Issue 8 2014 by The Octagon

PAGE 4:

THEOctagon Seniors Eric Hilton and Garrett Kaighn

PAGE 11:

Potbelly pigs, alpacas and parrots,

May 27, 2014

VOL. XXXVII, NO. 8

Students, faculty add takes on CD master plan

Point of Interest

Seniors end year with seminars

Sophomore project change

Editor-in-Chief

Bruce Baird, sophomore history teacher, has been wanting to introduce a term paper at SCDS for 11 years, ing true.

It is without question that all of the school’s old buildings

written portion of the soph-

By Garrett Kaighn

done by the sophomore

that has been part of the mas ter plan dating back at least 20 years, according to headmaster Stephen Repsher. The only doubts are they will be remodeled and what they will contain. The construction of the Middle School Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology is still set to begin in June, assuming the initial

professor, and every year from freshman to graduate student, they had to write a term paper,” Baird said. biography of a non-American and write a paper on

In addition to the required

dle school and a visual and performing arts complex that will probably either replace the current MP room or be

encouraged to expand their research base through visits

(Photo by Ryan Ho)

But plans for the other

School prepares for upcoming birthday Plans for 50th anniversary celebrations underway

Repsher said both can likely years, but there are not yet any complete plans or set dates.

tee, who is currently doing just that for the impending festivities.

The festival will replace the an nual Fall Family Festival ac cording to parent Lindsey Sackheim, chair of the opening festivities. Live

SCDS doesn’t have a dance

a sampling of a muse um that showcases the school’s history will be featured.

The performing arts cen 19

Jay Holman, director of the physical plant, believes the ing is in greater need of repair and should be prioritized. and Felecia Keys would like a performing arts center to See

cake experience,’ shall I say.” That alumni are planning most of the event isn’t mere accident.

hat happens when an event that you have been planning for three years moves from the planning to the execution stage? Just ask Richard Mancina, ’73, head of

The performing arts build ing will probably be built after, according to Repsher. It will contain a performance venue with a real stage, along with practice and rehearsal rooms. It may also contain space for visual arts, Octagon and Me

accompanied by additional parking, which the school cur rently has no way to provide. But the need for both build ings is largely undisputed,

“We still are in the planning stages for that, but I can tell you that it will

Reporter

said, and should be two stories, providing space for a number of possible things: classrooms, art rooms, music rooms, stor age spaces, meeting spaces and

ties, though, because the city

By Manson Tung

-86

primary goal for Sackheim. She said her previous experience

gresswoman Doris Matsui, who is also a Country Day alumni parent, to make an appearance at the September event.

dents through every step, drafting the essays. One reason Baird is excited about the new term pa-

presentations instead of the written essay. He is, however, aware that “The students I taught

was planned primarily by the parents because we alums weren’t quite old enough,” Mancina said. “Now, though, we are, and alumni have played a gether everything.” Wendy Ross, director of institu tional advancement, and Mancina are

mores,” Baird said.

-78

“My biggest concern is

incoming sophomore Shriya hard to stay focused on a a topic we are passionate about.” By May 30, students must have a copy of the biography

soccer game will be held during summer.

On Saturday, May

event is quite similar,” Sackheim said. “Traditionally the Fall Family Festival

students and alumni, especially local alumni, to come to the September event,” Sackheim said. To attract them, plans are in the works for a beer and wine garden, sug gested by teacher Daniel Neukom. The fee for alumni and their families. will appear at the September event.

bration. It will fea ture separate food

says about their biographies

a gourmet hot dog stand reminiscent of this experience. Baird said.

full museum.

paper.” See

—Avi Bhullar

The Octagon

News 3

May 27, 2014

Language, finance and half-marathon training to join list of electives

Consumer Education To prepare students for life beyond high school, Jacobsen After many attempts at form will also be teaching a class on consumer Claire Pinson is looking for “If there is a lot of interest, then e d u c a t i o n , ward to the class. teaching stu we might be able to extend the dents how to be smart class for a whole year.” other meetings that happen —Patricia Jacobsen, teacher shoppers and

the course of the year can take an introductory class in Jap Training for the Shamrockin’ Half Marathon Like the running club Jacobsen introduced six years ago, the Training for the Shamrock in’ Half Marathon elective will Japanese elective is) teach students about nutrition,

Patricia Jacobsen. Since Batarseh will not be teaching an AP Latin class, she ent languages and cultures with students in this class Each language will be one tri mester, so students can pick the ones they want.

