performance of the entire team.

“I’m very proud of the students. They just kept working hard. They earned this victory,” he said.

Admissions: Seniors manage “stressful” wait

(continued from page 1)

I did apply to about 20 schools,” Dang said. Akins recommends for students to start the application process as early as possible in order to account for the various applications. For example, he spent almost 24 hours on his University of Chicago application.

Another senior, Karabelo Bowsky, also experienced lots of stress and anxiety throughout the college admissions process. Bowsky said she tended to overthink each aspect of her application. Every min-

ute, she questioned which parts of her application needed to be changed, which led to uncertainty and doubt in her mind.

This tendency caused Bowsky to get into a very competitive mindset. She constantly compared herself to other people in her grade. Family expectations and school expectations also piled on anxiety throughout the application editing and submission process.

All this stress made the college admissions process seem very long and hectic for Bowsky.

However, most Country Day seniors have

already finished submitting all their college applications and are currently in the waiting process.

Bowsky is blocking out the suspense of the waiting process in order to prevent it from taking over her mind and disturbing her everyday life.

On the other hand, Paul saw the waiting process in a different light. Although he was very stressed throughout the process, he felt very relaxed after it ended.

He believes that whatever happens, happens and that he put his best foot forward.

Perla has one recommendation for stu-

dents waiting on results : familiarize yourself with the colleges you’ve been accepted into and understand what they are offering.

Perla also suggests keeping admission information private.

“Having public reveals when the decision is coming out can backfire on people or can create a performative environment,” she said.

Country Day’s seniors had their own challenging journeys through the college admissions process, but they can all look forward to receiving college decisions in the coming weeks.

Bilingualism: Exploring languages on campus

(continued from page 1)

I learned when I started school in America,” Zhao said. Since then, Zhao’s skills in Mandarin have deteriorated. She now considers herself receptively bilingual in Mandarin. Receptive bilingualism occurs when a person can understand a language, but cannot speak it.

“I can understand everyday language perfectly. I can’t understand anything more complex on a higher level,” Zhao said. “For example — the news, cable TV in Chinese. I lack terms beyond everyday items. I also can’t read Chinese, so I can’t write.”

Zhao has a lot of regrets tied to her speaking skills in Mandarin. She felt both extrinsic and intrinsic pressure to speak the language in order to keep a connection to her culture.

“I remember some of my relatives saying, how are you Chinese but you can’t speak Chinese? I think for me, one of my biggest regrets is that I sort of lost my fluency,” Zhao said.

Zhao also worries for the future of her Mandarin proficiency and how her skills will fare once she’s no longer exposed to Chinese regularly.

“I try to watch videos in Chinese, or keep up with Chinese content online to get more exposure, but I really don’t know what I’m going to do when I go to college and there’s not someone speaking Chinese around me all the time because I think I’d probably lose it even more then,” Zhao said.

Ferishta Halim

Freshman Ferishta Halim is fluent in five languages: Turkish, English, Turkmeni, Uzbeki and Farsi.

Halim learned English in middle school after she moved to the United States.

“When I came here, I just had to learn English. I didn’t learn it properly, like grammar and all that. I just learned it by talking, watching TV shows,” Halim said.

Over two years, she learned the processes of reading, writing, listening and speaking the language.

“I mean, it wasn’t easy. At first, it’s really hard. When you look at someone, and they start talking, and you’re like, ‘um, sorry but I don’t know what you’re saying,’ it’s like, in your brain, you can’t understand anything,” Halim said. Speaking different languages can also be disorienting at times because the language Halim is speaking doesn’t necessarily match what’s in her mind.

“When I speak English, or other languages, I think in Farsi. It’s so confusing,” Halim said.

She struggled in math class once. When she was picked to answer a question, she blurted out a response in Farsi and didn’t realize it. When she was met with confusion she was extremely embarrassed.

Halim said repeated exposure to English helped her learn the language quickly, as she had to absorb it to learn in school and live her day-to-day life.

“There used to be a translator in our class when I was in 7th and 8th grades. They would translate for us, for the ones who came new. And then, after like two or three months, I started understanding them, even if the translator wasn’t there,” Halim said.

Halim also watched TV shows and movies in her target language to help her understand better, such as learning everyday slang This helped her learn little details such as everyday slang that couldn’t be taught in a school language class. She also says that the best way to keep up language skills is to talk as much as possible.

“If you don’t talk, you’re gonna forget it,” Halim said.

Orlando Blas

Junior Orlando Blas learned his second language, English, when he moved from Mexico to the United States when he was 8.

“Spanish is my first language,” Blas said. “I used to live in North Carolina. My parents are a big part of me keeping Spanish.”

Blas said adjusting to school in North Carolina was very difficult and isolating at first. He was the only Mexican and Spanish speaker that he knew of at his elementary school.

“I remember for our first year, I didn’t really like school when kids would talk or laugh. I knew they probably

weren’t laughing at me, but it sucked because I didn’t know what they were talking about,” Blas said.

Blas learned English after seven months of living in the United States and improved a lot more by his second year.

