Octagon Issue 6 2015-16 by The Octagon

theOctagon

Sacramento Country Day School

VOL. XXXIX, NO. 6

March 15, 2016

2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento

POI: New dance introduced due to popular demand By Jack Christian Reporter Girls will ask boys to the Sadie Hawkins the MP Room. The Sadie Hawkins dance is named after the Li’l Abner comic strip by Al Capp, a car toonist from 1935 to 1977. In this comic, the women chase after the men, including the character Sadie Hawkins. held in 1938, and by 1952, Sadie Hawkins danc es were held in schools across the country. The Student Council decided to have a fourth dance as many people have been re (Photo by Kevin Huang)

cording to Serajh Esmail, Student Council president. “We know people love dances, and this year we found a time allotment that worked with the master calendar,” Esmail said. He said they also decided to have a Sadie

New Head’s Priority: New buildings Students identify fine arts facility as primary need

ed one in the past. “In my four years at Country Day, we have never had a Sadie Hawkins dance,” Esmail said.

By Alexa Mathisen Reporter

“It is hard sharing the space with so many programs, which forces

good to change things up for once.”

In a Nov. 2 Octagon poll, high schoolers were asked to rank their priorities for arts building so the band and orchestra have a better space to practice and perform.

popular choice.

sen, new head of school, should concentrate on constructing new buildings on campus.

Junior Avi Bhullar, who has participated in drama since freshman year, said the drama program is limited by a lack of space, both on stage and backstage. “Our green room, which is the only ‘backstage’ place we have, is super small,” Bhullar said. “Plus our changing space is just a sheet over some PVC pipes, which, needless to say, is rickety and inconvenient.” According to drama teacher Brian Frishman, updated lighting

the concerts into two nights, which is really inconvenient,” Gupta said. “One time, it was so crowded to get up onto the stage that some one dropped their instrument on the way up to perform!” Orchestra teacher Felecia Keys called the performance space “an absolute embarrassment.” “We are the ones who are least thought about when it comes to building all these new lovely buildings,” she said.

Page Editor A recording studio is being built in mem ory of Connor Burns, a seventh grader who died last year.

new dance and plan on asking people. “We’re pumped,” said freshmen Brandy Riziki, Alice Kellie and Yanele Ledesma. Junior Elizabeth Brownridge said she’s also “Country Day students have never really asked people to dances, so this is encourag ing,” Brownridge said. “It’s nice to have a dance where girls can ask guys.”

around to move all the instruments across the pavement, rain or shine.” Freshman Heidi Johnson, who has played clarinet in the band since

Music studio to be erected in memory of seventh grader

By Adam Dean

not covered by Cavalier Club. The theme is Miami Vice, so the dress is casual. “Think ‘80s, in Miami,” said Patricia Jacob sen, Student Council adviser.

And, Connor often recorded himself to im prove his ability to play and sing, Burns said. Connor’s interest in the middle school’s History of Rock ‘n’ Roll elective was another driving force in choosing to build the music studio.

See

page 10

To audition for honor orchestra, students now record themselves in band teacher Bob material to The Glass Knife record there too. isn’t very good, Keys said. More importantly, the music studio will al low Keys’s musicians to improve. Right now Keys records her students so she can study their performance. “With the studio a group of kids can go record and listen to themselves while I’m in

to recognize what they need to improve by themselves.” After the remodeling, the current mid

people gather to share resources and knowl

students in the future, Repsher said.

teacher Brian Billings said. “He loved Led Latin room. The construction project, which began on

likely be “The Connor Burns Music Studio,” according to headmaster Stephen Repsher. The building is being redone by Ken Dyer Construction. Dyer is a close friend of Ste phen Burns, Connor’s father. Initially, many families donated to a fund set up by the school for a project to honor Connor. That’s when the Burns family came up with the idea of a recording studio. “Connor taught himself to play both the acoustic and the electric guitar,” his father said. “He would listen to rock songs, and pick along.”

