Octagon 2021-22 Issue 4

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VOL.45 NO.4 • Sacramento Country Day School • 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, CA •www.scdsoctagon.com • December 14, 2021

ROUNDIN’ THE CORNER (Left to right) Seniors Dylan Breen, Tina Huang, Zola Grey, Nihal Gulati and Ethan Monasa talk about about their college application process in a roundtable discussion on Nov. 29. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JACOB CHAND AND ARIJIT TRIVEDI

College application process brings future into focus

F

BY DYLAN MARGOLIS & ADAM AKINS

ive Country Day seniors came together for a roundtable on Nov. 29 to discuss their experience of the college application process. Zola Grey is attempting to land a track scholarship; Ethan Monasa is applying for specialty flight programs; Tina Huang is an international student; Dylan Breen is planning to follow the pre-medicine track and Nihal Gulati is a STEM specialist and National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist.

Q: When you’re looking for colleges, what attributes matter to you?

Monasa: I’m applying to schools primarily based on their flight programs since I want to be a commercial pilot. My main focus is the quality of the flight program, the kinds of planes a school has and what job opportunities I can attain after college because many schools have connections to big airlines. It’s kind of like looking for a school that has good internship programs.

Huang: This might sound a little bit unusual, but a big part for me is the location because I don’t want to go to the south or too close to Sacramento. That really narrowed down my college search to just the East Coast and SoCal. Grey: My college search focused on schol-

arships for track and field. So I had to find coaches to talk to about college opportunities. Also, I don’t want to be in Division 1 track and field because of its difficulty, and I don’t have the time for that. So, I’m trying to be in Division 2 or 3, narrowing down my search.

mute. So, I’m applying to the University of Nevada, Reno instead. The school needs to have a pre-med track major because I want to go into medicine. Also, I’ve talked to the coach about playing basketball in college, so that is a possible potential; I plan to walk on for tryouts.

Gulati: I want to go into STEM fields, so I’ve been prioritizing schools with good STEM programs or engineering reputations. The location doesn’t matter as much to me.

Q: Did your vision and what you were looking for in a college change as you went through the application process?

Breen: Location plays a significant role because I want to stay close to home. I looked at UC Davis and liked it, but I would have to put a lot of miles on my car due to the com-

Gulati: I found out more about colleges that I didn’t know existed. My overall goals haven’t changed that much, but the amount I know about colleges has. Before

COLLEGE page 3 >>

COVID-19 surges in lower school due to low vaccination rate

BY SIMONE DEBERRY With the increased spread of the COVID-19 Delta and Omicron variants, everyone remains at risk for infection, particularly the unvaccinated.

As of Dec. 6, 20 individuals in the Country Day community have tested positive for COVID-19 this school year, according to the

school’s website. They include: 3 employees 2 high school students 1 middle school student 14 lower school students Those who tested positive and some in their immediate vicinity needed to quarantine.

Head of Lower School Maisae Affour explained that this uptick in cases can most likely be traced

to the increasing freedoms within the general community.

Since students have returned to out-of-school activities and family members are back at work, there are far more opportunities for infection.

In addition, vaccines for children 5 to 11 were not available until Oct. 29.

That said, the lower school

CAMPUSCORNER Alumni Panel

Winter Concerts

This year, the students who graduated from Country Day in 2021 will Zoom in on Dec. 17 at 12:30 p.m. High school students will get school-provided lunches and then meet in their advisories to listen to and talk with the alumni. So far, eight alumni have confirmed their attendance.

On Dec. 14, the Garage Band, followed by the middle school and high school concert bands, will perform in the gym at 7 p.m. The following day, the chamber music group and the middle school and high school orchestras will perform in the gym at 7 p.m.

maintains efforts to minimize the chance of on-campus transmission.

Currently, teachers assign students to small groups of three or four children who eat snacks and lunches with each other. These groupings are referred to as lunch buddies, and students are only allowed to be in unmasked interactions within their own groups.

When a student tests positive for COVID-19, the lower school calls in Director of the Physical Plant Jay Holman to trace contacts.

Before anything else, Holman reaches out to the positive individual to better understand when the infection may have occurred.

“We’re basically just trying to figure out who they’ve been in

INSIDE the ISSUE “Red (Taylor’s Version)” Review If you’re a veteran fan or an incoming Swiftie, check out a review of Taylor Swift’s second and newest re-recorded album. (PAGE 10) PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM.COM

COVID-19 page 3 >>

02 NEWS STAFF PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Sanjana Anand Arikta Trivedi ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Ethan Monasa Arijit Trivedi NEWS EDITOR Nihal Gulati FEATURE EDITOR Arjin Claire SPORTS EDITOR Miles Morrow A&E/OPINION EDITOR Dylan Margolis PHOTO EDITORS Arijit Trivedi Arikta Trivedi PAGE EDITORS Sanjana Anand Rod Azghadi Jacob Chand Arjin Claire Simone DeBerry Nihal Gulati Samhita Kumar Dylan Margolis Ethan Monasa Miles Morrow Arijit Trivedi Arikta Trivedi Garman Xu BUSINESS STAFF Arjin Claire, manager Samhita Kumar, assistant Willliam Holz SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Arikta Trivedi, editor Ava Eberhart Samhita Kumar, assistant Lauren Lu HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY Nihal Gulati REPORTERS Adam Akins Andrew Burr Emily Cook Ava Eberhart Saheb Gulati William Holz Lauren Lu Ishaan Sekhon Kali Wells Garrett Xu Ryan Xu PHOTOGRAPHERS Adam Akins Miles Morrow Arijit Trivedi Arikta Trivedi Kali Wells MULTIMEDIA STAFF Dylan Margolis, editor Arjin Claire Simone DeBerry William Holz Miles Morrow Arijit Trivedi Garman Xu GRAPHIC ARTISTS Brynne Barnard-Bahn Lilah Shorey 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.

DECEMBER 14, 2021 • THE OCTAGON

FRESHMAN FOCUS: Joanne Tsai, ’21, joins ethnic clubs to grow social circle at UCSD

J

BY GARRETT XU

oanne Tsai, ’21, attends in-person and online classes at the University of California, San Diego. She is majoring in cognitive science.

Q: Why did you choose UC San Diego?

A: I was actually deciding if I wanted to go to Boston for BU (Boston University) or if I should stay here and go to UC San Diego.

But because I could get credits for the AP’s I took at Country Day and also because I kind of wanted to stay in California, I ended up going to UCSD. Q: Are you attending classes in person or online?

A: Both. I have one class that is fully online, and the rest are kind of like hybrid classes. So, we can choose if we want to come to class or not. For some classes, there are recordings of the lecture we can watch, and it’s really convenient. As for tests, some will also be online as well. But other than that, we have to wear masks all the time in lecture halls.

and Ms. Bauman gave me that. My writing skills improved so much, and she really helped me with my writing class now for college.

Actually, I feel like I’m even kind of ahead of some people who might be native English speakers. So, I’m really thankful to Ms. Bauman for that.

Q: Did you make any freshman mistakes?

A: Yeah, I definitely did. I chose the wrong math professor. I should have gone on “Rate My Professors” and looked up my professors before choosing them. My current professor has a pretty bad rating. He’s smart in math and all, but he doesn’t really know how to teach.

The highest grade from our exam is the average grade in the other Math 10A class.

The class is just really tough, and the exams are rough in general.

Q: What is your advice for the class of 2022?

A: Go on “Rate my Professors” and look up your professors before you enroll in their classes. Enroll early because you might not get your professor of choice if you enroll late since a lot of people are trying to get into the good professors’ classes.

Also, definitely don’t be afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone, especially in the first month of college. That’s when no one knows each other yet. Try to make more friends during that time because then, as time goes by, everyone has their own little groups, and it’s harder to get involved. You should also join clubs, go to school events because you can make friends there. In the beginning, I was kind of anxious because of how small Country Day is compared to UCSD. But, over time, I got used to it, and I started enjoying it, the opportunity to go, and meet new people and start socializing.

Q: What classes are you taking?

A: I am currently taking five classes. I’m taking CAT 1, which is basically a writing class, Math 10A (calculus), statistics, a class about the biology and functions of the brain and a gospel choir course.

Q: What is your favorite class?

A: I really like the brain functions class, and I would say that it’s one of my favorites. I also really like statistics because of my professor. Even though statistics is very hard, she’s really nice and teaches very well. It makes her class the most interesting even though it’s just statistics.

