Octagon 2017-18 Issue 2 by The Octagon

THE

OCTAGON

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

VOL. 41 NO. 2 • Sacramento Country Day School • 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento • October 31, 2017

Fires devastate California’s wine country BY HÉLOÏSE SCHEP

n Monday, Oct. 9, drama teacher Brian Frishman was woken by a call from the county sheriff at 1:18 a.m. The LaPorte and Cascade Fires were only a mile and a half from his home in Grass Valley; he had to evacuate immediately. Frishman and his wife woke up his friend from Thailand and his son along with his step-daughter, her husband and their baby (all three were visiting), loaded a few possessions into their car and went outside.

They were met with complete darkness; the electricity had gone out. Frishman’s wife walked from house to house informing neighbors about the fire, as some hadn’t gotten the call to evacuate. Then Frishman decided to drive up to the fire alone to assess the situation. Two sheriffs’ cars blocked the road leading to the edge of the fire, but Frishman said he could see the flames 50 yards ahead. “I’ve seen a lot of fires, so it wasn’t a big deal except for (the fire’s) proximity to our house,” he said. Getting out of his car, Frishman informed the county sheriff about the evacuation notice. Luckily, he was told that a strong wind was blowing south up to 50 miles per hour - away from Frishman’s home.

SPARKS TO SAVE On Oct. 26 Napa firefighters intentionally set the perimeter of sophomore Anna Frankel’s grandparents’ property ablaze to protect their home from fast-approaching wildfires. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF FRANKEL

So he drove back and told his family to stay put. They went back to bed, “but, of course, we didn’t get much sleep that night,” Frishman said. Frishman was one of the lucky ones. Cal Fire estimated that at least 187 homes were destroyed by the combined LaPorte and Cascade Fires. And his involvement with the fire didn’t end that night. Frishman also owns a property in Brownsville, where his daughter and some of her friends live. The following night (Oct. 10), his daughter received a mandatory evacuation. She and her friends packed their stuff and went to stay at a friend’s house. Fortunately, they were able to return to the house the next day. Frishman said he is currently fireproofing his daughter’s property. This process includes ensuring there is a clear space between buildings and vegetation, getting rid of small and unhealthy trees on the property, cutting branches above the roofline on trees next to buildings and setting up an emergency sprinkler system with a generator. Furthermore, on Oct. 11 one of his neighbors had a small brush fire less than a quarter mile away from Frishman’s home. The neighbors had to extinguish the fire themselves, as the fire department was unlikely to arrive in time due to the larger fires in the area.

MORE FIRE STORIES ON PAGE 5

Elective teachers grapple with budget changes following dip in enrollment BY CHARDONNAY NEEDLER

of different levels: from the head of school level, the CFO level and diviWhen administrators and the sion head level,” Thomsen said. “It’s not as though we are going to Board of Trustees met late this sumcut the elective budget by 25 percent mer to finish planning the 2017-18 in a year.” fiscal year, they were met with unInstead, Thomsen said that he and fortunate news - enrollment had other administrators go through each dropped by 24 students. The administration was expecting department in all three schools “line by line” to decide where 485 students but ended to cut. up with only 461, ac“Electives in the high We didn’t cording to head of high school are run differschool Brooke Wells. cut much ently than those in the That dip in enrollof anyone’s budget.” middle school, and they ment meant that the —Brooke Wells have different heads,” he budget plans that added. chief financial officer Thomsen said that (CFO) Bill Petchauer had drawn up and that Wells, head of when it comes to high school proschool Lee Thomsen, other members grams’ budgets (a “divisional deciof the administration and the Board sion”), the decision ultimately rests of Trustees had approved in January with Wells since he is the head of had to be changed to fit the new en- high school. And Wells said that this year he rollment numbers. Because of this setback, budgets didn’t make too many cuts. “We didn’t cut much of anyone’s weren’t released to teachers until weeks into the school year, confusing budget,” he said. “We cut costs on professional deand even frustrating elective teachers. Wells said the final draft of the velopment for faculty, photocopying budget was approved in late Septem- (and) printing.” Wells further said that a voluntary ber, just a little bit after the typical wage freeze of administrators’ salaries approval time. But the final budget wasn’t pub- made up the bulk of the budget cut. lished and printed until a few days afBut according to elective teachers, ter high school class trips in mid-Oc- there were still cuts to their budgets, tober. With the amount of income and they didn’t know about them finally clear, cuts could be made and soon enough. budgets finalized. Head of the physical education Since the budgets cover all three department Michelle Myers, who schools, Thomsen said making bud- has been at the school for over three get decisions is “not as simple” as one decades, said that she usually receives would think because it is a multilay- some sort of preliminary ballpark ered system. estimate, even before the budget “Budget decisions get made at lots has been finalized, from all heads of