To raise money for the studio, a fundrais er was held on Dec. 10 at the Track Shack, a recording studio owned by parent Chuck Hansen. Nevertheless, the project hasn’t been fully

sive,” Burns said. Repsher said the recording studio will be Students in band, orchestra or chorus, or even students who want to form their own rock band, will be encouraged to use the fa cility. Felecia Keys, orchestra and choir teacher, said she will have multiple uses for the studio.

(Image used by permission of Stephen Burns )

2Feature

The Octagon

March 15, 2016

Atsuo Chiu performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on May 23. He rehearsed in a practice room before performing in the hall. Chiu said the room he performed in had huge chandeliers, and there were engravings of patterns on all of the walls. The piano he played on was a Steinway and Sons. (Photo used by permission of Chiu)

Soph performs for third time at Carnegie Hall

Twelve hours of weekly practice includes fifty recordings of competition pieces By Annya Dahmani Social Media Editor

t the age of 3, most children are shaking tambou rines or banging on toy drums. However, this wasn’t the case for sophomore Atsuo Chiu.

tones of the notes. “I sit and listen to the recordings and follow along with the music in front of me,” he said. Nishite said that Chiu needs to improve in some areas. “Expression is always evolving,” she said. “As he matures both personally and musically, he will learn to listen to his music to sing.” The most important piano competitions in which Chiu has

at 15, he performed in his third concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Arts Festival and the Concert Festival International Compe Chiu’s most recent performance was on March 13. To qualify, he sent in a DVD of himself playing Brahms’s tition. All three were international competitions that required a Op. 118 No. 3 to the Concert Festival International Compe video recording to be sent. tition in January. At these competitions there are people from all around He won the competition. the world, including people from China, Japan, Spain, Italy, Chiu played the same piece at Carnegie Hall. Chiu’s father said that Chiu began playing so early because France and more. There are also several judges in the process, and they look for small details such as musical expression, his parents noticed that he loved music. technique and style, Chiu said. In addition, Chiu said his parents wanted him to start play ing because their friends’ children, most of them older than his recording of Chopin’s Études Op. 10 No. 12 to the Amer Chiu, were playing. One of these was sophomore Nina Dym, who admits that He said he made over 50 recordings of the piece before Chiu is now a far better player. choosing the one he wanted to send. “I never put in nearly as much work as he has,” Dym said. Nevertheless, when Chiu heard back from the judges he Chiu’s piano teacher, Shigemi Nishite, who has been teach was completely shocked. ing Chiu since 2006, agreed with Dym. They loved his music. “He is an extremely hard worker,” Nishite said. “He has tal “They said that they liked how I expressed myself in the ent, but his hard work makes that talent shine.” piece I played,” Chiu said. At the age of 6, Chiu played simple songs that weren’t traditional pieces, completing other people would play it. I put a lot of six volumes of a piano book called “Step by “I sit down and wait for myStep.” self to stop shaking. Then I I think the composer was trying to say.” “My teacher at the time stressed the ba However, in the past not all of the judges sics,” he said. “She said, ‘If you don’t have a have liked Chiu’s style, he said. —Atsuo Chiu, sophomore good foundation, then you won’t be good.’” “It’s about what the judge likes, pretty much,” he said. “But these big competi lished that good foundation.

Teachers Association of Greater Sacramento. Chiu said it was a “baby competition” held in Davis in front of a group of Japanese piano teachers. There were 20 competitors who were all around the same age as Chiu, including Dym. Chiu played Chopin’s Waltz in E minor. At this moment, Chiu said, he began to love the piano. “I started practicing more,” Chiu said. “After I won the Da wanted to compete again.” Today, Chiu has attended 12 competitions, in cities includ ing New York City, San Francisco and Oakland. And all that competing requires a lot of practice. Chiu said he practices every day for one to two hours with Nishite, unless it’s a recording session when the practice can be up to three hours long. Recording sessions occur when there is a competition that requires a video audition in the future. “My teacher and I record tapes and listen to them to make sure that they sound perfect,” he said. In addition, Chiu spends time practicing at home. “At home I practice for maybe three hours a week,” he said. “But at home it’s mostly listening to my performances and practice.” Chiu said that he listens for the way that he makes the mu sic, which includes dynamics, phrasing, special rhythms and

evaluations, so it becomes less biased.” These 10 judges listen to the initial piece.