Q: What are you majoring in?

A: I was majoring in social psychology, but I just switched to cognitive science because social psychology just felt kind of bland to me. I wanted something that includes more science. Psychology involves a lot of theory-based concepts and a lot of memorization. But, cognitive science is more like design and interaction. It’s more technical stuff, and that’s really interesting to me.

Q: What clubs or extracurriculars are you participating in?

A: I’ve currently been going to clubs hosted by the United Taiwanese Association and the Taiwanese American Student Association. I joined because I’m Taiwanese, and a club is a place for me to communicate with upperclassmen and other people. So far, we’ve had a few events like the Thanksgiving dinner. I’m also on a dance team called Alter Ego. Q: What is your housing situation like at UCSD? A: I live on campus, and I live in the newest building on campus. It’s a really nice and neat place to live. Literally every single time I tell someone that I live in the new dormitory, they give me this jealous look. We have really nice and clean dorm rooms.

Q: How is the food at UCSD? A: In terms of dining, we don’t have the buffet-style, instead we have this app where we can order beforehand. They rarely change their menus so it’s always the same thing. I typically get burrito bowls and veggies. There are some restaurants on our campus like Starbucks, Subway, Panda Express and Mexican cuisine, so sometimes I go there for dinner.

Q: How has Country Day prepared you for college?

A: It definitely did in terms of academics.

Especially for writing. In junior year, Ms. Bauman’s Advanced Placement English class had a lot of work and gave me so much stress because I wasn’t the best at writing, but writing comes with practice,

STONY SEMESTER Joanne Tsai, ’21, poses in front of the popular bear statue in the Earl Warren College at UCSD. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOANNE TSAI

UCSD: Five star or subpar?

Quality of Classes: Student-Teacher Interaction: Location: Food: Housing: Social scene: Clubs: School spirit:

VOL. 45 ISSUE 3 CORRECTION AND VOL. 45 ISSUE 2 CLARIFICATION It is The Octagon’s policy to correct factual errors and to clarify potentially confusing statements.

Email us: octagon@scdsstudent.org

Issue 3 Page 9 “Senior’s immense work ethic guides artistic pursuits”: Art teacher Andy Cunningham was misspelled as Andy Cunnigham.

Issue 2 Page 4 “Sustainable practices in place on campus, student involvement could drive further change”: A story about sustainability first published in the October issue of The Octagon and published online Dec. 1 needs clarification.

Although Country Day does not have an AP Environmental Science course, environmental topics are covered in several courses, according to High School Science Department Chair Kellie Whited. Link:

NEWS 03

DECEMBER 14, 2021 • THE OCTAGON

College: Best-fit schools over big-name schools (continued from page 1) the college application process, you only really know about a few schools, mainly big-name schools, so fleshing out that map has been very informative.

Grey: Visiting colleges really changed my perception.

When I went to some campuses, I realized I didn’t want to go there.

Breen: The only school I wanted to go to was Davis when I started this process, but I completely switched.

My dad recommended that I give UNR a look, and after checking it out, I really liked it. It was a very clean campus and incredibly friendly.

Monasa: As I’ve gotten older my perception has changed about these big-name schools. I don’t think that the name of the school matters as much as it used to, not just to me, but to everyone.

Grey: I wanted to go to Stanford when I was younger, mainly because of the gymnastics program, but since I’ve quit gymnastics, it’s been really eye-opening. It was hard for me to know what colleges I wanted to go to because I had no sport to play.

My academics aren’t all that great, but they’re okay, so it just was difficult for me to find a college that would fit me.

91%

Huang: Before this process, I didn’t know much about smaller schools, but after going through the research, I’m more open to other options, such as liberal arts schools.

have submitted a college application

Q: Regarding those big-name colleges, did you feel any pressure during your application process to prioritize those?

Monasa: My mom wants me to go to a big-name school, but the college counselors here don’t put much stock on that; they care more about how the school fits you. My parents would like to see me go to, or at least apply to, a school like Michigan, so I am applying to a couple of them.

But that pressure isn’t weighing me down, I’m doing what I think is best for me.

Q: How would you describe the application process?

Monasa: For those of you who will be going through this process next year, or in the future, Ms. Bauman and Ms. Perla will give you assignments over the summer that have questions taken straight from college applications. My personal statement and all four UC essays came directly from that.

Breen: I was pretty lucky with the two schools I applied to because I didn’t have any essays. The UNR application took me 30 minutes, with the bulk of my time spent choosing a major. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go undecided, biology or some new pre-med major. I eventually picked biology.

But, I had to have the whole debate of, “Do I want to apply undecided to make it easier to get in and then switch my major,” or “Do I want to try to get it all done at once?” The have applied application process has been easy for me. early action The only thing about the UNR application is that you have to physically mail in your transcripts and your vaccination record. That’s the only tough part.

43%

Monasa: If you follow the plan that Ms. Bauman and Ms. Perla set, it’s not that bad. It’s still a lot of work, especially if you have a lot of Advanced Placement classes or classwork, but it’s manageable.

So, when they have you do stuff over the summer, get it done, don’t procrastinate and let it drag on to the school year. Stay on track with the plan that they have for you.

Percentage of seniors applying to each college discipline

Huang: The personal statement was the most difficult part. The last week before the application was due, I was with Ms. Bauman every night. We were editing back and forth for three hours straight one night.

Huang: So many people put pressure on going to a good college, or one that everyone knows about, but what it comes down to is what school fits best for you. Also, there isn’t that much of a difference between the top 100 schools other than the title.

Grey: Yeah, the personal statement was bad. Mine is OK — it needs some polishing. You have to put thought into what you write about, which was difficult for me because I haven’t really done much besides gymnastics.

So, I’m writing about that and the depression that came with it. You should definitely get Gulati: I think pretty similarly it is mainyour personal statement done as soon as ly the reputation you get from these more possible. felt pressure to prestigious schools rather than a different apply to bigeducation. That said, I am applying to a few Gulati: Maybe this is because I’m applying name schools big-name schools. I simply want to see if I to a lot of schools, but the college applicacan get in. tion process is a lot more work than I expected. The essays are what comprise the majority Breen: I used to have the pressure of going to of your time. Motivation has been the key thing. big-name schools. When I was younger, I always I can sit down to try and work and lose hours doing thought my two options were either Stanford or Cal be- nothing. cause of some idea that if you go to a private school, you So yes, definitely start early. Especially for your persongo to one of these big-name schools. al statement because that’s kind of the linchpin. I’d say I know some kids that go to these big schools who love start that pretty much as soon as school starts. You want to it, but I also know some who think they are very overrated. get that done. And then, for supplementals, you can knock So I listened to college students’ opinions, as opposed to those out one at a time. Otherwise, it can be really overpeople younger than me, which helped shape my opinion. whelming.

67%

Undecided 13%

Humanities 20%

Social Sciences 13%

Business 11%

Applied Sciences 43%

Data from a Dec. 7 Octagon poll with 21 respondents out of 29 seniors

COVID-19: What are the exposure procedures? (continued from page 1) touch with since the infection,” he said. “(Assistant to the Head of Lower School) Kristi Peoro in the lower school pulls the class seating charts, and from there, we notify all the contacts of what procedures must occur.”

At this point, the COVID-19 Symptom and Quarantine Decision Forest enters the picture, said Head of School Lee Thomsen.

Based on guidance from the California

Department of Public Health and the Sacramento County Health Department, the Decision Forest is an in-depth graphic that provides guidance on handling contacts based on details of interpersonal interactions.

The guidelines are universally applied.

“We apply the same structure to every case,” Thomsen said. “The primary difference between high schoolers and lower schoolers are their vaccination statuses.”

When an unvaccinated student comes

into unmasked close contact with a positive student, he or she must quarantine for 10 days following their last exposure. If the student is vaccinated they may return to campus immediately.

Despite the surge in COVID-19 cases in the lower school, only one of these appears to have been contracted at school, Affour said.

Regardless of the location of the transmission, students with COVID-19 or those who have been exposed must quarantine.

When a positive COVID-19 case infiltrated one fifth-grade lunch group, the Haus family worried about their son’s education.

“As a contact, he was immediately asked to quarantine,” said Brian Haus, M.D. Four days into his quarantine, Haus’s son spent some time at a friend’s house.

Shortly thereafter, that friend tested positive, too — restarting the quarantine.