“Now (the going to be formally prepared and we will learn a lot more which will make people more interested.”

—Claire Pinson, junior

they run by the American River. miles on weekends. Jacobsen said. “We don’t go fast,

and second trimesters. Batarseh was inspired to teach Arabic and This class is meant for everyone, even people who are food, part of her class will be sampling the cuisine and lis tening to classical and contemporary music. Japanese will be taught in the last trimester by Jacobsen.

‫بيحرت‬

arrivederci

Chemistry teacher selected By Manson Tung

Reporter

After nearly four months of searching, the school has hired Joseph Tellez to replace chemistry teacher Robin Altman. Tellez was recommended by teacher Chris Millsback’s wife, who works with Tellez at UC Davis Medical Center, where he is currently search ing cancer. Tellez said that some of his come from his background in research.

said. Guest speakers, such as parents of cur rent and former students who are involved in in

for discussions. Junior Dominic Stephen dressed up for the 2012 Shamrockin’ Half Marathon. Stephen was one of many juniors who participated and trained with Jacobsen for the event. (Photo courtesy of Stephen)

tion requirement.

grazie

cially independent. Topics such as online shopping, retirement savings and credit cards will be covered. “We’re going to be using our awesome math skills to analyze which method of saving

benvenuto

lunch wasn’t enough time. Now it’s going be formally prepared, and we will learn a lot

Introduction to Arabic, Italian and Japanese

‫كلضف‬

By Kamira Patel

Editor-in-Chief

ciao

Three new classes will be offered next year

his knowledge of science. “Some people think that chemistry is the best thing to happen since apple pie, and oth Nellis said. “A good teacher has be able to bal ance that on all fronts. “When he taught a class with the general chemistry students, they gave him a positive review and said that he was really engaged and seemed inter

‫ابحرم‬

per favore

“First, you have to recognize that the pool

ence had no interest in moving to Sacramen to. During the nationwide search, Nel

ing to be in Sacramento. A lot of people are not willing to do that because we are a small school in a small city. Then

person interviews. The search team included Nellis; headmaster Ste phen Repsher; Kel —Joseph Tellez, new chemistry teacher someone who likes lie Whited, head the school and the of the science de partment; Altman; Brooke Wells, new head She said that many candidates from the of high school; and physics teacher Glenn East Coast who had a lot of teaching experi Mangold.

tion chemist, as his father was one in the industrial sector. Tellez said that

cations include a - came at a perfect bachelor’s in genet time. ics from UC Davis ter coming here once she is old “Research is and a Ph.D. in cel great, but there are, lular and molecular —Joseph Tellez, new chemistry teacher of course, some re biology from the University of Neva “You can’t spend da, Reno. the time that you want with your family, and “Being in research gives you a very makes you want to always ask why and how Sue Nellis, head of high school, said that the greatest assets Tellez brings are an aware

old daughter are looking to put down roots.

The quest for a new chemistry teacher was long and arduous, according to Nellis.

Juniors Chien Ho and Erin Reddy practice making a rainbow with acids and bases in AP Chemistry. (Photo by Adam Ketchum)

POINT OF INTEREST: Student groups announce positions for 2014-15 The new staff positions for the Medallion yearbook have been chosen after much debate by adviser Joel Rickert and senior co-editors-inchief Savannah Symister and Sydney Jackson. Sophomores Gracie Strumpfer and Aidan Galati have been chosen as next year’s co-editors-in-chief, with sophomore Julia Owaidat as managing editor.

looking to be in design,” Galati said. The Octagon has also chosen next year’s tor-in-chief for the print edition and Aishwarya

Nadgauda as editor-in-chief for the online edition. was a big honor for me to be given the position,” Student Council has also chosen its two George Cvetich as president and vice president respectively. The Glass Knife literary magazine does not choose its positions until the beginning of next year. —Austin Talamantes

keeping us in the black...