“A big help in learning English was a teacher named Ms. Corbin, a counselor and an English teacher. I would go and talk to her, and she tried to communicate,” Blas said. Ms. Corbin would set up lessons for Blas, translating English words into Spanish, and having him re-translate the words back into English. “It was a slow process,” Blas said, “but she helped me a lot.”

WITNESSING HISTORY Sophomore Saheb Gulati testifies as Jade Marquez, an expert witness for the defense. PHOTO BY ANIKA NADGAUDA

LIVE: Sports Spring into Action

Read about Country Day’s athletic teams as they prepare for the spring season. STORIES BY REHAN AFZAL, EMILY COOK, WILLIAM HOLZ, ISHAAN SEKHON AND GARRETT XU; GRAPHICS BY LAUREN LU; PHOTOS BY ADAM AKINS

All 23 members of the Country Day baseball team, along with a surprise visit from one of the field’s resident gophers, had their first practice on Feb. 13 under the watchful eye of head coach and third-grade teacher, Christian Scott.

Scott has been playing baseball since he was a child and played at UC Davis in a Division I program.

During its first practice, the team got a quick rundown on the rules and how to play. After that, the rest of the hour and 20-minute practice was spent doing throwing and catching drills.

This is Scott’s second year coaching the team, but it’s his first without former baseball head coach Chris Millsback.

“We definitely have felt a loss of his absence, but I’m a different person, so I’m going to provide different opinions and different practices and schedules,” Scott said. “I think it’s going to be a really fun and great year.”

Senior Ibrahim MoheyEldin is a new player this year and decided to join because his friends are on the team and he thought it would be fun.

“It’s my senior year and I thought, ‘why not?’”

As a returning player, junior Orlando Ponce Blas is excited about the new season and has already set some personal and

BASEBALL

team goals.

“I want to get a run myself, and I want to steal at least five bases. I stole one base last year but didn’t complete the run,” he said. “As a team, I want us to win a game and work together better as a team.”

Scott said he wants to improve the team’s record and run totals compared to last year’s. In order to get the team ready to accomplish these goals, Scott intends to play on the team’s strengths.

“I’m trying to create a standard of what we want to be as a Country Day athletic team,” Scott said. “For me, it’s getting those fundamentals down and really making sure they understand the basics of the game.”

The team’s first game is a non-league game on March 9 at 3:30 p.m. at Sacramento Waldorf School.

GIRLS SOCCER

Girls huddled around the blank signup sheet eager to put their names down to be a part of Country Day’s girls soccer team, led by Coach George Champayne.

The previous season was the team’s first after a 4-year hiatus. The team competed in nonleague, friendly matches with San Joaquin league schools, ending the season with a 0-6-1 record.

“On paper it seemed like a bad season, but I think everyone had a lot of fun. There wasn’t a game where we were completely destroyed. Everyone was always in high spirits,” said junior captain Sylvia Valverde.

Now that the team is officially part of the league, every game is more important than ever. Moving into the new season, Valverde anticipates commitment being a top priority. The more numbers and more substitutes to help support the team, the better.

She is also optimistic because club soccer players are joining the team this year, bringing their previous experience. Freshman and club player Rya Allen said the experienced players will provide a strong offensive line.

But the team’s greatest strength is communication, which most teams struggle with, Valverde said.

TENNIS

As the spring season approaches, the Country Day tennis team is gearing up to defend its title as Delta League champions.

Country Day won its first league championship last season, and sophomore Henry Wilson was the boys’ section singles champion.

“I can’t wait to get back to playing with my friends,” Wilson said.

Junior Delsyn Beaton said he is looking forward to this season.

“We have a lot of new players joining the team and I can’t wait to win league championships again,” he said.

This year the team consists of 28 players, including nine freshmen, with senior Cecilia Wilson and junior Liam Kaschner as captains.

“I’m looking forward to this year’s full roster,” Coach Jamie Nelson said. “That means we will be able to field a mixed doubles team. We also have three boys singles players, and each one is capable of winning the section singles.”

Kaschner is also optimistic about the season and the roster.

“The difference from last year to this year talent-wise is quite substantial,” Kaschner said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how the team compares against other schools.”

This season’s first match will be against Highlands High School on March 7, at Rio Del Oro.

Feb. 28 marked the start of Country Day’s first-ever boys volleyball team. Coached by middle school physical education teacher Jason Kreps, the team has been long in the making.

“We were kind of in the works about three years ago before COVID had kind of put a stall on things,” Kreps said.

This year, early organization efforts helped secure the team’s development.

Now, the team will spend the rest of this season practicing and competing in non-league matches.

The team is already gaining traction.

“For our meeting yesterday, I had 10 plus people, and I know there are a lot more interested,” Kreps said.

One team member is freshman Gavin Wang. Last year, as a Country Day 8th-grader, Wang advocated for a middle school boys volleyball team.

“That got shot down pretty fast last year,” he said.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL GOLF

SCDSPN

Still, Wang maintained hope and is now excited for the team’s future.

“I think once we really get going, one or two years down the line, we’ll be a really strong team because we have some club volleyball guys in middle school.”