Six months later, Chiu was invited to Carnegie Hall again for which he submitted a DVD of Chopin’s Études Op. 10 No. 12. cording to Chiu. “The second time it wasn’t that bad, but I was still nervous.” and he was sweating nonstop. In addition, the stage lights were really hot. There were over 250 people watching him, and he wasn’t used to performing in front of that many people. Chiu says the trick is to let the nervousness pass. “I sit down and wait for myself to stop shaking,” he said. Chiu said that there are certain things that make being a musician especially hard. “The hardest thing is that the music is never perfect,” Chiu said. “And the second you release the keys, the sound disap pears.” Nishite said she sees a bright future for Chiu, even if he doesn’t pursue a career in music. “By studying piano, Atsuo is developing skills that he can use in any endeavor he so chooses,” Nishite said.

At top, when he was 10, Chiu received a third-place trophy at a competition in Folsom. At bottom, Chiu’s most recent performance was at Carnegie Hall on March 13, and he said it was his most nerve-wracking performance ever. (Photos used by permission of Chiu)

March 15, 2016

News

The Octagon

Barf! Blech! Yum? Not even E. coli hazards stop students from chowing down at Chipotle By Adam Dean Page Editor

ophomore Nina Dym was ecstatic when she found out Chipotle was giving away free burritos on Feb. 8. “I was bursting with joy,” Dym said. “Free food is nice. But free Chipotle is even better.” On that day, Chipotle closed all locations until 3 p.m. to hold food safety meetings with employees after a string of food poisoning outbreaks.

came from two restau rants. But the company break in the same year that caused a bigger uproar. Cases were re

“I really like Chipotle and didn’t go any less than usual. nitely less packed.” —Lia Kaufman, freshman

cluding California. The Center for Dis

one free burrito per participant. Senior Johann Dias is among the many students who often visit the Chipotle outlet in Loehmann’s Plaza near school.

usual.” And many others did the same.

Sophomore Nico Burns, who continued to eat at Chipotle during the health concerns, orders a burrito bowl. Burns said he usually orders a burrito bowl with chicken and white rice or a quesadilla. (Photo by Ethan Hockridge)

popularity of Chipotle.”

said they have continued to eat at Chipotle as often as before the health concern.

Junior Jaelan Trapp is one who said he no longer eats at Chi potle. “I just stopped craving it,” Trapp said. “I guess the public’s

“Over the last few months, we have been implementing an enhanced food safety plan that will establish Chipotle as an

potle even more during the outbreak. The increase in atten dance of students was due to fewer customers and shorter lines. “I really like Chipotle, and we didn’t go any less than usual,” freshman Lia Kaufman said. “I did realize that the restaurants

press release. The new precautions include paid sick leave, chopping of tomatoes and lettuce in a centralized location, and blanching onions to kill germs.

In response to the contamination, Chipotle has started a new comprehensive safety program.

customers.

Sensitive sophs tear up during in-class movies By Quin LaComb Reporter

ever had a class react this way. “I’ve never excused kids for this reason before,” Fels said. “I’ve had parents that

When teacher Patricia Fels showed one

ple scream or there’s a gory scene. “In ‘The Impossible,’ the scene where the family was being swept away was really scary,” she said. “In the movie Dr. Baird showed us, there was a decapitation.”