In total, Haus’ son underwent five COVID-19 tests and missed just under two weeks of in-class instruction.

“It was extremely difficult because they don’t have Zoom meetings this year,” he said. “He was sort of left to figure material out on his own, which is pretty hard to do.”

The family reached out to the school in hopes of receiving Zoom support and were pleased by the teachers’ feedback.

During the day, Haus’ son completed assigned work, and in the afternoon, he attended teachers’ office hours.

However, the Hauses faced technical difficulties, which, at times, interfered with their son’s ability to attend office hours.

“He ended up missing a few sessions, by no fault of the school, but obviously, still

frustrating,” Haus said.

Haus recognized the difficulty of the situation but wishes the school could set up a Zoom for students unable to attend.

Thomsen, however, explained that faculty decided to treat quarantine just as they would another illness.

“Rather than trying to create the Zoom experience like we did last year, we would treat a person who’s quarantining at home as somebody who had broken a leg. For example, and couldn’t come to school for a period of time,” he said. “While it might seem like we’re just saying no to Zoom school, what we’re actually saying is ‘no, you don’t need to do all of the work the in-person kids are doing.’”

As a result, teachers decide how to instruct quarantining students.

Affour said steps are in place to keep students on track.

“When students come back, teachers will see them one-on-one to make sure that they make up all of the missed work,” she said.

Thomsen is still confident for the future.

“Already, we’re seeing lower school families vaccinating their kids,” he said. “The highest uptake among students has been in the high school, where I want to say 94% of students are vaccinated. Middle school seems to be somewhere around 80%, so if I were going to extrapolate, I would assume that there might be a few more lower school families who are hesitant to vaccinate, but I don’t know that for sure.”

As more families begin to vaccinate their children, similar to the Haus family, the lower school expects to see a drop in cases.

04 FEATURE

DECEMBER 14, 2021 • THE OCTAGON

Country Day Celebrations T

he longest days in the year, the winter holidays, bring celebration and good cheer around the world. Here is a snapshot of some of the holidays and traditions Country Day students enjoy.

Kwanzaa Kwanzaa is an African and African American holiday that is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

Activities to celebrate the holiday are organized around the Nguzo Saba or the Seven Principles.

The Seven Principles are Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and lmani. These words mean unity, determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith, respectively.

The holiday ends with a final

day to reflect and recommit to The Seven Principles.

Sophomore Imani Cochran and her family celebrate Kwanzaa by understanding the principles and learning about her heritage.

While Cochran and her family don’t participate in any activities, they do use the time of Kwanzaa to reflect on and learn the Seven Principles.

“It’s a humbling moment. It’s just a day to reflect on a theme, like wisdom or faith. It’s nice to focus on one thing for the day,” Cochran said.

Hanukkah Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday to celebrate the defeat of their oppressors and the reclamation of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Second Temple.

Children are given gelt, or money, to honor their devotion and study of the Torah, the first part of the Jewish holy scripture.

Sophomore E Robinson celebrates their favorite Hanukkah tradition by lighting a candle on a menorah, a lamp made to hold nine candles.

“You only light the first one, then you use that candle to light another every day,” Robinson said. “It’s pretty fun.”

Robinson also enjoys eating traditional foods for Hanukkah.

“My family and I traditionally eat latkes, which are circular hashbrowns,” Robinson said. “Before COVID-19 we’d eat a latka dinner with everyone in my synagogue.”

Diwali Diwali is considered a festival of light celebrated around the world by Jains, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs, but each religion celebrates Diwali differently.

In Sikhism, Diwali honors Bandi Chhor Divas, the day that 52 princes and the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, were freed from imprisonment by Emperor Jahangir in 1619, according to senior Nihal Gulati.

Diwali is traditionally celebrated by sharing sweets, worshipping God and setting off fireworks. Diwali is celebrated based on the Hindu lunisolar calendar, usually falling between mid-October and mid-November. In some parts of India, Diwali also marks the beginning of a new year.

One tradition that sophomore Gulzar Sohal, a Sikh, celebrates is buying a clay oil lamp called a diva (or diya) and lighting it in a gurdwara, a Sikh temple.

Diwali is also a time to come together to eat in the langar hall — the community kitchen of the gurdwara — with friends and family.

For freshman Aaryan Gandhi, a Hindu, lighting fireworks is his favorite Diwali tradition because he gets to spend time with friends and family.

Sohal had similar thoughts. “It’s fun to spend time with friends and family to eat great food,” Sohal said.

Sohal especially enjoys eating Indian sweets, mithai, during Diwali.

Mithai are made with a combination of milk, flour, sugar and nuts.

For Gandhi, eating Indian food is a must. “It’s very rich,” he said.

Christmas Celebrated on Dec. 25, Christmas is a religious holiday and a cultural phenomenon celebrated by both Christians and non-Christians alike.

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, whose teachings are the basis for the religion of Christianity.

Junior Grace Eberhart celebrates Christmas with prayer and a special ceremony at church Dec. 25.

The ceremony involves lighting candles to signify the light of Christ, which symbolizes hope, prayer, compassion and love.

Eberhart still does the classical Christmas tradition of decorating her house over the winter season.

Her favorite part of Christmas is

not decorating but shopping.

Christmas shopping is her favorite because she gets to see the entire mall transformed into a festive form.

For sophomore Katie Espinoza, who celebrates Christmas non-religiously and performs all the classical traditions of house decorating, spending time with her family is the best part of the holiday.

“One tradition I have is inviting my entire family over, or as much as I can because I have a huge family, to get together and celebrate,” Espinoza said.

Espinoza also loves baking chocolate cookies for her family over the holidays. “Christmas is the only chance I get to bake and give them to my family and friends.”

STORIES BY ISHAAN SEKHON; GRAPHICS BY NIHAL GULATI

SPORTS 05

DECEMBER 14, 2021 • THE OCTAGON

WÏÑTËR SPØRTS

Boys, girls basketball kick off winter sports season Boys Basketball

A

fter canceled spring seasons last school year due to the pandemic, varsity boys and girls basketball teams returned on Nov. 30. Boys junior varisty basketball had their first game on Dec. 8. The ski and snowboard team will take on the slopes with their first race on Jan. 7.

BY ADAM AKINS

PHOTOS BY ADAM AKINS; GRAPHICS BY AKINS, ETHAN MONASA AND MILES MORROW

Girls Basketball Monterey Trail Following the pandemic and the High School, leaving the team loss of valuable players, the Coun- without an experienced leader and try Day girls basketball team hopes their most valuable player.

She was the team’s top scorer for a season of growth and learning and an excellent shooter and ball for the new players.

The team’s first season game on handler, Pitts said.

Sophomore point guard Nov. 30, against Pine Hills AdvenAnnalucia King is retist, resulted in a loss of 39-10. placing Grey as captain.

Their second and third “We don’t have somegames resulted in two lossone that is a strong es of 51-8 and 42-13 against ball handler or Stoneridge Christian and aggressively John Adams Academy, reshoots the ball spectively. yet, but we’re The team’s roster mainworking on ly consists of sophomores that and and freshmen who are it’s benew to the sport. ginning Coach Latonia Pitts to show,” hopes that the team will Pitts said. use the season to develop Her vision for a better understanding of the team is the same the game and refine their every season — to deskills. velop and see growth “This will be a season beyond how the playof growth, as many of the ers started at the begirls have not played at ginning of the season. this level before,” Pitts Throughout the said. “I’m excited to see course of the season, improvement in their Pitts plans to organize fundamentals, basketseveral weekend practices ball IQ and physical dedicated to improving fitness.” the team’s funIn addition to a damental skills. plethora of first-time “I’m hoping SOPHOMORE POINT players on the court, for a few SatGUARD IMANI the team’s former urdays where COCHRAN captain, Jada Grey, the girls can changed schools to

BY LAUREN LU

Ski & Snowboard

BY WILLIAM HOLZ As the days shorten and the temperature drops, the ski and snowboard team starts its season in the Sierra Nevada. From Jan. 7 to Feb. 21, Country Day students will be competing in 10 event races in Boreal, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley and Northstar.

After being on the team for the first time last year, many returning sophomores have planned out what they need to work on for the season.

“This year I really want to shorten my times in the slalom race and the giant slalom race,” said returning sophomore Andrew Klieger.

Returning sophomore Caleb Shin wants to work on his maneuverability, as it factors into his performance.