Kreps shares these high hopes, saying he feels that with the right athletes, the team could become pretty competitive.

Interested students are encouraged to attend the team’s Tuesday and Thursday morning practices.

“I’m super excited,” Kreps said. “I’ve always wanted a boys volleyball team here.”

TRACK & FIELD

Irons clacked along the backs of seniors

RJ Vargo, Jacob Chand and Samrath Pannu as they walked up to their home course, Haggin Oak’s putting green. The three Country Day seniors also carried high hopes of making another run at the section playoffs for their last year as Cavaliers.

Around the green, laughter and discussion silences, as white leather gloves encase the hands of the Country Day’s golf team who spent around an hour only a few steps away from the hole.

This is because for head coach Matt Vargo, short-game is more than 50 percent of the game.

“A lot of highschoolers want to smash their driver all day, but your putts and chips are essentially what lowers your score,” he said.

This fact sits all too well with Chand, as he recalls being inconsistent with his woods and irons at last year’s sectionals.

“It was a long day, almost seven hours to be exact,” he said. “And when you’re walking all day up hills and what not, your power and mechanics are going to fail you once in a while. That’s why it’s important to really hone in your chips and putts because it’s far more mental than technical.”

The strongest component for the Cavs success this year is potential coach Vargo said.

“We have over 11 new players coming in, both new to golf or have been playing, but most importantly, no one from last year has left,” he said.

With this in mind, the seniors have concluded that with off-season work, some technical touch-ups during practice and continued play through scrimmages, a sectional playoff isn’t their goal.

For them, bringing home a trophy to add to the gym’s case is only fitting.

The Cavs first golf match is at Haggin Oaks on March 7 at 4:30 p.m.

Sophomore Garrett Xu bursts across the track at Cordova High School, trying to outrun his teammate in a game of tag. If he gets caught, he has to run an extra lap for practice.

The tag game echoes the theme of Country Day’s co-ed track and field team: fun but competitive training.

The team, led by coach Rick Fullum, ended its 2021-22 season as second in the Central Valley California League and the boys team had the highest GPA for any track and field team in the state.

This year the team hopes to become section champions, Fullum said in a text.

Two other runners experienced with competitive, long distance competitions are sophomore Andrew Burr and junior Aakash Arumugam, who is a new addition to the team.

Burr said both runners are hoping to advance to the masters and state championships.

Senior CJ Dwumfuoh, who was injured and forced to sit out in the previous season, has one season goal: Make his last his best.

Dwumfuoh specifically aims to increase his long jump distance by improving his form.

But what he is most excited for is his senior classmates, who he said have solid performances and could be league champions.

“Most of us are pretty experienced in track and field. We know what we’re doing out there,” he said. “The experience we have under our belt is going to lead us to a lot of victories this year.”

SACRAMENTO COUNTRY DAY SPORTS PROGRAMMING NETWORK

Sophomore Max Weitzman is Country Day’s super sports fan, and his style reflects it.

“I would describe my style as pretty different from everybody else’s. I wear jerseys, shorts and basketball shoes. I hate wearing long pants,” Weitzman said.

Weitzman is seldom seen wearing the same thing twice.

Weitzman’s jersey collection is constantly growing, amassing over 250 individual basketball jerseys.

This collection started in 2018 when Weitzman’s mom traveled to Boston and brought him back a Larry Bird jersey. Bird is a former Boston Celtics player.

“I was very into basketball at the time, and I asked for a Jason Tatum jersey,” he said. “It was a problem when she brought back the Larry Bird jersey because my dad is a huge L.A. Lakers fan, so he didn’t like it,” Weitzman said.

For sophomore Ash LaPlaca, fashion is more than just planning outfits; it’s a re flection of her feelings, emotions and iden tity as a person.

“I like to stand out,” LaPlaca said. “I like things that make my presence be known, because if you know me, that’s what I like and do.”

Because of its unorthodox nature of not fitting in, the goth grunge aesthetic at tracts LaPlaca.

The goth grunge fashion subculture originated from the 1980s and 1990s and can be best characterized by its heavy in spiration from the punk rock movement with its seemingly dark, mysterious and eerie aesthetic.

It typically consists of clothing in a dark er color palette, including ripped denims, black platform boots, in addition to incor porating elements of vintage fashion like studded belts, floral dresses and jewelry.

“Black and red are my favorite colors to wear because personally, I think they look good but also because colors can mean dif ferent things,” LaPlaca said. “Red to me is associated with emotions like anger, love and passion. Black to me can be associated with something negative like death or something positive like growth.”

Either way, to her, the goth grunge color palette has a strong, fierce and unapologetic vibe to it.

However, her fashion style was not always this way.

“I tried to fit in at my old school, because I would get made fun of,” LaPlaca said. “I didn’t want that anymore, so I took cues from what other students were wearing and copied what was in style.”

Because of the conflict the jersey created, Weitzman went to the mall and bought a Lakers jersey.

“After that, the jersey collection just took off. It got to 100, then 200, and now it’s at 250,” he said.