These emotional responses aren’t hap she wasn’t expecting the reaction she would get from some of the sophomores. “There’s a scene in the beginning when a mother and son are washed away, and it’s in tense,” Fels said. “I saw that some girls in the room had their heads down. “I could tell that they weren’t sleeping, and it looked like they were almost in pain. I asked them if they were OK, and they re sponded ‘yes’ in a weak voice.” Fels said that she could tell that one of the sophomores had been crying. She told her ways that they didn’t have to watch the movie and assigned alternate homework.

the sophomore history teacher, said that he had similar experiences while showing “The Kingdom of Heaven,” a movie about the Cru sades. “I didn’t really get a lot of people crying,” Baird observed, “but a lot of students were turning their heads. We’re exposed to so much as Americans that I was surprised by the emotional reaction of the sophomores.” Nina Dym and Amalie Fackenthal are two of the students who were excused from watching “The Impossible.” Dym said that she doesn’t like it when peo

the ones we saw,” Fackenthal said. “I didn’t like the blood, and I didn’t like it when peo ple were getting hurt.” It may be that the Fackenthals are genet ically more emotional. Amalie’s older sister, junior Marigot, has had similar experiences. “Sometimes I just cry randomly,” Marigot said. “I’m not even upset, but my eyes just get watery, especially when I’m talking to author ities. One time I was talking to Dr. Baird, and I just burst into tears. He asked me if every just crying for no reason.”

According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, this overwhelming sensitivity may be due to being a Highly Sensitive Person, or HSP. overwhelmed by stimuli” and are “acutely aware of sensations.” And they are “particu larly sensitive to emotions.” Baird said that he shows movies and docu mentaries in his class “as a break from doing ies enjoyable. “I show ‘Mulan’ and use it as a basis for the essay question for the China test. Students liked to watch the movie in class, but also be cause it sort of became a tradition.” But now he’s having second thoughts. “With these types of reactions, I’m starting to have to consider more what I should and the cons of showing these movies outweigh the pros,” Baird said.

4Sports

The Octagon

March 15, 2016

Off to slow start, baseball still looking to playoffs By Jake Longoria Reporter

(Photo by Kevin Huang)

Underrated, overlooked girls prove their abilities Congratulations, online Octagon,

Females hang in there at Ancrum’s Lab

Pacemaker nomination!

By Jake Longoria Reporter

“ her

Lab,

Sophomore Yasmin Gupta runs on the fast break in the girls’ varsity basketball (Photo by Nina Dym)

March 15, 2016

The Octagon

Thank you to our sponsors for keeping us in the black The Barajas Family The Bowlus Family The Christian Family The Claire Family The Dahmani Family The Fackenthal Family The Fineberg-Chiu Family The Hansen Family The Judd Family The LaComb Family The Longoria Family The Mathisen Family The Naify Family The Needler Family The Scott Family The Tung Family The Wolkov Family The Zhang Family

Sports Boostersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Athletes of the Month Heidi Johnson

Ethan Hockridge Ethan, a freshman, helped the ski and snowboard team win the league cham-

She has also been invited to compete in the Stanford Track and Field Invitation-

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

Remainder

Centerpoint

The Octagon

March 15, 2016

Breaking the Rulindo Myth

It’s time to lay down the facts about our sister school

“

Hey, guys! So next week, we’ll be doing Passport Lunch!

Graphic by Marigot Fackenthal

I clap absentmindedly for the speaker, whom I can’t the schools, the students, the church, and the community… …and the amputated children, the countless bodies that had once littered the streets, and the broken, bro

By Marigot Fackenthal

was this sense among the people of Rwanda that nobody cared they

All right, you’re probably snickering because I mixed up Rul indo, the school in Africa, with Rio Linda, the school in the

“Rwanda had a very deep sense of being abandoned by the

school’s relationship with Rulindo to me when I transferred in

that the people went through, they felt very isolated, very

Above and at top, students of various ages play ukuleles and guitars brought by Elena Bennett and Micaela Bennett-Smith. At upper right, a young student displays an English alphabet book he’s learning from. At right, a student prepares lunch, which consists of rice and beans. (Photos by Elena Bennett)

Moved by Rulindo’s total abandonment during the geno

“She wanted simply to reach out to the students, whoever already knew:

seven schools include a general high school, a boarding high school for girls, a lower school, a boarding school for disabled the ones we’re in partnership So when we say that we’re “raising money for the Rulindo money for seven schools with in the district of Rulindo in the