“Last year I had trouble with my carving, so this year I want to work on that,” Shin said. “If I do so, results will follow.”

Coach Jason Kreps is confident

in the team’s abilities for the year.

“Last season went well for having a shortened season. It was the first sport back after coming back to school,” Kreps said. “We will just need to follow protocols set by the resorts and we’ll be fine.

We will know a lot more after we begin racing.”

The team consists of nine new freshmen, three new sophomores, five returning sophomores, three returning juniors and one returning senior, captain Hailey Fesai.

“I’m just also really excited to get out in the snow. Skiing is my thing. I love it so much,” Fesai said.

Fesai suffered a femur injury last year, but is ecstatic to be on the team again.

“Coming back from an injury was hard, so I cut myself a little bit of slack from last year,” Fesai said. “This year, I’m going to do the best I can to come back as strong as possible. I’m really hoping to foster a fun environment for our teammates this year!”

come in, and it’ll just be a fundamental-based practice to help boost their skill level,” Pitts said.

Junior shooting guard Sage Spradlin, a returning player, looks forward to improving teamwork and communication.

“Compared to the past, we have always had a handful of seniors to guide us, so I really look forward to building trust with the new girls,” she said.

Spradlin also hopes to fine tune her shooting and various offensive and defensive plays.

Sophomore center Rachel Pirie views the losses as a learning opportunity for the team.

“The first match showed us that we need to be stronger in defense and more aggressive with our shots. I noticed that we kept passing the ball and making unwise decisions,” Pirie said.

Pirie hopes that once the girls get accustomed to practicing and training together, the team will be able to identify and improve on their strengths and weaknesses.

After racing for three years with the team, Kreps said Fesai understands what it takes to be a good racer.

JUNIOR POINT GUARD FELIX WU

It’s 6:30 a.m. and the sun has yet to rise, but Country Day’s boys varsity basketball team is up and ready, practicing six days a week for a strong season. After the shortened 2020-21 season due to COVID-19, Coach David Ancrum — known by his players as Anc — said the team learned an important lesson that season: they weren’t ready.

Ancrum is known for his tough love and high standards, but his players know he’s trying to teach them how to get better.

“I like getting yelled at by Anc, actually, it’s good criticism,” said junior point guard Jonah Angelo David. “I feel like we’re always improving.”

With only two seniors and a very young group overall, Ancrum hopes to build a legacy team. Players across the team are taking initiative, such as junior small forwards Samrath Pannu and Jacob Chand and junior power forward Rod Azghadi, who make it to the court as early as 5:55 a.m.

Ancrum’s main goal is holistic improvement and crafting stronger players.

The Cavs’ first scrimmage against Leroy Greene on Nov. 12 highlighted his goal and the holes that the team is still trying to correct.

“I’m just trying to get them to play and not make mistakes. We turn the ball over a lot. Whenever you turn the ball over, that means you’re not getting shots,” Ancrum said. “In the scrimmage against Leroy Greene, we had 33 turnovers. So that’s 33 shots we don’t get.”

The team is already showing signs of improvement, scoring its first win in a scrimmage on Dec. 1 against Pine Hills Adventist.

The team was able to pull together an impressive score of 44-26 and far fewer turnovers.

“The energy was high; we had chances to flow,” said junior point guard Felix Wu. “Everyone got a chance to prove themselves.”

The Cavaliers earned this win while missing two key players due to injury: senior center Dylan Breen and junior point guard RJ Vargo.

As the pre-season comes to a close, Coach Ancrum and his players are excited for an opportunity to craft their game and face new challenges this season.

“She is experienced and knows how to read the courses and is a huge help for the entire team,” Kreps said. “When on the snow

she helps inspect the courses and gives advice to the other racers.

I look forward to seeing her race this year.”

06

CENTER

DECEMBER 14, 2021

THE WAY TO N

HOW IT ALL FITS

IN THE

WEB THE SPIDER BITE

High schooler, Peter Parker, gets bitten by a genetically modified spider and is granted with increased agility, super strength, the ability to climb walls and a ‘spidey sense,’ which allows him to sense danger before it occurs. But, soon after the spider bites Peter Parker, it dies. In its place, however, a new spider is born: Spider-Man.

DR. STRANGE Dr. Stephen Strange, a neurosurgeon reliant on his hands, barely survives an almost-fatal car crash that leaves his fingers mangled.

Utilizing ancient magic from a Tibetan monastery, Dr. Strange repairs his hands and claims the title of Master of the Mystic Arts.

In “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” he is seen helping Spider-Man reverse the revealing of his identity.

ANTI-SNAP The remaining Avengers successfully time travel to before “The Blip,” the shorthand for Thanos’ previous destruction in the MCU, to collect the stones before Thanos ever had a chance to find them.

Traveling across both space and time, the six stones are reassembled, and Hulk, a giant green monster with enhanced strength and durability, uses them to bring everyone who died in “The Blip” back to life. Spider-Man’s only father figure, Iron Man, dies during this final battle against Thanos, yet his sacrifice kills Thanos, returning the world to its previous state.

VENOM CLOSING CREDITS Eddie Brock and an alien symbiote, Venom, transport themselves across universes to the MCU where they find themselves in a hotel room with the TV turned on. A broadcast reports Spider-Man’s new status as a wanted murderer, as well as his real identity as Peter Parker.

THE TVA

20 12 20 15 20 16 20 16 20 18

Loki, the Norse god of trickery and brother of Thor, encounters the Time Variance Authority, or TVA. The TVA is an organization that seeks to negate any chance of a multiverse. Loki thwarts these efforts, resulting in multiple branches sprouting from the timeline, opening a multiverse of new possibilities for the ‘Marvel’ franchise, including several Spider-Men, each from a different universe.

THE PA Over a disagreement over government control, the Avengers split in two. One team is led by Captain America, a soldier from WWII with super-strength who believes in the Avengers’ right to operate freely without government intervention. The other is led by Iron Man, a “genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist,” who bears a metal suit equipped with heavy weaponry, who thinks that the Avengers’ movements should be government controlled. When the disagreement between the two gets physical, both men call other superheroes to support their cause. This leads to Spider-Man’s first appearance in the MCU as a part of Iron Man’s team.

THANOS SNAP Thanos, an almighty titan, collects all six Infinity Stones, powerful objects created during the Big Bang. They make him unstoppable against the Avengers, who are working together again after the events of “Civil War.” At the snap of his fingers with the “Infinity Gauntlet,” Thanos murders half of all life in the universe. Among the casualties is Spider-Man, slowly dying in Iron Man’s arms. Concluding his rampage, Thanos destroys the stones, causing a reverse of his actions to be impossible.

IDENTITY REVEALED

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MAR

CIVIL WAR

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hrough comics, films, video games and me icon. With the upcoming release of his ne look toward the MCU’s past and the Spide standing during your next viewing experien school poll to which 5 STORIES BY AVA EBERHART, SAHEB GULA ARIJIT TRIVEDI AN

Mysterio, an ex-employee of Iron Man turned evil, is defeated by Spider-Man. Following the fight, Spider-Man returns to New York City from London only to find all the big screens in Times Square play the same video of a dying Mysterio, fraudulently describing Spider-Man as a murderer, as well as telling the world Spider-Man’s real identity — Peter Parker.

21% FAR FROM HOME FAVORITE LIVE-ACTION SPIDER-MAN MOVIE

RP O I NT

THE OCTAGON

NO WAY HOME

erchandise, Spider-Man has become a worldwide ext feature film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” a er-Men that came before allows for a fuller undernce. Data below are from a Dec. 6 Octagon high 52 students responded.

ATI AND DYLAN MARGOLIS; GRAPHICS BY ND GARMAN XU

ARKER

RKER

SPIDEY

THE ORIGINAL SPIDER-MAN TRILOGY: After a genetically modified spider bites Peter Parker, played by Tobey Maguire, spider DNA merges with his own, amplifying his meek presence to that of a superhero. Super-strength, increased speed, the ability to scale walls and generate webs all join Peter’s repertoire.

Failing to prevent Uncle Ben’s murder, Peter decides to use his power for good, taking his uncle’s iconic words, “With great power comes great responsibility,” to heart.

As Peter gains responsibility, his best friend’s father Norman Osborn terrorizes New York as Spider-Man’s first supervillain. He calls himself the Green Goblin, clothed in military-grade armor and riding a hoverboard. While Spider-Man fights a physical battle against Green Goblin, he simultaneously fights a mental battle over his childhood crush, MJ, questioning whether his happiness is worth risking her safety; if an enemy of Spider-Man discovered his identity, MJ’s life could be at stake. Green Goblin mistakenly causes his own death, and Peter decides it’s safer to separate himself from MJ.