The Martin Family The Tung Family The Bowlus Family The Williams Family The Judd Family The Hilton Family

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Graphic by Kamira Patel and Aishwarya Nadgauda

Thanks for

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“If I had a choice, then I wouldn’t cram. I don’t usually have the willpower or the time to study ahead.“ —Melissa Vazquez, junior

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By Maxwell Shukuya

Page Editor

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Cramming leads to success for students

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May 27, 2014

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The Octagon

Mar

2 Feature

4Sports

The Octagon

May 27, 2014

Seniors perpetually disappointed by competitive golf Team’s top player barely beats freshman

with the top players, but it was less than bogey golf. Or maybe I would just do poorly from the beginning. In the end, I hit two good shots the whole day and shot 101

had run it through my head 100 times. Just play my game, don’t get intimidated by the other player and make sure to beat freshman Zane Jacobs. Great idea. The sectionals golf match started at 7:30 a.m., which

get a good night’s sleep, I couldn’t fall alseep until midnight.

Because there are so many people, sectionals is played as a shotgun match, meaning all the groups of golfers start on dif ferent holes but at the same time. Due to my performance throughout the year in other

competition that I imposed on a fellow team mate. And that feeling was better than any section title. Eric Hilton

“Competitive golf is a form of torture.”

—Garrett Kaighn, senior

Player finds victory in his defeat really

the other top golfers in the section. I am sure I speak for 99 percent of all golfers when I say

During the round, I found amuse golfer on the best team in the section, fall into the same trap of eternal dissat isfaction.

hole, meaning he pretty much always had a putt for birdie. And each birdie putt went the same. fect alignment.

As the sun began to rise, we pulled into the parking lot and I noted how deserted it seemed without hundreds of cars.

hole, and look back down at his ball. Then he’d look at the hole again, and his ball again. And again. And again. time, he’d miss by just a little bit.

had seen the facility only during the hours of the sane. ly unhappy with his performance. I just laughed to myself. my motor skills rendered my putting skills useless. But, hey, our new team shirts ordered two months

by the end of the day, but I walked away with my head high. Garrett Kaighn

and I started the back nine strong, Then hole 15 happened. woods out of bounds. The penalty

“I nearly broke my putter out of sheer frustration.”

—Eric Hilton, senior

kind of. I knew that our team had no chance of winning

cally play that well. It wasn’t just the cold and early hour that made

the third shot.

ture.

my fourth shot. A little ray of hope crept into my round. with a damage control mindset. So I zeroed in, focused on the

I nearly broke my putter out of sheer frustration but ended up just chucking it a few feet forward and muttering curses that would make a sailor blush.

performance to your expectation. Sure, you can always work harder and sweat more in a sport like basketball, but golf liter

throwing clubs was and how it could be an instant DQ and blah blah blah. But I was too angry to take anything he said seriously. Be sides, I was fairly certain that the sheep boys wouldn’t mind. did my freshman year, despite being much more talented. So come sectionals, I knew it wasn’t going to go well. May

Senior Eric Hilton, who placed fourth in the league, practices his swing. (Top photo by Kamira Patel, bottom photo by Micaela Bennett-Smith)

For spring sports wrap-ups with quotes from coaches and players, visit www.scdsoctagon.com.

Sports Boosters’ Athletes of the Month Serajh Esmail Sophomore Serajh Esmail was the league champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter

placed 28th in the 100-meter and 23rd in the 200-meter.

Claire Pinson Junior Claire Pinson is one of two swim team members on the Country Day swim team. At sectionals, Pinson placed second in both the 500-yard freestyle and the 200yard individual medley.

Athletes of the Month are chosen by the athletic department on behalf of the Sports Boosters

The Octagon

News5

May 27, 2014

The combined orchestra and band practice “Pomp and Circumstance,” which they will play at the high-school graduation (above). Sophomore Serajh Esmail plays his cello during rehearsal (right). (Photos by Cissy Shi)

Future structure of music program unknown By Zoe Bowlus

Page Editor

he future of the band and orchestra is unclear next year. This year the two groups tried something new, joining forces to perform as a combined group led by orchestra teacher Felecia Keys. The two groups plan to combine again for the winter con cert. not the two music groups will return to practicing separately next year. Performing together caused a number of problems. One was lack of practice time for the individual groups. The orchestra and band have practiced independently only once a week, as opposed to twice or three times. “I think for the sake of improving ourselves, we need to meet more,” Keys said. ers.” Junior Emma Williams, orchestra concertmaster, agrees. thing,” she said. Freshman Anny Schmidt, second violin, said she would have liked more time to practice just as an orchestra to go In addition, the combined orchestra is comprised of players at a variety of levels of experience, which posed a problem as well, Keys said. Some members have been playing for as many as 13 years, while others began just this year. Williams said learning to play together is hard enough even with years of practice. challenge. This year, “we had to be careful about the type of music and the level of music that we chose,” Keys said. The two groups had to adjust to playing music that was written for combined orchestra and band instruments, not just the individual ensembles Yet another problem is that string musicians are accus tomed to playing in keys with sharps, while band musicians

more Colby Conner, second chair viola, said. Volume was another problem. According to Conner, the or chestra has to play louder because the brass instruments are more naturally powerful. ance between the strings and the wind players,” he said.