Rwanda had a very deep sense of being abandoned by the world. —Elena Bennett, lower-school music teacher

raise money, such as bake sales, art sales and

nett and her daughter Micaela, ‘15, have visited multiple times in more recent years to teach mu

ise Rivero and Edek Sher be this year’s Playathon, along with money that Miles is personally were planted near our middle school to commemorate the bond

raised money and awareness Miles’s graduation, his moth er, Elena Bennett, turned the

with my own eyes, and I

not live to see the Playathon

this: if nobody from here ever went there in the

before her death, she asked

abstraction of our money that personal connection

everyone

familiar

traveled with Bennett to Rwan occurrence can result in comes to our relation ship with Rulindo, that’s the concept we’re dealing learned about Rwanda’s culture, history, language, government, Juniors at the coed high school in Rulindo crowd around SCDS’s 2015 Medallion. They pointed at the faces of students in our class of 2016 and chose to whom they wanted to send letters. (Photo by Elena Bennett)

spent in Rwanda, one week was dedicated to improving school

ingly meaningless occurrence grew a meaningful friendship be

her handwoven baskets. Below, several students hold up rabbits. As an exercise in livestock care, they’ve been assigned the task of taking care of their rabbits for a period of time. (Photos by Elena Bennett)

Centerpoint

The Octagon

March 15, 2016

Breaking the Rulindo Myth

It’s time to lay down the facts about our sister school

“

Hey, guys! So next week, we’ll be doing Passport Lunch!

Graphic by Marigot Fackenthal

By Marigot Fackenthal

was this sense among the people of Rwanda that nobody cared they

All right, you’re probably snickering because I mixed up Rul indo, the school in Africa, with Rio Linda, the school in the

“Rwanda had a very deep sense of being abandoned by the

school’s relationship with Rulindo to me when I transferred in

that the people went through, they felt very isolated, very

Moved by Rulindo’s total abandonment during the geno

“She wanted simply to reach out to the students, whoever already knew:

Rwanda had a very deep sense of being abandoned by the world. —Elena Bennett, lower-school music teacher

raise money, such as bake sales, art sales and

nett and her daughter Micaela, ‘15, have visited multiple times in more recent years to teach mu

ise Rivero and Edek Sher be this year’s Playathon, along with money that Miles is personally were planted near our middle school to commemorate the bond

raised money and awareness Miles’s graduation, his moth er, Elena Bennett, turned the

with my own eyes, and I

not live to see the Playathon

this: if nobody from here ever went there in the

before her death, she asked

abstraction of our money that personal connection

everyone

familiar

spent in Rwanda, one week was dedicated to improving school

ingly meaningless occurrence grew a meaningful friendship be

8 Editorial

The Octagon

March 15, 2016

“Think outside the box” by Jake Sands

My Angle By Nicole Wolkov Stop crying - extra helpings of blood, gore, action, please! After reading Quin LaComb’s article on soph

Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush or the grim pri

EDITORIAL: 46 years later, it’s time that we invest big bucks in the arts In 1970 Richard Nixon was just beginning his presidency, “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” was one of the hottest shows around, and Country Day plopped down a L-shaped building with an art room. More than four decades later, Barack Obama is winding down his presidency, and television is a borderline antiquated technology. But that art room - it’s still there. With the renewed push for school growth, it’s time to address one of Country Day’s weakest infrastructure Yes, we understand that new buildings by themselves can’t make a program successful, but it’s hard to improve our arts programs without a serious overhaul of their surroundings. not to mention our school’s publications. Our drama department puts on four productions a year, but when they need to build a “cafe in Paris on the Champs Elysee,” it ends up looking more like a McDonald’s despite the prop department’s best efforts. And our musical groups (middle- and high-school orchestra, concert band and jazz band) practice in what can objectively be called a hot mess. Acoustically, the music room is far from perfect and aesthetically, it looks downright sad compared to some of the other area schools (yeah, we’re looking at you, St. Francis). But of all our arts programs, our visual arts are probably the most slighted. It’s actually a wonder we’ve been able to keep up with competitor schools, considering our art room (the sole location for seven grades’ worth of visual education,