“My current favorite is my Kareem Abdul Jabbar Lakers jersey.”

Relatively recently, Weitzman’s jersey collection expanded beyond basketball to include football and baseball, too.

His love for sports hasn’t faded through the years. In fact, it’s grown.

“I like wearing jerseys because they show who I am and my interests. I love sports, and my jerseys really demonstrate that. I even got the nickname Jersey at basketball because of how much I wear them,” Weitzman said.

MAX WEITZMAN ASH LAPLACA

“I watched videos of shoes on the internet and talked about them to my friends, and eventually, my dad started to notice. The first pair of shoes I got and really liked were my golden Jordan 1’s,” Weitzman said.

Now, Weitzman’s favorites are his Nike Chunky Dunky shoes.

Nike’s Chunky Dunky is a colorful collaboration between Nike and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. They are a Nike Dunk featuring a light blue toe box, a surrounding cow-print pattern and a rainbow tie dye interior.

Weitzman has also developed an interest in shoes, an interest he’s come to share with his dad.

Soon, however, Weitzman hopes to add more traditional fashion items to his closet, such as clothes from Nike, Jordan and Billionaire Boys Club.

inspired by both her older sister, who had a great sense of style, and Pinterest, where she finds inspiration for different looks.

“If I see anything cool on Pinterest, I’d take what clothes I have and make it my own.”

When LaPlaca does not have the clothes to create a specific outfit, she buys her clothes in one of two places: Hot Topic or Goodwill.

“Hot Topic caters more to the Gothic part of my fashion style, and Goodwill usually goes more into the kind of grunge part of my style,” LaPlaca said.

Besides her outfits, a large part of her

fashion style is her makeup, which ties her looks to gether.

But, that too was a re cent addition to her look.

“My mom used to be a hired makeup artist, and for the longest time, I hated makeup and refused to wear makeup because I didn’t want to do what she did,” LaPlaca said.

But, less than halfway through her freshman year at Country Day, her curiosity led her to a change of heart.

“I found an old eyeshadow palette that

my older sister used, and I brought it to school to try it out during my free period. I just kind of went into the girls bathroom and just tried to do a simple makeup look with just random blue eyeshadow,” she said.

From then on, she started finding inspiration on Pinterest, trying to replicate what she saw and come up with new ideas.

That included a recent project she did last June for pride month. Every day, she put on a different makeup look to represent the different sexualities, taking inspiration from their respective flags.

“If you’re going to do something, try to have fun with it,” she said. “Be creative and be you!”

BREAKING THE UNIQUE FASHION

THE BUBBLE

DAVID ANCRUM

Reflective vinyl from iridescent Nikes will blind your eyes before they travel up to a large white puffer trench coat and stop at a pair of bright blue, jagged glasses. Contrary to popular belief, this figure isn’t a movie supervil-

cold for his clothing choices.

“Whether it was off or on the court, I was only wearing sweats,” he said. “But then one day my sisters told me that I was buggin’, and just because I was a ball player doesn’t mean I always had to dress like one.”

Always about basketball, he turned to Michael Jordan for his fashion transformation inspiration .

“I looked in the paper and would see the coat, the shoes, the glasses or the watches and told myself I wanted to be

To feed his passions, Ancrum split his time between basketball court and the aisles of Macy’s, JCPenney and Walmart, places where he could get nice clothes for cheap and find pieces like his iconic brown-leather trench coat, a component of his routine outfits even 30 years later.

Jordan inspired him so much that up until this day, his favorite pair of shoes are the 1992 Olympic Air JorAncrum’s love of basketball took him to Europe, where he predominantly played in the Greek Basketball League. Nevertheless, his outfits stayed the Even to this day, it’s very rare to see Ancrum wearing anything but pants, so it’s only fitting that despite the warm Mediterranean

weather, his suitcase was filled to the brim with long coats and joggers.

Consequently, Ancrum said he received a lot of side-ways looks from not only teammates but Europeans around him.

“I guess I’m cold-blooded,” he said. “No matter where I was, I wasn’t gonna change for nobody – even if I was told otherwise.”

Although his professional career ended years later and he traveled from place to place, Ancrum never stopped wearing what he wanted to wear.

“I’m more conscious of what I wear more than ever because someone is always watching,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m trying to change who I am or what I wear for someone else. I feel like fashion for me is about being comfortable in expressing myself regardless of what others think, so I try to do that all the time.”

His attitude followed him to Sacramento, where he feels like his closet has expanded more than ever.

“After I made a few more quarters, I was able to buy some jewelry I couldn’t afford when I was younger,” he said. “And from time-to-time Nike sends me shoes that other people might not give a second look at, but that’s the stuff I like.”

Hence, the only thing routine about Ancrum’s outfits is there is no routine. With a closet with more shoes than he can count and jackets for every day of the year, the only constant in Ancrum’s fashion is his desire to be different.

NATALIE PARK

Whether it’s beaded bracelets, pixel-art patches or colorful necklaces, senior Natalie Park’s distinct, handmade accessories provide a window into her sense of style.