Schmidt plays in a combined orchestra at a music camp ev ery summer and says she liked the setup. Sophomore Brad Petchauer also liked the arrangement. school full orchestra.” He also said that listening to the orchestra more often was nice because the band usually hears the group play only at concerts. No clear decisions have been made.

perform as well in competition. For example, they took silver at the Forum Music Festival. “We’ll just see what happens.” a group.” In April 2013 at the same festival, —Felecia Keys, orchestra teacher SCDS music groups won the Sweep in mind for the band next year. stakes Trophy, awarded to the school “I would like to see a group of with the highest combined scores of interested kids that have some music goals of some kind,” he its band and orchestra. “I was really proud then,” Williams said. “I was whooping said. His “number one goal” is to have the members get better at and jumping along with the rest of us when they called our playing their instruments, he said. name from the stage. mance. “I was honestly rather embarrassed,” she said. Therefore, both Williams and Conner are happy the groups may be split again next year. Nonetheless, Keys said that the orchestra enjoyed practic ing with the band. “It was fun, and I think all of us, including the kids, really enjoyed the sound we created together,” she said. Williams said she learned more about what it takes to make a big group sound good. As far as the school music program goes, she has been a part of only small groups: chamber groups and orchestra.

he just wants them to pursue their goals.

something.” ter September, once he knows whom he has.

Then he needs to listen to the ability level of each member play. strumentation.

perience,” she said. However, not everyone is as happy that the two groups will return to the previous setup. orchestra sounded great. “It was probably the best way to utilize the instrumentation we had and still allow ourselves to play quality music,” he said. And Schmidt said she really enjoyed the combined orches tra.

school year based on the information he had at the end of the school year.

the numbers to have a full band. However, the size of the group is an unknown. said.

Anniversary: Plans include museums, signed pictures

Point of Interest Spirit committee

The museum will be constructed in a trailer, to pay homage to the trailers that originally housed the school. Mancina said that his vision was a com bination of former Olympics, world fairs and large birthday parties. He is creating a souvenir program based on the program guides at world fairs. at the beginning of this summer. The com memorative tiles will be attached outside of the Matthews Library on the concrete

receive a memorabilia book called “This We Remember” that chronicles the history of the school. nation spectrum, signed pictures of Neu kom and a recording of English teacher Lauren LaMay reading “To Kill a Mock ingbird” will also be available for purchase. The funds raised will be split: half for two separate endowment funds for teachers,

Gold” and can be ordered from Wells. Eytcheson, former news reporter, have

and faculty interviews as well as live shots of student life will be featured. Eytcheson has been on campus observing and inter viewing subjects for two weeks. While there is still almost a year until gala events, said that the deadlines are rap idly approaching. “I just looked at my calendar the other day, and I said to myself ‘One year and two For Sackheim, the event is even closer. “We have summer, and then a couple

Amy Johnson, ’95, and Richard Mancina, ’73, hold up a trophy that will be used in the 50th anniversary celebration. (Photo by Manson Tung)

Next year, a spirit committee, which will be in charge of spreading news of school spirit days and sporting events, will join the ranks of Student Council. “A lot of people don’t know things like when the spirit days are,” said Student Council adviser Patricia Jacobsen. Sophomore Julia Owaidat and freshman Avi Bhullar will co-chair the committee. The committee will be in charge of announcing school spirit days along with encouraging students to wear school colors and get excited for sports games. One way the committee plans to do this is by wheeling around a wagon full of spirit equipment, such as red and black face paint, for students to use before sports games. “[We] will have this wagon with all these supplies and will go around saying ‘Hey, let’s get all spirited out!’” Bhullar said. The committee will also assist athletics director Matt Vargo with the pep rallies. —Zane Jakobs and Emma Williams