the Editors-in-Chief Madison Judd Manson Tung

Online Editor-in-Chief Zoë Bowlus

Manson Tung

Annya Dahmani

Jake Sands

Sonja Hansen

Feature Editor Madison Judd

Opinion Editor Marigot Fackenthal

Sports Editor Zoë Bowlus

Copy Editor Amelia Fineberg

News Editor

Social Media Editor Page Editors

Adam Dean Amelia Fineberg Annya Dahmani Katia Dahmani Madison Judd

the number of people it should. For heaven’s sakes, our ceramics class learns outside, which, thanks to California’s Mediterranean climate, is But the students shiver and sweat the other 30 percent, depending on Mother Nature’s whims, space heaters and fans notwithstanding. The Octagon’s workroom is affectionately known as the Cave, and let’s just say that it didn’t get that title from being a light, well-ventilated and large space. And the Medallion is even worse off. The 25-person

Graphic Artist

Photographers Adam Ketchum Kevin Huang Ethan Hockridge

Adviser

Patricia Fels

The Octagon is published eight times a year by high-school journalism students of Sacramento Country Day School, 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, Calif. 95864. Phone: (916) 481-8811, ext. 347. For more information (including the Octagon’s mission statement and policies for editorials, bylines, corrections and letters to the editor), visit scdsoctagon.com.

action.

the characters. documentaries can be because they portray some

physical materials needed to create the keepsake book we all take at the end of the year. Country Day’s motto is “Academics, Athletics, the Arts, every day.” Well, we built a new science center in 2004, a new lower-school building in 2008, and a new middle-school building in 2015. facelift and looks better than ever. So it’s time we stop giving mere lip service to the quality of the arts at Country Day, and provide this neglected facet of our school with a space of its own - preferably before bell-bottom jeans come back into fashion.

Manson Tung Marigot Fackenthal Sonja Hansen Ulises Barajas Alexa Mathisen Allison Zhang Ben Miner Chardonnay Needler Grace Naify Jack Christian Jake Longoria Mac Scott Mohini Rye Nicole Wolkov Quin LaComb Sahej Claire

Business Manager

One episode includes a drugged man cutting

which is especially vexing since we have a visual or performing arts requirement for graduation) hasn’t been upgraded in a generation.

Octagon Reporters

characters on screen.

Orchids

Onions

rchids to. . . the administration for organizing the Connor Burns Memorial Ceremony. It was a touching celebration of his life, and a fitting time to announce the new studio.

nions to. . . the interminable rains for cancelling sports games, causing traffic jams and forcing the annual Rennaisance Faire indoors into the gym.

rchids to. . . the orchestra and the librarians for organizing the showcase two weeks ago. It was special to hear our friends at a time and place that was easily accessible.

nions to. . . the shortage of hand sanitizer in some of the high-school classrooms. It’s hard to tamp down infection without the ubiquitous cleaning agent.

March 15, 2016

The Octagon

Opinion

Raw-food, no-sugar, juice-cleanse diets test studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; willpower

Freshmen Mohini Rye, Allison Zhang and Char

No sugar quickly sucks the sweetness out of life By Mohini Rye Reporter

with antioxidants and naturally occuring nitrates, which are supposed to improve the rots, apples and ginger, giving the juice its rich purple color. (Photo by Adam Ketchum)

Liquified foods fail to fight freshmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hunger By Allison Zhang Reporter

(Graphic by Mohini Rye and Katia Dahmani)

See Diet,

10 Remainder

The Octagon

March 15, 2016

Diet: Rawism diet consists of no bread, misery By Chardonnay Needler Reporter

Freshman Chardonnay Needler regularly ate carrots and tomatoes during her rawism diet. (Photo illustration by Needler)

Lab: Ancrum insists that gender shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter

Sophomore Yasmin Gupta (second from right) scrimmages during a Lab practice. (Photo by Adam Ketchum)

Priority: Thomsen agrees that new fine arts facility is necessary

March 15, 2016

Community

The Octagon

“A dead hummingbird falls at my feet in the yard soft, light as a breath.”