07

SUM

UP

The newfound distress results in Peter losing his powers as Spider-Man. A new super-villain emerges, Doctor Octopus, a man with four metallic arms attached to his back, increasing his lethality, yet Peter still lacks any superpowers until MJ’s life is unexpectedly threatened.

Peter is revigorated and gains back his power, ultimately incapacitating Doc Ock, resulting in Dock Ock’s redemption arc and sacrificial death.

Peter learns to balance his life as Spider-Man and restarts his relationship with MJ. A group of villains team up to exterminate Spider-Man. They include: Venom, an alien symbiote; Sandman, a convict with the ability to morph into sand and the New Green Goblin, Peter’s best friend hoping to avenge his father who he believes was killed by Spider-Man. Yet, their plan is unsuccessful, with Sandman and New Green Goblin each having redemption arcs, but the latter and Venom perish.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN DUOLOGY:

60% TOM HOLLAND FAVORITE SPIDER-MAN

While on a field trip, Peter Parker, played by Andrew Garfield, is bitten by a genetically-altered spider, providing him with supernatural abilities consisting of super-strength, enhanced agility, instantaneous reaction time and the ability to climb walls. Adopting a new identity, Peter reemerges as The Amazing Spider-Man, clad in a red and blue suit with homemade web-shooters, allowing him to mirror the web-making qualities of a spider and swing around the city. After Peter completes high school, he begins a relationship with Gwen Stacy, the daughter of the NYC police captain who is a consistent enemy of Spider-Man. Dr. Kurt Conner, an ambitious scientist, injects himself with an unfinished experiment, altering his cells and becoming The Lizard, an intelligent, humanoid lizard with super strength. The Lizard and Spider-man duel across New York City, which concludes with an antidote that reduces the ef-

fects of Dr. Conner’s failed experiment and returns him to his human state. But, to complete his arc, he saves Spider-Man from a possibly fatal fall, redeeming his character before being sent to prison.

A genetic disease begins affecting one of Peter’s best friends, Harry Osborne. Harry attempts to prevent the illness but he ultimately fails, incorrectly altering his own chemical makeup and turning into The Green Goblin. To add to Spider-Man’s problems, Electro, a supervillain with the power to control electricity, begins threatening civilian lives. As Spider-Man works to defeat each villain, Electro gets his circuits fried and explodes from too much electricity. Then, Green Goblin holds Gwen hostage, eventually dropping her from the top of a clock tower before Spider-Man can save her, leaving Spider-Man grieving as Green Goblin is sent to prison.

SPIDER-MAN (MCU) TRILOGY: After gaining traction online and helping out his neighborhood, Peter Parker, otherwise known as Spider-Man and played by Tom Holland, is recruited by Iron Man. He becomes a mentor and financier for Peter’s, giving him a new enhanced suit which consists of web-shooters and robotic artificial intelligence. The combination of the suit with his increased strength, high agility and ultra-fast reflexes, allows Peter to widen his role past just the protector of the neighborhood.

He struggles to maintain both of his identities, so he is comforted by Ned Leeds, his best friend and the only other person who knows Peter’s secret identity.

Contributing to Peter’s stress is the rise of a new supervillain and lowlife, Vulture, who uses scavenged parts from an Alien attack to produce a wingsuit. To make matters worse, Vulture is also the father of Peter Parker’s homecoming date.

Vulture’s reign of terror promptly ends on Coney Island when Spiderman incapacitates him, breaking his wingsuit and sending him to prison. Melancholically, Peter vacates the

premises, saddened by his personal connection to the Vulture’s daughter.

To escape from the pressures of his life, Peter travels to Italy with his classmates, where he runs into Mysterio, a selfish engineer posing as a superhero. Peter is easily tricked into sharing his identity with Mysterio, but soon realizes his mistake. In desperate need of help, Peter tells his love interest, MJ, his secret identity. Mysterio uses augmented reality to project realistic, three-dimensional videos of world-ending threats being defeated by Mysterio, convincing the general population that he is a hero. In a last-ditch effort to stop Mysterio’s rampage, Spider-Man enhances his “Peter Tingle,” the colloquial way of describing Spider-Man’s ability to react to things before they even occur. He overpowers Mysterio’s illusions, effectively defeating the supervillian. Spider-Man is falsely accused of his death, and to make matters worse, his real identity is exposed to the world.

08 OPINION

DECEMBER 14, 2021 • THE OCTAGON

EDITORIAL: Don’t steal other students’ lunches

A

s hungry students pile out of classes for their lunch break, some students stay behind for meetings or to ask teachers questions. When they finally exit their classrooms, ready to eat, some find their lunches have disappeared.

That’s right, students are stealing each other’s lunches.

Come on, Cavs, we are better than this.

In a Dec. 1 email, Head of High School Brooke Wells formally asked students to stop taking lunches that don’t belong to them.

But why shouldn’t we take lunches that seem to be left over?

First off, they might not actually be left over. A student could have used the first part of lunchtime to finish up a lab or test and was going to eat a bit later.

That’s exactly what happened to senior Nihal Gulati recently.

Gulati was taking his A.M.C. math test that ended halfway through elective. He then hungrily went to grab his Noodles & Company meal, but to his annoyance, it was gone.

“Noodles & Company is my favorite day of the week, so I was really disappointed that it was taken,” Gulati said.

As a result, Gulati, famished, walked to Loehmann’s Plaza during flex period to buy another lunch to eat.

So, no matter how late

in the day it is, do not snag someone’s lunch.

And second, probably the most important: you may have seen Wells walking around with multiple lunches toward the end of lunch.

No, he is not stealing them to eat in his office.

In an attempt to reduce theft, Wells has been storing unclaimed lunches in his office. Throughout the afternoon, Wells personally looks for these students to ask them if they want their lunches.

Now what does the school do with the unclaimed lunches?

At the end of each day, but mostly on pizza days, Wells takes the leftover lunches to the homeless living on Watt Ave. and Fair Oaks Blvd.

“It may not solve the homeless crisis, but it will definitely make the next four hours more pleasant,” Wells said.

So don’t think taking leftovers will prevent waste. You are serving a better cause if you leave them.

Especially during a pandemic, when the job market is tough, the homeless will really appreciate this extra and possibly only meal of the day.

If you truly don’t have anything to eat, you have two options.

If you go to receptionist Erica Wilson in the main office, she will give you a noodle soup. It may not be that healthy or nutritious, but it will

tide you over until the end of the day.

Your second option is to take a leftover lunch.

Don’t get too excited, though.

Before swiping someone’s lunch, you must confirm with Valerie Velo that the person who’s lunch you’re taking is actually absent.

But why hasn’t theft been a problem in previous years?

Before, all lunches were stored in the Multipurpose Room where they were monitored and passed out by lunch coordinator Jennifer Adams.

However, the coronavirus terminated this system and led to labeled lunches being set out on a table in front of the Matthews Library without su-

pervision.

It was the school’s vision that students would be responsible enough to take only what has their name on it.

Wells hopes that with constant reminders, students will only take what is theirs, and this theft problem will be eliminated. If the problem isn’t resolved, Wells plans to have a teacher monitor and pass out lunches again, but that resulted in long lines.

To sum it up, every new Country Day high schooler receives a wooden egg that hatches when they graduate.

But for the egg not to break, students must be kind and respectful.

So don’t steal lunches, and keep your eggs intact!

“Meal-time Miseries” by Lilah Shorey

EDITORIAL: Bring back the vending machine Whether your lunch has just been stolen by a mysterious thief or you’ve forgotten your water bottle at home, everyone has a day where they’re forced to stay hungry or thirsty. While there used to be a quick, simple solution — a short trip to the vending machines — now, there’s no good solution. Situations like these make it clear that it’s high time for the vending machines to be returned to the high school campus.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was in full-swing last year, the school administration, along with the COVID-19 committee, made the decision to remove the vending machines on campus during the time when school was online.

However, now that more people are on campus and the regulations aren’t as strict, the school should take a second

look at vending machines; they’re convenient and beneficial for students.

The main reason the vending machines are still suspended is because of concerns of possible overcrowding in front of them, according to Director of the Physical Plant Jay Holman and Head of School Lee Thomsen. When the pandemic first started, that made sense because the social distancing regulations were much harsher.