Centerpoint

The,Octagon

A Class Divided WA 1

England

IL 1

USA

By Madison Judd

Reporter

FL 1

Some choose colleges with unique traits

OR 1

May,27,,2014

GA 1

VA 1

NC 1

67% 30% 58% 42% 58% 42% 17% 83%

While others take a chance on places theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never even visited By Aishwarya Nadgauda

RURAL

Page Editor

SUBURBAN URBAN PRIVATE PUBLIC OUT=OF=STATE IN=STATE EARLY DECISION REGULAR DECISION

(Front row) Stanford University - University of San Francisco- Elon University - New York University - Carnegie Mellon University - UC Davis - Franklin and Marshall College (Second row) Loyola University, Chicago - UC Santa Cruz - Goldsmiths, University of London - Sacramento City College - New York University - William Jessup University - University of Virginia - University of Puget Sound - Chico State University (Third row) Santa Clara University - Columbia University - Vassar College - Morehouse College Graphics by Kamira Patel

CSU San Bernardino - Harvey Mudd College - Rollins College - Reed College

Centerpoint

The,Octagon

A Class Divided WA 1

England

IL 1

USA

By Madison Judd

Reporter

FL 1

Some choose colleges with unique traits

OR 1

May,27,,2014

GA 1

VA 1

NC 1

67% 30% 58% 42% 58% 42% 17% 83%

While others take a chance on places theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never even visited By Aishwarya Nadgauda

RURAL

Page Editor

SUBURBAN URBAN PRIVATE PUBLIC OUT=OF=STATE IN=STATE EARLY DECISION REGULAR DECISION

CSU San Bernardino - Harvey Mudd College - Rollins College - Reed College

8Editorial

The Octagon

May 27, 2014

By Grant Miner

My Angle Trigger Happy How to make sure that everything is beautiful and nothing hurts (Trigger warning: the following column contains trigger warnings. If you have ever been triggered being warned of said triggering, please do not continue.)

EDITORIAL: Outdated MP room should be first on the renovation list Our MP room isn’t a place at which a prospective student musician or actor would look and say, “Wow, I think it would be really cool to perform here!” Frankly, our MP room pales in comparison to the performing arts centers of other schools. We don’t even have a real stage, as ours is cramped and distinguished Plus, the room is utilized for many different purposes (including music groups, drama, dances and asing and modernizing the campus over the past several years (such as the current project of the middle-school math and science building). But it’s about time the performing arts received some attention. We know the MP room will eventually be replaced with a performing arts center. But eventually could mean it’s the next project, or the one after that, or the one after that—a new performing arts facility is something that has been desired for a long time and is still years down the road. Our programs will always be limited by the size of our school, but the lack of a proper place to perform (or even to rehearse) is a huge turn-off for serious musicians and actors.

And with the school’s new emphasis on marketing, starting next year with the hiring of Tucker Foehl as the to attract new actors and musicians (and old eighth graders) with new facilities. To be fair, the L-shaped building in the middle school that is planned to be constructed after the current project will provide some needed classroom space. If it turns out that enrollment increases so much that additional classrooms are absolutely necessary and cannot be provided any other way, the L-building But if the visual and performing arts center were space until another building is constructed: even if some groups still have to share practice rooms, they’d still have a nicer building and a real performance hall. Eventually, a performing arts center could even include space for programs (such as dance) that we don’t currently have at all. Since a performing arts center would be the site of assemblies, concerts and other events, it would be escurrently provide seating in the MP room simply do not convey a great image.

The Octagon Editors-in-Chief Garrett Kaighn Connor Martin Kamira Patel Online Editor-in-Chief Ryan Ho Copy Editor Garrett Kaighn Business Manager Garrett Kaighn News Editor Emma Williams Editorial Editor Zoe Bowlus Community Editor Grant Miner Sports Editors Micaela Bennett-Smith Eric Hilton Centerpoint Editor Kamira Patel

Opinion Editor Maxwell Shukuya Feature Editors Connor Martin Aishwarya Nadgauda Photo Editor Cissy Shi Assistant Copy Editor Amelia Fineberg Reporters Avi Bhullar Daniel Hernried Zane Jakobs Elena Lipman Madison Judd Austin Talamantes Manson Tung Cartoonist Jacob Sands Adviser Patricia Fels

The Octagon is published eight times a year by highschool journalism students of Sacramento Country Day School, 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, Calif. 95864. Phone: (916) 481-8811, ext. 347. The online Octagon (www.scdsoctagon.com) is updated daily.