“My biggest inspirations when I’m putting together an outfit are scene/ emo and forest-style fashion,” Park said.

Park gets some of the clothes in her wardrobe from thrifting, both in person and online.

“It’s easier to find specific clothing pieces online, but it’s been harder recently because there are a lot of people who like to resell clothes at a much higher price,” Park said.

Park also finds inspiration for her outfits on social media such as Tumblr, Pinterest and Discord. She also turns to her own art to find new ideas.

“People are generally very accepting on Tumblr; they let you do whatever you want as long as you enjoy it and aren’t hurting anyone. I dress like a dumpster fire, but I enjoy dressing like a dumpster fire,” Park said.

Another staple of Park’s style is her makeup.

“Makeup-wise, I’m pretty minimalist. I mainly use eyeliner, both crayon and liquid,” she said. “Sometimes, I do a bit of eyeshadow as well.

I paint my nails, but I rarely do lipstick.”

Although Park’s makeup and clothes stand out on their own, her accessories are the element that really brings her outfits together.

One of the most prominent things in most of Park’s outfits is her unique, handmade jewelry.

“I got into making jewelry around the same time that I became really fixated on fashion,” Park said. “You can buy plenty of materials in bulk or at the craft store. It’s really nice. To be honest, I have to make stuff, or I’ll go crazy.”

When making these pieces, Park looks to incorporate colorful, unique aspects.

One of the styles of jewelry that Park likes to create is called “candy.” This style originated in rave culture and is often made out of colorful plastic elements like beads. Making these often involves painstaking weaving and threading. These pieces are often traded among members of the candy jewelry community.

Another medium that Park enjoys expressing herself through is Perler beads.

Perler beads are small, plastic, tube-shaped beads that can be placed on a board and melted to create a design. These beads offer more room

for creativity than almost any other jewelry medium, which is why Park likes them so much.

“I love Perler beads because you can use them to create pixel art ranging from large to tiny. You put the beads onto a board with tweezers, and once you have your design, you put a piece of wax paper over it and iron it. The beads meld together to create a plastic sheet with your design on it,” Park said.

Park’s hobbies and sense of style go hand-in-hand. One of Park’s favorite pastimes is her art. She describes her art as contributing to her outfits and vice-versa.

“Often, when I’m bored and can’t think of anything to draw, I’ll just draw myself with the outfit I had on that day. This helps me remember what I wore and sometimes even feeds into inspiration for future outfits,” Park said.

Park does not see herself doing fashion or art professionally but says it is and will always be a hobby.

“I’m happy that I found fashion because not too long ago, I was very scared and shy towards people, but now with my outfits, I’m not afraid to put myself out there and say that this is who I really am,” she said.

STORIES BY ANDREW BURR, JACOB CHAND AND GARRETT XU: GRAPHICS BY XU; PHOTOS BY ADAM AKINS

EDITORIAL: Country Day has a Wi-Fi issue. What’s happening?

Click on the Country Day website, and prospective families will see that among the 12 listed “Country Day Advantages” is a “Campus-Wide High-Speed Wireless Network Connection.”

However, in a Feb. 27 Octagon Poll, 97% of 38 high school respondents reported experiencing issues with Wi-Fi connectivity and loading speeds, along with other disruptions to classroom activities.

While these problems have persisted largely unexplained for most of the school year, it is not too late for transparency and open communication about the Wi-Fi on campus — and for these issues to be resolved.

student devices to AirPlay content for club activities, but were not allowed to. To share their screen on the TV, students had to type in their Apple IDs onto a teacher’s device, which made some uncomfortable.

Despite these recurring issues, the Tech Department has not directly addressed the situation nor clearly communicated with the community with updates.

97% of students surveyed experienced Wi-Fi issues

In May 2021, then-Head of Technology Shelley Hinson Gougenheim told The Octagon that after extensive upgrades, campus WiFi was in stable condition.

“The school shouldn’t require anything from a network standpoint for the next seven to 10 years,” she said.

Now, less than two years later, Country Day Wi-Fi is far from stable.

Wi-Fi on campus has remained poor since October 2022, with connectivity issues affecting academic learning.

In classrooms, both faculty and students frequently have trouble accessing the internet, resulting in a noticeable slowdown of classroom activities. Students report frequent difficulties in accessing online textbooks in the language classes, CavNet and other websites needed for classroom learning.

For instance, in Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles, students were unable to download Unity, a program necessary for instruction. At other times, YouTube videos will buffer or fail to load altogether.

Students working on the National History Day Competition and Sophomore Project faced similar challenges accessing websites, online databases and Noodletools, a research management platform.

Additionally, certain capabilities on student Wi-Fi have been blocked.

The Gender & Sexuality Alliance asked to use their

In October, the Tech Department responded to Wi-Fi complaints by “banning, blacklisting and blocking websites” that students “like and frequent in order to improve the network,” according to an Oct. 4 help-ticket reply from the department.

This process included a combination of broad firewall bans on groups of websites as well as manual bans. Students should be informed of which sites are inaccessible.

If the intention for blocking certain websites is to protect students and maintain academic integrity, those expectations should be made clear to all students and explicitly written out to minimize confusion.