At present, regulations have gotten more lenient. Even so, the potential risk of just a few masked kids buying snacks is minuscule when compared to the fact that everyone is already back on campus and attending full-sized classes.

A Dec. 2 Octagon poll answered by 45 high schoolers, 93.3% of the responses favored bringing the vending machines

“Midday Snack” by Brynne Barnard-Bahn

back. Many students want the drinks previously sold by the machines, including water or juice, to be accessible for purchase. In addition, they want to be able to grab snacks like beef jerky or chips.

One of the main problems students face is that there is no option to get water or drinks if they forget to bring a water bottle. In fact, some students are seen “waterfalling” each others’ drinks. To “waterfall,” a person allows another person to drink from the same container by pouring it into their mouth from an elevated height instead of touching the rim.

If anything, reckless actions like “waterfalling” that stem from a basic need of water bring more eyebrow-raising implications for COVID-19 safety.

A similar story can be said for the snack.

Vending machines were a convenient option for students to buy refreshments or even buy food as a substitute for not bringing lunch. Now that options are scarce, and many students resort to buying lunch off campus, asking their friends for food or, in some cases, even taking the school lunches ordered by other students. Many of these issues would be solved if the school were to bring back vending machines.

Compromises can be worked out to help social distance safely if the vending machines were to be returned. To combat concerns for overcrowding, for example, a limit could be placed on the number of students at the machines at one time.

Finally, restoring some of the conveniences on campus will be a good reward for the students and faculty who have proved their ability to continue learning amidst the pandemic.

MY ANGLE: Watch TV instead of blockbusters If you’re anything like me, then you love nothing more than sitting down after school and binge-watching your favorite TV show. I prefer television series over movies because they have better worldbuilding, are more convenient and have more flexible structures.

I like content that pulls me in and makes me wish for more, which is why movies usually leave me feeling disappointed due to their short length. Unlike films, TV shows can last long periods of time, so I’m never left deprived of my favorite characters and their adventures.

A show that kept me going for a straight five years was “The Originals” which is a spin-off show of another long-lasting series called “The Vampire Diaries.” I loved how long it lasted as I waited impatiently every week for it to air. It lasted me far longer than any movie could and I was kept entranced up until the very last episode aired.

The worldbuilding in TV shows hasn’t disappointed me as commonly as in films. Even if only a few minutes per episode are spent diving into the lore and background of the fictional world, compared to movies — that simply don’t have the time to develop the same — the viewer is left feeling more immersed and with a deeper investment in the piece of media.

Additionally, many big-budget blockbusters tend to rush the worldbuilding and are overly plot-driven which makes the movie feel shallow. The Marvel franchise is often guilty of this. It doesn’t delve into the deep plot or background of movies and compensates for this with large-scale explosions and fancy fight scenes. This is at the expense of exploring the complex world around them, which is a shame because the franchise has a lot to offer with the different multiverses.

There’s also the convenience aspect of TV shows. While people may feel pressured to sit and watch a two to three hour movie in one sitting, an average TV show episode is only 30 to 45 minutes. Each episode is written so that it comes to a natural conclusion, whereas there’s no natural stopping point in the middle of a movie. This allows for people with busy schedules to watch however many they can when they are free instead of having to pause a movie in the middle of it.

Lastly, movies tend to have rigid and binary structures with a beginning, middle, and end. Television series have more freedom and flexibility due to its episodic structure, allowing for a wide variety of twists and turns in each individual episode and the show as a whole.

The superiority of TV shows is clear to me — better worldbuilding, more convenience and a flexible structure. The next time you’re deciding what to watch, remember you can always switch on your TV, open your Netflix account and enjoy a show.

EMILY COOK

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Anand Family, Chand Family, Claire Family, Eberhart Family, Gulati Family, Intel Foundation, Kumar Family, Monasa Family, Trivedi Family

FEATURE 09

DECEMBER 14, 2021 • THE OCTAGON

Senior is SELF-TAUGHT video editor

*EXTREME EDITION*

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42 weeks ago

he screen shone bright on senior Elliot Crowder’s eyes. His house was silent, everyone else asleep, but Crowder was wide-awake, working hard on editing his next video. Heavy, bass-boosted, beat-drop-ridden music pounds through his headphones as he amalgamates gaming clips he had found.

A huge passion for Crowder, video editing is an outlet to creatively express his feelings.

“Editing is a way to combine both artistic elements like music and the visual aspect of things like painting and drawing,” Crowder said. “It was kind of a way to merge the two together.”

Crowder attributes his passion for creativity and the arts to Camellia Waldorf School, the school he attended from pre-K to seventh grade. At Camellia Waldorf, Crowder had an integrated curriculum with a heavy emphasis on all forms of art: drawing, painting and music. This helped give him the artistic background that spearheaded his editing, he said.

Crowder, however, did not start editing until sophomore year.

“I was inspired to start editing by the amount of media we consume as teenagers,” Crowder said. “We don’t really look behind-the-scenes and see the amount of work that’s put into editing, even though it enhances everything we watch.”

Crowder was also encouraged by music videos that he watched.

“Famous rappers like Playboi Carti and Kid Cudi all have really cool motion designers and editors that make their videos for them, and that really inspired me to use my artistic background as a foundation for editing,” Crowder said.

As a former cello player from fourth to 10th grade, he understands music and often spends hours looking for a song that fits the atmosphere of his edit. He said the visuals complement the music and uses four main genres for most of his edits: rap,

indie, synthwave and hyperpop.

“The good thing with editing is that there are basically unlimited creative options,” Crowder said. “But it’s important to make sure that all the aspects of the edit, like the speed, color correction and visual effects like glow or particles all correspond with the music. The music really ties everything together.”

Crowder has pursued his editing passion independently, doing all of his research on his own. To further his learning, he utilizes social media to reach out to other editors for information on editing techniques and feedback on his edits.

“When I see someone that does work that I really appreciate, I’ll reach out to them and ask for advice or opinions on my videos so I can improve myself and understand their creative process,” Crowder said.

“There might be something that they do that I don’t know how to do, and they can lead me on that path.”

For example, Crowder watched YouTube videos when making a Studio Ghibli style 3D modeling scene to learn more about the art style and process.

Although Crowder is self-taught, he is unsure whether he wants to keep editing as a hobby or pursue it as a career.

“Some things are better left as hobbies,” Crowder quipped.

While the outcome may not seem time-consuming, many of Crowder’s editing projects can take hours or weeks to complete. Projects range from a short clip, around 10 to 15 seconds, to a couple of minutes. They usually include video game clips that Crowder either recorded himself or found online, combined with music and special effects to produce a final video product.

Crowder’s self-motivation is one of his best characteristics, said fellow senior Jesus Aispuro.

“He’s super passionate about all of his projects,” Aispuro said. “He shows me all of

his work, and it’s obvious that this is something that he really enjoys.”

Crowder and Aispuro both joined Country Day as freshmen and found similarities that allowed them to connect.

“Going to a new school is difficult, and I’m already a bit awkward, but I was able to connect with Elliot and that made the whole process easier,” Aispuro said. “We both had similar experiences leading up to high school, and we both have our scholarship.”

Crowder was selected by Country Day to become a Country Day Scholar, earning a full scholarship to the high school.

Crowder applied for the scholarship halfway through eighth grade with written supplements, letters of recommendation and an interview with Director of Admission and Enrollment Management Dana Vargo.

“I was really unsure of where I wanted to go to high school,” Crowder said. “I went to a Catholic school for eighth grade, meaning the majority of my friends were probably going to go to either Christian Brothers or Jesuit, neither of which appealed to me at all. So I talked with my mom about Country Day and the scholarship and decided I would apply. I figured, someone had to get it, right?”

Being at Country Day has had a positive impact on Crowder. He has developed connections with teachers, learned new skills and found new passions.

High School English Department Chair Jason Hinojosa has been one of Crowder’s favorite teachers ever since he first took his class in ninth grade. Along with an appreciation of the curriculum’s books, the class’s emphasis on discussion gave Crowder a place to express himself. It was the first time as a new freshman he “felt welcome.”

Having taught Crowder in both ninth grade and 12th grade, Hinojosa has seen Crowder’s growth first hand and describes him as both a “sensitive student of litera-

ture and very insightful.”