Writing helps English teacher Ron Bell develop self-awareness, consciousness, inner growth

h ap Gr

lis yU

(

The new Standard SAT was released on March 5. On March 1 high-school students were polled to see how many College Board tests they will have taken by July 1.

Standard SAT

SAT Subject Tests

0 times

0 tests

1 time

1 test

2 times

2 tests

3 times

3 tests

More than 3 times

More than 3 tests

Page Editor

“

“A dead hummingbird falls at my feet in the yard -

This excerpt from one of English teacher Ron Bell’s poems,

ture shapes a person’s consciousness, essen

Ron Bell

The poem follows a man contemplating the universe on the

0 times

0 tests

1 time

1-2 tests

2 times

3-4 tests

“Drunk, we feel kinship with it all, Sober, we only feel a fool. We can only hope

ACT

“I feel compelled to imagine things here: my father’s young life, the years in the red dirt, the prickly pear and chiggers, the land along the Nueces, the life of a red dirt farm boy.

At summer dawn, going outside barefooted, - Ron Bell

)

jas

ra Ba

By Ulises Barajas

My life sags on me, Regrets bow my shoulders. If I think of the past, Shame shrinks my heart. Days not seized, things not done: People not loved, books not written, friends not seen – So many.

3 times

5-6 tests

More than 3 times

More than 6 tests

12 Feature

March 15, 2016

The Octagon

fter a long day at school, a boy enters his room, throws down his backpack and thumbs through his record collection. He chooses his favorite, “Houses of the Holy” by Led Zeppelin, and carefully sets it on the shiny red record player that

600.

Sands, who listens to his player almost daily while doing homework, said he was drawn their live performances only on vinyl.

Jimi Hendrix Alvarado said she chose this player for both its ability to connect to her laptop and the relatively inexpensive price. “I wanted to know more about how music evolved and how people used to access it,”

By Sonja Hansen Tower Records website for her vinyl needs.

B.o.B.

slightly scratched, Alvarado said they’re still good quality and that the imperfections add to their charm.

Alvarado’s second source of records is her father’s stash, mostly comprised of Led Zep pelin, in their basement.

“A lot of modern indie artists get their albums put on vinyl for those hipsters out there that want to listen to their music on turntables,” Galati said. In the ’50s, it was every teen’s nightmare to scratch or drop one of these precious re

ping it,” Sands said. Sands protects his records by keeping them in their original plastic. Galati said that along with being careful with her records, it’s also important to clean records with a dry cloth before playing them. Galati said.

Decades after they went out, vinyl records make a hipster comeback

which has a headphones port, but he soon grew tired of it. “It’s so much easier to play music from my laptop with just one click than to get up and

(The records) are so old, like something from a different place, a different century, a different time. —Gabi Alvarado, freshman

Sands said he prefers his record player because the sound quality is better than his lap top speakers, and Galati and Alvarado agree. Alvarado said she connected speakers to her player to enhance her vinyls’ rich music. “The sound of vinyl adds a certain depth to the songs and instruments,” Alvarado said.

Carole King

record players again because he remembers how frustrating maintaining his Thorens turn table was.

a velvet brush to pick up all the dust.”

Pink Floyd

records damaged the needle, so Neukom also said he would have to take records back to the store a couple times before he got a good copy. Neukom said it was easy to accidentally bump into records and scratch them. “It was fun to remember who had made the scratches and where we had been and how it had happened,” Neukom said. And he said he fondly remembers meeting up with friends at Tower Records once a week, looking at the beautiful album art and reading the information on artists. Neukom said that current record players are lower quality than the ones in his heyday. which was a coveted needle that didn’t wear out vinyls as much. Although all good things must come to an end, Sands said he doesn’t see this trend fading away any time soon.

Graphic by Manson Tung

Alvarado said she expects that as more rock legends pass away, young people might take an interest in their music and record players. “The people who do it just to be cool will stop soon, but there’s always going to be people who genuinely enjoy listening to records,” Galati said. Who knows? Maybe the Walkman and cassette tapes will make a comeback next!