If the intention is, however, to increase connectivity, then the process of selecting sites for blocking should be made clear.

It’s not even evident that traffic to certain sites is the issue causing Wi-Fi troubles.

However, the process and rationale for blocking and unblocking sites remains unclear. Students have no idea what sites are inaccessible on student Wi-Fi until they try to access them.

Sites can be unblocked after a teacher or administrator makes a formal request, but students cannot do so on their own.

Not only is this an unclear inconvenience, but it also appears to be an ineffective one.

Director of Technology Michael Unti has repeatedly declined to comment on the school’s Wi-Fi system this year.

A professional from the Networking Department at California State University, Sacramento, said that common network speed issues the university experiences are caused by the total number and physical locations of network access points around campus, which provide uneven coverage between certain areas.

In 2020, Head of Technology Michael Unti said that new access points had been placed around campus after increased demand on the network. At the time, those access points were sufficient enough to meet demand, including the high volume of Zoom calls during hybrid learning.

Wi-Fi on campus is essential. Students are able and willing to work with administrators and staff to help improve connectivity — but that’s impossible to do without clear communication.

While we understand there may be certain security risks involved with disclosing specifics about the system, general information on the network’s status and plans for future improvements are relevant to the entire community. By implementing more lines of open communication between the Tech Department and the community, we can work to solve this issue together.

Questions The Octagon wants answered:

1. What are possible problems that may cause the occasional Wi-Fi outages during school?

2. What more can the students do to help make the speeds faster?

3. How many access points are on campus, and how many more are needed?

4. How much has blocking certain sites sped up the Wi-Fi?

5. What is the policy for blocking sites?

6. Is there a method students can use to request that sites be unblocked?

7. When will the above issues be resolved?

“Missed Connections” by Brynne Barnard-Bahn

MY ANGLE: Understanding history is an invaluable pursuit

BY RYAN XU

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is credited with saying: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

I personally prefer the maxim often attributed to Mark Twain: “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.”

History shows patterns and repetitive themes that inform our understanding of the past and, most importantly, the present. Some see history as a useless subject. After all, why does anyone need to know about Adam Smith or Karl Marx?

Context. Historical context is why the writings of Smith and Marx still remain relevant today. It allows us to see why the political legacy of the Soviet Union influences the modern-day Ukraine war and lets us understand the deep rooted ethical tensions regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory home to ethnic Armenians that is the subject of recent tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

A failure to contextualize the past leads to a lack of understanding of current events. The past is the way to evaluate the policies and proposals of today.

History shows new perspectives. Studying history allows us to understand ourselves and others and promote intercultural understanding. Through history, we can see how beliefs and values form through time and can help us develop mutual respect and understanding for others.

A prime example of this can be seen by looking at minority groups in the United States. By learning about history, we can see

how ideas like white supremacy and segregation have affected minority groups for decades.

We can see how the multicultural America that the Civil Rights movement fought for was able to promote equity and justice in the United States.

However, we are backtracking as a society. White nationalism is on the rise, and racist ideals and beliefs are slowly creeping into the mainstream once again, and the prohibition of certain aspects of history are causing this.

Recently, Florida announced its decision to ban the Advanced Placement African American studies course, describing the content being taught as “historically inaccurate” and “lacking educational value.”

Florida, along with states such as West Virginia, have barred schools from teaching Critical Race Theory, also known as CRT, which is an academic framework that examines the influences of racism and racial issues on American government and society.

Critics of CRT, such as Florida governor Ron DeSantis, claim that it is a form of ideological indoctrination and is driven by a political agenda. However, this is far from the truth.

Banning the teaching of racial issues in schools is akin to sticking one’s head in the sand. Racial issues formed through centuries of conflict will not simply disappear if they are ignored and forgotten. Doing so will only heighten racial and political tensions.

Cutting out or blocking out other points of view results in the creation of an echo chamber, where the same points of view are repeated, and opinions are only reinforced and never challenged. While studying history, it

is important to consider the points of views of others, no matter how extreme they may sound. History is more than memorizing facts.

History is knowing how those facts come together into a big picture, shaping the modern world. It is up to us to analyze the rhymes and rhythms of the past to build a better future.

ADVICE: How to confront friends, crushes and homework

BY ANONYMOUS

This is an advice column that responds to questions from anonymous Country Day students. To submit, send a question to the Google form sent out on Feb. 21. Responses are not guaranteed, but all submissions are welcome.

Q: I feel like my friend spends too much time with her boyfriend. I want to tell her this, but I also don’t want to seem annoying/clingy. I don’t mind when she goes off to hang out with him usually, but sometimes I’ll want to hang out with her during our free time and she’ll choose to go off campus with him instead. Advice?

Let’s start by giving your friend the benefit of the doubt.

When teenagers enter their first relationships, they often get swept up in the excitement of it all. As frustrating as it can be, they frequently don’t notice when they start to neglect their other friendships; thus your friend’s behavior is likely not malicious.

From what I can tell, you haven’t indicated to her that you are feeling overlooked, so it is very likely that she doesn’t realize how her actions have affected you.