Hinojosa also spoke to Crowder’s self-motivation as a student in his most recent project on the book “There There” by Tommy Orange.

“You could have just done a black and white Google Slide if you wanted to, but Elliot did this really cool VHS effect,” Hinojosa said. “He didn’t have to do any of that, but it fed into his presentation. It’s nice to see students take a skeleton of an assignment and add flesh to it.”

Along with English, Crowder discovered a new interest in history after taking World History 10 with former teacher Bill Crabb.

“He presented history in a way that I had never experienced before. It wasn’t just about memorizing facts and dates— he emphasized the importance of drawing parallels between the past and present and how the past still influences the present,” Crowder said. “Mr. Crabb’s class really inspired me and led me to follow a social justice route for my sophomore project and to attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference.”

In the sophomore project competition, Crowder placed first in his class with his project on redlining, “Sacramento: A Study of Racial Housing Patterns.”

According to Aispuro, Crowder’s sophomore project is “the most Elliot thing there is.”

“Elliot is smart, easy to talk to, trustworthy and just a really great friend.

There’s so many ways to describe him, I couldn’t possibly say them all,” Aispuro said.

“Elliot has made me more open-minded,” he said. “He helps me see the nuance between different problems. He has taught me to think differently which has led me to connect with people in ways I wouldn’t have been able to before. He’s a great guy, and I’m lucky to have him as a friend.”

10 A&E

DECEMBER 14, 2021 • THE OCTAGON

ALBUM: ★ ★ ★ ★

Red (Taylor’s Version) Taylor Swift • Nov. 12, 2021 • 30 songs, 2 hr 10 min

A

fter being denied ownership of her previous albums by her old record label, Big Machine Records, Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums. Her second re-recording and newest release on Nov. 12, “Red (Taylor’s Version)”, updates her 2012 album “Red” with nine “From the Vault” additions that didn’t make the original cut, leading to a total of 30 songs. Here’s a look at five of the most popular songs. REVIEW BY SAMHITA KUMAR

...

2 Red (Taylor’s Version) Rating: 5 stars The re-recorded title track is as good as ever. Swift carries color through the song — the blue of losing him, the dark grey of longing and, of course, the burning red of the relationship that was. The lyrical connections of these colors to vivid, specific similes is especially charming.

From the background music of the song, which emphasizes the banjo and acoustic guitar, to her vocals, which are upbeat and smooth, the song walks the fine line between country and pop, seamlessly blending the past and the future of her work, identifying this as her transition album from country to pop. The insistent beat, which kicks into high gear for the chorus, is a high point of the music — it emphasizes the strong emotion and feeling behind the lyrics. Swift’s voice sounds as though she’s reminiscing; her vocals both wistful and pensive.

In short, “Red (Taylor’s Version)” has just about everything you need for the perfect song.

4 I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor’s Version) Rating: 3 stars The original version of this song is a classic. You’ve definitely heard it in a grocery store somewhere — the quintessentially simple picture of someone who Swift trusts despite her better judgment. It’s a song that feels as viscerally 2012 as “Call Me Maybe” or “Gangnam Style.”

It’s because of that classic sound that the re-recording fails to meet my expectations.

The updated version of this song falls slightly flat in comparison. Swift’s vocals sound thinner and less fully fleshed than they did before, and there’s less of the angry regret in her voice that defines the song.

The backing instrumentals are exactly as great as they’ve always been; her experimentation with the bass beats of dubstep add to the song’s angry chaos, as does its blending with Swift’s post-chorus vocals. This time, though, they’re not joined by the same power in Swift’s voice.

6 22 (Taylor’s Version) Rating: 5 stars I’m in no hurry to be 22. The baffling mix of income taxes, gas prices and whatever’s going on with the stock market make me glad that I’m only a high schooler. When I listen to “22 (Taylor’s Version)”, though, I forget all of that.

Swift’s rendition of her delight at being 22 makes it impossible not to want to join in. It is as if Swift has grabbed your hand and pulled you along with her on her adventure.

The lyrics are also surprisingly simple for what she manages to convey. Being 22, according to this song, is a time to throw off deadlines and forget about heartbreak.

Instead, you’re “happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time.” The guitar, which calls back to Swift’s country days, imbues the song with youthful delight, and the smooth, confident vocals assure you that your problems will resolve themselves.

If you are ever on a road trip somewhere, this is the song you have to play. Something about its bright, cheerful melody demands that you roll down your windows, turn up your stereo and sing along.

26 I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) Rating: 2 stars This song is far more country than its neighbors on the album, and features country singer Chris Stapleton — even if his part is resoundingly unmemorable. The song is gloriously petty and unabashedly selfish in a way you can’t help but enjoy. Swift realizes her worth and takes enjoyment in bashing her ex.

Although, she spends a significant amount of the song criticizing the wealth and privilege her ex has — something that feels a touch hypocritical. She compares their upbringings; he was from “glamorous, shiny, bright Beverly Hills,” but she was “raised on a farm, no, it wasn’t a mansion.” While she was raised on a farm it was 11 acres and her father was a marketing executive. As the saying goes, don’t throw stones if you grew up in a glass house.

I think this would have been a much better fit with the brash, unapologetic emotions of the original “Red.” But with the slightly more tempered, retrospective new album.

Her maturity, as well as the addition of lighthearted newer vault songs, lighten “Red (Taylor’s Version)” from its original iteration. This song, on this new album, is not one that makes the most sense for Swift today.

30 All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) Rating: 5 stars In what is hands-down my favorite song from the album, Swift pulls off a masterpiece. While “All Too Well” has been a fan-favorite since 2012, the new version has double the runtime, incorporating all of the lyrics that Swift had originally written for the song. The song was released with a short film directed by Swift and starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien.

This version, which has been asked after ever since Swift alluded to its existence, has smashed record after record. If “All Too Well” has been beloved, the ten-minute version has claimed a place in the heart of every Swiftie. The original cut is an extended look into the nuances of heartbreak that reveals itself slowly. T. She doesn’t just tell you her ex was “casually cruel”; instead, she relates the pain of being stood up on her birthday and of his refusal to acknowledge what they had was love.

Through her depiction of these thousand cuts, she expertly shows the value of this relationship — and her value within it. The song is framed by her references to a scarf that she left behind with her ex; he asserts that it’s impossible to get rid of. Like her, the scarf lingers in her ex’s mind. Regardless of his opinion of her or his callous disregard for her feelings, Swift knows she has worth.

The delicately powerful lyrics, though, do the real heavy lifting of the song. He “kept [her] like a secret” when she “kept him like an oath” and calls her up just to “break [her] like a promise”; she wonders if his image of her was “a never-needy, ever-lovely jewel whose shine reflects” on him.

There’s a kind of poetry in the way Swift focuses on what normally gets brushed aside; even the tiniest facets of her heartbreak are held to the light. When she reminisces on how the first snowfall “glistened as it fell,” you can’t help but be pulled into the scene Swift shows you. When you hear her description of the wounds her relationship has left her with, you can’t help but remember it all too well.

A&E 11

DECEMBER 14, 2021 • THE OCTAGON

NOW TRENDING

Dear Dylan...

Essential apps to improve learning experience reviewed by Saheb Gulati

Duolingo Learn languages

Quizlet Study Guide

Khan Academy Education

Kahoot!

Learn at school

Duolingo, a language learning app that teaches anything from Spanish to Swahili, lacks effectiveness, failing to bring users back to it’s platform.

The app uses a skill tree covering many different topics, from food or family vocabulary to common idioms. The app tests the user through multiple-choice, fill in the blank, verbal recognition and audible responses, accompanied by features like Duolingo Stories, which takes users through a short story while they answer questions.

Having used the app since middle school, I can say the interface is user-friendly. However, the system is pretty easy to circumvent, either by spamming answers or purposely choosing easy units. The points system used to track and encourage progress doesn’t succeed in incentivizing real learning, instead encouraging the human instinct to find the easiest way out.

Duolingo is an exceptional app for the willing learner, but the simplicity of abusing the points system leads to a lack of further learning and feeling of accomplishment.

Quizlet is the most well-known flash card software in the business for a reason.

You input your set of cards, and use those to test yourself. There’s traditional testing, matching and even an asteroid game to make sure the material sinks in. Games like this allow the user to test fast recall of their flashcards in an engaging way. Flashcard sets can be grouped into classes and different categories to efficiently organize them. Teachers can create classes to share flashcards with students. Even students can create their own groups to share resources with classmates.