school. “After school starts and (they) know the enrollment, the heads of school let the departments know approximately how much money is available for them,” Myers said. She added that this wouldn’t occur immediately at the start of the school year, but rather a few weeks in, around mid to late September. But this year that wasn’t the case. Numerous high school elective teachers, Myers included, were unaware of the status of their budgets well into the month of October. Until halfway through the month of October, all Myers knew about her high school budget was from an email from Thomsen saying that there were going to be cuts, which applied to all divisions. Middle and high school choir and

orchestra teacher Felecia Keys was also unaware of how much money her high school section was going to receive as of Oct. 13. “I haven’t even seen our (high school) budget yet,” Keys said. “I know we did get a cut, but unfortunately, I haven’t even seen the high school (budget).” Yet both Keys and Myers were aware of their middle school budgets. “I know my middle school portion,” Keys said. “(Head of middle school) Sandy (Lyon) shared that with us in an email. It’s still a very generous amount.” In that email, Keys received the budgets of middle school drama, middle school choir and the combined middle school orchestra/band, but she received no information about the high school orchestra and choir budgets. Not knowing her high school budget at the start of the year didn’t pose many problems for Keys as she said she does most of her spending in the

ELECTIVES page 3 >>

SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES During the physical education elective’s basketball unit, P.E. teacher Michelle Myers teaches sophomores Christopher Wilson, Bill Tsui and Aaron Graves and junior Leo Eisner de Eisenhof how to play Knockout. PHOTO BY HARRISON MOON

Unconventional casestudy method incites historical thinking History teacher Damany Fisher traveled to Harvard University, Sept. 17-20, to attend a seminar about the case-study method - a way of teaching history through discussions of real-life situations. David A. Moss, a professor at the Harvard Business School, adapted the case-study method to be used in history and is currently bringing it and his class, The History of American Democracy, to high schools as part of the High School Case Method Project. Fisher will introduce the casestudy method to his junior U.S. history class in early November and invites teachers and administrators to observe him. Q: What is the case-study method? A: (David A. Moss has identified) 20 key moments that highlight some of the problems of democracy, along with what he considers some of the turning points in American democracy. Each of the cases (from the method) are based on these moments in history. Q: What is the goal of the method? A: (The goal of the case method is to) force students to consider the context around a particular moment in history and then to look at the different sides of an issue. It really forces students to engage with the past and to understand why certain individuals made a particular decision.

Damany Fisher Students must take a position (or stance on an event) and defend it based on the circumstances that they’ve learned. (For example), based on the context and circumstances, what position or action should James Madison or Martin Luther King Jr. have taken - what should they have done? (Should Martin Luther King have led the protesters onto Pettus Bridge instead of turning around? Should James Madison have pushed for a federal veto of state laws?) Q: Are there any problems? A: WWII, the civil rights movement, slavery and abolitionism could be covered more. I also feel that more could be done to represent women along with working people. I believe that (the lack of coverage of certain topics) is one of the flaws that the people who are administering the (casestudy method) are aware of and are trying to address. —By David Situ