If you want her behavior to change, you will definitely need to talk to her about it. If you just try to wait it out, you will most likely find resentment start to form, and that will not be conducive to a healthy friendship.

That said, I understand your worry about confronting her. You don’t want it to seem like you’re jealous of the time she spends with her boyfriend or, worse, that you don’t want her to have one. Instead, you just want her to know that you are feeling a bit overlooked.

To get this point across, I suggest you not even mention her boyfriend. The last thing we want is for her to think this is an attack on her relationship. Instead, say something like, “I feel like we haven’t been spending as much time together lately.”

A statement like that does not place the blame on anyone, but it does open the door to a conversation about the state of your friendship.

After that is out in the open, follow it up by suggesting you catch up during your free period.

This approach is not remotely confrontational, but it will get her to think about how much time she is allocating to your friendship. If all goes well, you two will be back to

being two peas in a pod in no time.

Q: How do I talk to my crush if they’re in a different grade and we never talk?

Before I tell you, I am going to ask you to consider what about this person you like if the two of you have never interacted.

Although it is perfectly normal to admire someone from afar, you should also recognize that it is likely the idea of this person that you like is not the version of them that actually exists.

If you want to talk to someone more, you need to make an effort to frequent places they frequent.

If the person always seems to be playing table tennis in the corner of the quad, play a round with that person. If the person studies in the quiet room during free period, study in there at the same time.

Ultimately, it’s important that you two have something that you can relate over. That commonality will allow for conversation.

Another alternative is bringing the person into a conversation you are already having.

Say, you are arguing with your friend about a new album or sharing your opinions on the best Loehmann’s restaurant. If your crush

is in close proximity, ask what the person’s opinion is on the subject at hand.

If that seems like too big of a step for you, start a conversation by paying the person a compliment.

If you like the person’s sweater, say so.

It’s not much of a move, but it does pave the way for a conversation.

Ultimately, if you find that conversation is still hard to come by, take it as a sign that maybe this person is not the one for you.

Q: How do I stay interested in doing my homework?

When it comes to homework, I am not sure “interested” is the word that comes to mind. Rather, it is motivation you need.

To maintain motivation, I suggest creating a schedule with rewards.

Write out a check list of all your assignments. When you complete a task, treat yourself with a snack or 10 minutes of TV time. Then, when that is up, get back to work.

With a process like this, you should be able to stay on top of your work without losing too much time to boredom.

If that fails, you’re just going to have to push through. Best of luck!

HOLD ONTO HISTORY Sophomore Ryan Xu believes students need history to understand the present. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SIMONE DEBERRY

“DREAM OVER DRAMA”

Inspired by MLK, Dr. Pamela Peters returns to SCDS as the new SEL counselor

BY LAUREN LU

Country Day’s new social and emotional adviser, Pamela Peters, is familiar with the impacts of social stress and the importance of having emotional support.

When she was 10, she told her father she wanted to be a Girl Scout, so he took Peters to the headquarters of the Girl Scouts of America to enroll as a Brownie.

The leaders turned Peters away.

The teachers who led the group said that they would quit and parents would pull

overcoming “monkey mind.”

According to Peters, monkey mind is the aggregation of fear and negativity that is a major source of stress on the mind, hindering growth and progression.

She has experienced firsthand the mental toll that heeding monkey mind takes.

“I noticed, even as a little girl, my judgment towards the people who were judging me, and I became extremely angry and frustrated,” Peters said. “So when Martin Luther King [Jr.] said to me, ‘We just have to teach them that we’re not so different from them,’ I realized the value of being a teacher.”

forgiveness, meditation and even effective parenting.

In addition, she is a certified counselor and life coach who has worked with students of all age groups and for various corporate and non-profit organizations.

Peters is returning to the Country Day stage after 13 years.

She initially taught theater and directed school plays at Country Day from 1998 to 2009. In addition, Peters played a role in counseling and educating students, teachers and administrators on social and emotional intelligence — which is now her sole focus as she returns in part-time capacity.

well as mutual respect and appreciation, and we got the entire school on the same path,” Peters said. “At the time I was teaching parenting classes and teaching all grades similar foundational things, so we were all speaking the same language.”

These lessons allowed the Country Day family to grow closer and improve communication through attentive listening and mutual respect, Peters said.

Returning to Country Day after over a decade, she witnessed and is proud of the tremendous increase in attention to students’ social and emotional needs, diversi

The first of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 5 films, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” falls short with an unreasonable plot that falls into previous Marvel tropes and lacks emotional impact.

The movie follows Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd, and his family as they are thrust into the quantum realm, a miniature universe located in the space between atoms. There, they find a fight of multiversal proportions with Kang the Conqueror, portrayed by Jonathan Majors.

This adventure takes place soon after the conclusion of Phase 4 — where Ant-Man and the Avengers defeated Thanos, who sought to destroy the universe — and is an attempt to set the scene for the next major villain.

However, this goal creates the problem with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania:” it introduces the most powerful Marvel villain ever, but doesn’t include the development needed to make it logically and emotionally click.