Quizlet also has a public repository of other people’s sets you can use. The variety of offered features create an accessible and educational website that is effective at teaching students.

Quizlet also has a live quiz feature similar to Kahoot, but unfortunately fails to achieve Kahoot’s charm. Quizlet Live is like Kahoot, except without the catchy music, points and fun interface. Quizlet Live differs from Kahoot in that it is a race format. Students are split into two groups and a correct answer advances the group while an incorrect answer brings the team back to the start line, which often frustrates rather than encourages users.

Fragmentally, Quizlet may fall, but when looked at from a holistic perspective, Quizlet remains strong.

Khan Academy consistently supplements learning both in and out of the classroom.

Confused about something you learned in class, or want to study more? Chances are Khan Academy can assist you.

The now tech-icon Salman Khan founded this app, and his trademark voice is commonplace when navigating the software’s countless videos.

Khan Academy makes complex topics easier to understand by using simple, step-by-step video-breakdowns of subject topics. The platform has a variety of courses that use these videos to help the user achieve mastery of nearly any subject. Including normal K-12 courses, advanced placement high-school courses, SAT preparation and even cryptography, Khan Academy excels at explaining a large variety of topics in a simple way.

Who doesn’t love Kahoot?

Kahoot is a competition-based learning platform that pits participants against each other.

Beginning in elementary school, Kahoot has been the root of classroom fun. There’s no better way to spice up a classroom and add some fun to review time. Lively and recognizable music is a hallmark of Kahoot’s game software.

Users can input sets of questions, or use questions from the public database of a wide variety of subjects to play a timed, fast-paced multiple choice game on any topic.

When a question accompanying choices pop-up, the user chooses an option, receiving points based on both correctness and speed. This creates a competitive and exciting learning environment for students, especially when teachers offer prizes to winning students.

Fighting to see your name on the leaderboard in Kahoot will be a staple of classrooms for years to come. It was and continues to be one of the most fun platforms in the classroom.

WHAT WE’RE PLAYING

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Down: 2. Reticle 3. UCI 4. Zagreus 6. Duet

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2. Measuring device on optical tools 3. Peter the Anteater is this school’s mascot 4. Son of Zeus and Persephone 6. Two-person performance 7. Informal term for your relatives 8. Ms. Conner assigned us ___ 9. The abbreviation for a popular open-source blockchain 13. 10 decibels is a ___

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Should I tell my friends that are dating that they’re being annoying?

A: Maybe it has been weeks of unbearably uncomfortable PDA or a succession of canceled plans. Regardless, it’s annoying.

And still, for some reason, that little voice keeps telling you it will get better.

Well, I’m here to tell you it won’t.

An awkward conversation is nothing a true friendship can’t handle, but months of pent-up frustration can make even the mightiest unions crumble.

Still, be wary. It’s necessary that you approach them privately and kindly. Without a thoughtful demeanor and examples of their annoying behavior, a harmless criticism appears to be a planned attack.

I tend to be a quiet person, especially in group situations, and it feels like a lot of my peers have gotten used to talking over me. Sometimes it makes me feel like my voice isn’t valued. How can I be more assertive so that people will listen in group conversations without making situations uncomfortable?

A: There’s no need to be loud; if you can catch their interest, they’ll listen.

Now, like many of us, you might wait for others to speak first, prioritizing them above yourself.

But, when it comes to being assertive, it’s important to use “I” statements.

Instead of “how was your weekend?” say “I had the craziest weekend.” It begins a similar conversation, but it is far more engaging.

At the end of the day, it’s about speaking your truth, and not waiting for others to ask.

So, next time you find yourself in a group discussion, speak with passion and confidence; it will go better than you think.

How do I stop thinking of someone?

Across: 1. Cruz 5. Ecad 7. Fatigue 10. Ali

1. California coastal city: Santa ___ 5. Class of organism impacted by its environment 7. Tired 10. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” - Muhammad ___ 11. To separate fibers with water 12. 1623 tragedy play where everyone dies 14. Blue in French 15. Regularly follows if statement, when coding

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Dear Dylan is an advice column written by senior Dylan Margolis that responds to questions from anonymous Country Day students.

To submit, write your question on a piece of paper and drop it in the newspaper-wrapped box in Room 9. Please do not include your name.

Responses are not guaranteed.

A: Though it may be corny, a pros/ cons list allows you to decide if a relationship, or lack thereof, is degrading your mental health.

Depending on your distance down the rabbit hole, that cons list may be shorter than reasonable, but, for now, analyze the pros.

Think about how common these traits are. Missing out on this person does not mean you will never find anyone with similar positive traits.

Now, examine the cons.

Take off those rose-tinted glasses; just like you and me, the other person has shortcomings. Consider how much of this image you’ve made for them is idealized. You may find that you’ve awarded them a place above yourself that they simply haven’t earned.

If that doesn’t work, busy yourself with hobbies. Presumably, the more you think about other things, the less you’ll think about them.

At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own happiness, so build up your self-esteem and confidence, and, in time, happiness will originate from other places than this specified person.

12 ENDPOINT

DECEMBER 14, 2021 • THE OCTAGON

christmas combos

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he air’s colder, the decorations are out and the tree is lit. The final step to cap off your holiday cheer is the perfect Christmas movie binge-list to pair with some classic holiday treats.

Kick it off with a must-have holiday pair: “The Polar Express” on the screen and a hot chocolate in hand.

The duo goes well together throughout the entire film; however, a perfect time to start sipping on this festive treat is during Tom Hanks’ musical number about the drink.

Plates, cups and hot chocolate fly through the air during the 2-minute, 40-second song as waiters and cooks serve as backup singers and dancers.

The sole rule in regard to the signature drink? “Never let it cool.”

Another perfect way to continue your journey through December is with a cup of eggnog and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

The Christmas movie with a comedic twist has a short eggnog appearance, but it’s a favorite among fans.

Both main characters, Clark Griswold and his cousin, Eddie, sip eggnog from a Walley World moose mug as Eddie annoys Griswold.

This leads Griswold to say the notorious lines loved by fans, “Can I refill

your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?”

Even though a Walley World moose mug isn’t a must, it is nonetheless fitting for the occasion.

Adding to the Christmas food and movie musts is “It’s a Wonderful Life” paired with chocolate ice cream and shaved coconut, incorporating a cold treat with a classic holiday hit.

A popular scene in the film is when a young girl named Mary Hatch asks a boy she likes named George Bailey for a scoop of chocolate ice cream specifically with no coconut.

Bailey replies, “Say, brainless, don’t you know where coconuts come from?”

He then puts coconut on her ice cream anyway.

Even though their ice cream encounter is blunt at first, the two later get married in the film.

So, to add some more chill into your system, the chocolate ice cream and “It’s a Wonderful Life” combination is the best for you.

Taking another unique twist on Christmas pairs, spaghetti is the only fitting food to eat while watching the hilarious holiday hit “Elf.” The main character, Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell, comes from the

North Pole, so everything he eats has to be sweet. His spaghetti is no exception.

He tops his meal with red and green M&M’s, rainbow sprinkles, mini marshmallows, maple syrup, chocolate syrup and one chocolate fudge toaster pastry.

Your spaghetti doesn’t need to be, and shouldn’t be, as complicated and sweet as Buddy’s, but it should be fitting for your time with the film.

If you prefer cheese pizza over spaghetti, try the “Home Alone” and cheese pizza combo.

Kevin McCallister has his whole family over for the holidays, and sharing is a big problem in the McCallister family.

Realizing that every other pizza that was ordered except his cheese pizza was there, McCallister throws a fit.

A cheese pizza all to himself is all he wants for Christmas until he realizes his wish has been taken too far, and his whole family disappears.

Even though you can’t make your whole family disappear, and will most likely have to share your food, cheese pizza and “Home Alone” is another great holiday combination.

So, fill your stomach and feast your eyes on these festive food and movie pairs that will make this year’s holiday season one to remember.

TAKE THE POLAR EXPRESS TO FLAVOR TOWN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH A STEAMING CUP OF COCOA

STORY BY JACOB CHAND. GRAPHICS BY SIMONE DEBERRY. (LEFT TO RIGHT) PHOTOS FROM IMBD.COM; DOTHEBAY.COM; TVGUIDE.COM; THEWILDGAMEEVERGREEN.COM; AND FAMILY.20THCENTURYSTUDIOS.COM