Orchids

Onions

My adviser forwarded me a New York Times article the other day (although original forwarding credits go to teacher Jane Bauman). It chronicled the quest of some UC Santa Barbara students to apply trigger warnings to the entirety of the school’s curriculum. For those ignorant of the word’s meaning, a “trigger” is basically anything that can cause an episode of post-traumatic stress. In its purest form, the word addresses the needs of a person who’s had some serious prior trauma. However, in a fashion typical to today’s youth, it has become bastardized enough to refer to anything that could make people feel uncomfortable. What began as a way to describe something that could be potentially harmful to a very small set of people (scenes of violence from a certain war, etc.) has since devolved to require warnings before everything from violence to racism and even to romance (to protect anyone who’s had a particularly nasty breakup). The problems that arise when this concept is applied to education are evident. Obviously, any science or math course isn’t threatened (they’d better watch what they put in those word problems, though). The danger is to the humanities. The history curriculum, I think, speaks for itself. AP European History alone would require enough trigger warnings to fill the better part of a small textbook. Don’t even get me started on our English classes. Have you heard that they’re teaching sophomores the Bible now? That’s probably the most triggering book in existence. If you’re searching for something offensive to warn people about, look no farther. Sodomy, incest, premarital sex, domestic violence, racism. Yup, it’s all here. I’ve even heard that some guy gets nailed to a cross. The “Good Book”? I think not. The real problem with this kind of movement is that it encourages people to ask that their environments be regulated, with careful warnings and considerations given to them at each turn to prevent them from getting offended or being uncomfortable. But the parents of the UCSB students sent their kids to the second-biggest party school in the country to learn to make intelligent decisions, not to learn curricular baby-proofing. (Trigger warning: if the idea of a permanent end frightens you, please circle back to the beginning.)

rchids to. . . the Parents’ Association for planning an all-school end-of-theyear party. Raging Waters will be a great place to celebrate with our classmates.

nions to. . . the burned-out printer that caused the prom photo booth to shut down. As a result, Student Council had to refund $5 of the ticket price.

rchids to. . . parents Denise Williams and Lisa Quattlebaum for turning the library into the Good Luck Saloon for the Faculty/Staff Appreciation lunch, May 22.

nions to. . . students who leave notes and homework lying on picnic tables. The wind blows them away and makes a big mess. Plus, don’t you need those papers?

The Octagon

Opinion 9

May 27, 2014

Editors say goodbye to Camp Country Day

Illustrations by Jacob Sands

Remembering college apps, APs, the Cave, Fels

Kamira Patel It’s 10 p.m. and the campus is si lent, except for the quiet rustling of leaves and the low whir of the jan

Connor Martin

Garrett Kaighn

Ryan Ho

met. order to move on to the independent life of a college student.

voice singing “Cola” that seems

thing that would suggest that I am, in wait to do. It’s not uncommon to hear

As the page editors twirl in their while designing pages, the mosqui

tors and Fels. as too much free time. It turns out

However, our adviser Patricia

right.

in late stories. She laughed and said that most stories are late.

tional to the amount of time given to do it. While having two free periods and a free elective sounds fantastic,

When I left for the U.S., I went in late. government is a totalitarian dicta torship. Since I can count on a single didn’t stop me though. Connor sits in his chair in the corner of the Cave staring at the

pus designing pages.

tures and left comments wishing me well in the U.S. cuss the paper, I can’t imagine how

messages he might have missed in the last 30 seconds. He can’t decide whether the text and then show up for school the next

And then there’s me. it’s also another reason to implement that totalitarianism. From golf, I learned that the per While I’m deciding, it’s a good idea

From the college selection process, way too hard to advertise themselves.

music in the world, telling people to

accept that fact.

self a cup of microwave tea. it hard for me to move on. See Farewell Columns, page 10

See Farewell Columns, page 10

10Remainder

The Octagon

May 27, 2014

Farewell Columns: Editors-in-chief reflect on Octagon and SCDS

have

“I need another cup of tea. The caffeine will help me decide.”

really

“The emphasis here is on my new-found ability to choose what I’m interested to do.”