It took 22 movies to reach the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” where Thanos was ultimately defeated, and the writers were able to attract millions as they slowly built up to such large stakes and a powerful showdown.

After such a successful box office showing, Marvel is being hasty in the next stage. The introduction of Kang is too sudden: he enters the scene as the next Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “big bad” in a single movie.

Kang is a villain who not only matches the universe-threatening powers of Thanos, but far exceeds them with powers that govern

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA

throughout the film. Kang’s blue and solemn face, jutting out of his full body purple and green suit was a vivid, bizarre and terrifying sight altogether.

Add the depiction of the vast alien landscapes of the quantum realm and Kang’s empire, and the film’s visuals were both refreshing and inventive. It’s a shame that this setting was not properly developed.

Rather than allowing the audience time to become invested, the writers have rapidly escalated the stakes, perhaps as an attempted shortcut to reaching the scale and impact of prior films such as “Avengers: Endgame” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”

But this simply doesn’t work — even in light of the unfathomable stakes, the short time frame perpetuates a lack of emotional impact for viewers.

As Ant-Man enters the quantum realm, viewers are presented with an almost “Star Wars”-like world, but completely fail to see local experiences and stories about Kang’s conquest.

This causes a lack of caring regarding the rebellion led by the inhabitants of the quantum realm — which also received minimal setup.

We also see startlingly little development from the main characters in the film. After the events of the movie take place, the characters go back to their lives with little consequence.

It makes sense then, that when these powers and characters are displayed in final fight scenes, it hardly pans out as a crucial showdown.

The storyline as a whole serves as little more than a setup plot to allow Kang to take the screen in future films.

Although the abrupt concentration on a villain such as Kang was a shortcoming of the movie, seeing such a powerful villain enter the Marvel Cine matic Universe was exciting.

Majors’ lines are a perfect mix of calm and terrifying, and Kang captured the viewers’ attention whenever he took the scene. This delivery is even more impressive when con trasted with Majors’ portrayal of the energetic

He Who Remains, a variant of Kang from another universe, in “Loki”, another Marvel Cinematic Universe project.

However, inconsistent writing hampers the effect Majors’ has on screen.

In the first half of the movie, Kang comes off as frightening and powerful — up until he starts letting himself get thrown around by Ant-Man, a both literal and figurative “little guy,” in the final battle.

We hear whispers of the incomprehensible powers of Kang, who is referred to almost reverently by his pronouns in the first half of the film.

Later, we even see him vanquish crowds with ease, literally snapping enemies out of existence.

Where were these powers in the final showdown? Marvel’s quest for increasingly bigger stakes has created such a powerful villain that normal fight scenes don’t make sense; however, this clearly doesn’t stop them from trying.

At the film’s conclusion, we are told that Kang’s variants will return in future films. This is something to look forward to — despite the cop-out of a final fight, Kang was a scary and well-set up villain, and the end credit scene promises more of Jonathan Major’s excellent acting.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is truly a brainless watch: creative visuals and new characters keep the film engaging, but when viewed in light of the glaring inconsistencies and lack of emotional development, it is unable to resonate with audiences.

There is a line in the film from a memoir, written by Ant-Man himself, repeated often — that “there’s always room to grow.”

One can only hope that the char

REVIEW BY SAHEB GULATI; GRAPHICS BY AVA EBERHART

HELLO

MY NAME IS

E very year, the first full week of March is dedicated to “Celebrate Your Name Week.” The week encourages people to discover and honor the origins and meanings of their names. This year, the Octagon asked Country Day students to do the same, sharing the significance of their names with the community. INTERVIEWS BY EESHA

DHAWAN

Siri Atluri

“My full name is Sri Siri Gauri Chandra Atluri. I was really annoyed because it was so long and people would make jokes about my name in elementary. But now, I realized that that’s kind of stupid, so I don’t care anymore. I have learned to appreciate the fact that my name is associated with my culture. My multiple names represent multiple goddesses in India like Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati.”

SundiAtA dumiSAni

“My mom and dad gave me my name. It was a big part to include my heritage and cultural heritage. My first name is Sundiata and he is the first king of Mali. It means Lion King.”

“My mom really liked my name because it meant queen and royalty. She wanted me to grow up and become powerful and independent. It actu ally originates from a Turk ish meaning and Turkish root.

Before I came to Country Day everyone referred to me as Shakhzoda and not Shak, and I’m okay with Shak. I like the name Shak, but I have decided after Country Day I am just go ing to go back to making everyone call me Shakhzo da because Shak is not me. I love my name. I think it’s beautiful, and I think Shak waters it down like crazy.”

ShAkhzodA khodjAkhonovA

“I have a mix of both Masutu and Italian names in my name. My first name, Karabelo, is a Masutu name, and it means the answer to your prayers. I also have two middle names, Mantoa Attillia Lerothoil Nyamatana. Those two names are clan names because clanship in Masutu is very big. It is important to put your family name, so I have my two clan names as well.

I like my name. I don’t know what I would be if I was named something else. I feel very connected to it.”