“From one letter that I actually read, I learned that while smart people go to MIT or Caltech, really smart people go to New Mexico Tech.” “There’s Max who will suddenly burst out in a German accent, holding the baseball bat in the Cave as if it were his riding crop.”

Renovations: Some say a new MP room would attract future students

“I think people would take our programs more seriously if we had a nice place to perform—I know the kids would feel better in a performance hall rather than our MP room.” —Felecia Keys, orchestra teacher

The Octagon

May 27, 2014

The birds and the bees

Community11

Exotic pets pose exotic challenges By Elena Lipman

Reporter

rom singing birds to droning bees, the Wroten house

for Jacobsen to introduce and her other pets, as

has a pig, chickens, a duck and goat and sophomore Jakob haven’t met,” Jacobsen Like the Wrotens, she

“Our cat, Tiger, is very interested in the duck

Once Jacobsen got the hedgehog, she changed its name

Ruby Bennett-Smith enjoys the grain breakfast provided by owner Micaela. Ruby also loves apples and once lapped up a soda given to her by Micaela’s brother Morgan, ‘13. (Photo by Elena Bennett)

12 Feature

The Octagon

May 27, 2014

How to do your summer reading—and enjoy it It all starts with books that actually strike your fancy. So next time you have a lonely day with nothing to do but check social media and listen to “Summertime Sadness,” curl up by the pool (or in the shade) with one of our recommendations—Sparknotes unnecessary.

My favorite book is the dictionary. Steve Martin or

Fiction or

I reject your reality and substitute my own.

I didn’t learn Elvish for nothing.

Mordor is out of my comfort zone.

I forced my family to watch “Cheaper by the Dozen 2.”

“Born Standing Up”

Yeah, (auto)biographies are kinda dry. But this one is by Steve Martin, so there’s plenty of comic relief. —Daniel Hernried

“The Glass Castle”

“The Glass Castle” is a memoir by Jeannette Walls, an author from New York. Raised as a homeless, hopeful daughter of a drunk and an irresponsible mother, she must fend for herself while taking care of her siblings. Written with no self-pity and absolute honesty, this book chronicles the hidden struggles of a woman. —Avi Bhullar

Sometimes the old ways are better.

How many characters can you

I don’t think I’ve reached my sadness quota yet.

How do you feel about

If revisionism works for the North Koreans, it’ll work for me!

Did I mention I also know

“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”

Even if you’ve already read this, it’s worth another read. “Hitchhiker’s Guide,” by Douglas Adams, follows one Arthur Dent, who wakes up on a Thursday to the end of the world. He hitches a ride on an alien ship, and the adventures begin. And remember, as the Guide notes, a towel is the most useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. —Amelia Fineberg

I’ll bring my cape.

I’ll bring a notebook.

“Watchmen”

“Game of Thrones”

I’ve never been good with names.

Spoiler alert: Everyone dies, and the ones you love die twice. Author George R. R. Martin shows no mercy. —Amelia Fineberg

“The Name of the Wind”

Magic, adventure, romance and action merge for an epic read in Patrick Rothfuss’s “The Name of the Wind.” The book follows a young man named Kvothe after the murder of his family and his quest for revenge. Rothfuss does an excellent job of making the characters in the book relatable, and the book’s story is both compelling and engaging. While it is rather lengthy at nearly 700 pages, the book never seems to lose its purpose and remains entertaining throughout. —Eric Hilton

“Watchmen,” by Alan Moore, is a comic-book masterpiece. Between the complex, fascinating characters, the morally ambiguous storyline, and, of course, the stylistically nostalgic drawings, it is an iconic piece of work. —Amelia Fineberg

“The Affair”

“Cloud Atlas”

In David Mitchell’s saga, spanning centuries, six protagonists grapple with themes of free will, capitalism, racial prejudice and truth. The stories are nested like Russian dolls and tied together with repeating motifs. Each story has a unique tone and feel, and together they make a cohesive patchwork of excellent writing. —Amelia Fineberg

If you care for suspense at all, then Lee Child’s “The Affair” is right up your alley. “The Affair” marks the 16th installment in Child’s Jack Reacher series (and perhaps you’ve seen the movie with Tom Cruise), but Reacher’s toughness and the plot twists never get old. In this book, Reacher is sent to Carter Crossing, Miss., to investigate a murder that increasingly resembles a cover-up to protect a soldier with powerful backings. Reacher must uncover the truth, while others try to bury it forever. —Ryan Ho