News • October 31, 2017

The Octagon

How fair is the dress code? Some high schoolers claim it’s sexist, biased or figure-shaming wearing pajamas; and the newest rule wouldn’t have been added.” of wearing shorts with less than a Jacobsen said she came up with the three-inch inseam. If a student vio- new rule after shopping online for ith nearly all sophlates a rule, they will receive an email shorts and noticing that they were omores, juniors and from dean of student life Patricia Ja- organized by the length of their inseniors believing that cobsen. seams. there is some gender Graves wore pajama pants; Turn“I thought, ‘Oh, that would really or body type bias in the dress code, bull had excessively ripped jeans, and make my life easier as the dress code according to a Sept. 26 Octagon poll, her bra strap was showing; Jakobs person if I just had a rule, like (shorts) the dress code is one of the most conwore a hat advertising a beer compa- had to be three inches long,’” Jacobtroversial rules on campus. ny; and Fackenthal wore shorts with sen said. On Sept. 28 sophomores Aaron a two-inch inseam. However, students like junior Graves and Naomi Turnbull, juYet none were dress coded. Grace Naify don’t like the new rule nior Nate Jakobs and senior Amalie And the only one noticed by their because they don’t own any shorts Fackenthal violated the five clear-cut classmates was Turnbull. with a three-inch inseam. rules of the dress code, but none were “People came up to me and asked “I have chosen to wear (long) caught. me if I had been dress coded yet all pants all year beThe handbook says that the school day,” Turnbull said. cause of it,” she does not want to mandate a “formal Jacobsen said that the reason said. dress code.” However, there are some not all students who break the Like Naielements of clothing that are not “apdress code are warned is befy, Fackenpropriate school attire.” cause dress coding is not her thal does This includes wearing anything priority. not like “excessively ripped” or distracting; “I don’t walk the rule and showing areas “normally covered around the quad thinks that it by underwear;” wearing something I don’t and look for people should be rewith a reference to drugs or alcohol; walk around who are wearing moved. short shorts, show“It’s such a the quad and look for ing too much skin ridiculous rule bepeople who are wearing cause I don’t know or wearing inapproshort shorts, showing priate slogans,” she where you can find said. too much skin or wearing shorts that have a “(I) refuse to treat three-inch inseam, inapropriate slogans.” this place like a pris(and) I don’t own —Patricia Jacobsen any,” she said. on.” “The dress code is “As long as you a guideline because are covered in your we want (the students) to learn to private areas, then (the length of your make good decisions about how (to) shorts) really shouldn’t matter.” represent (themselves).” Jacobsen said another reason for In the Sept. 26 poll of 80 sopho- adding the shorts rule was to try to mores, juniors, and seniors, 88 per- make the dress code more equal to cent said that the dress code is biased. every body type. This is because last However, only nine students said year she was accused of dress coding they had been dress coded this year. only a specific body type, she said. All were girls. “Last year someone told me that I History teacher Sue Nellis, for- only dress code skinny girls because mer head of high school, they are the ones who wear the short said poor deci- shorts,” Jacobsen said. sion-making “Then about a week later I heard is exactly from another person who thought I what led to was only dress coding a different body the creation type than the one the other person of the inseam told me.” rule. However, even after the new rule “ E n f o rc e - was added, 38 percent of students still ment is always believe that the dress code targets a USA Sophomore difficult,” she specific body type, according to the Aaron Graves said. “But if Sept. 26 poll. wears pajama pants, the girls didn’t One is senior Yasmin Gupta, who a violation of the push the en- said that the dress code targets her dress code. PHOTO velope, then because she has been dress coded for BY JACQUELINE this new rule wearing things that “skinny girls” get CHAO

BY JACKSON MARGOLIS

What happens when you’re dress coded? INFORMATION ACCORDING TO DEAN OF STUDENT LIFE PATRICIA JACOBSEN

A faculty member sees you out of dress code.

Dean of Students Patricia Jacobsen is notified.

away with wearing. TORN Sophomore Jakobs disagreed and said that N a o m i Tu r n b u l l he doesn’t think that there is a wears ripped jeans, body-type bias in the dress code breaking the dress and that certain body types code. PHOTO BY simply need to wear differJACQUELINE ent sized clothing due to CHAO the shape of some of their features. “I don’t see a problem with the dress code,” Jakobs said. And most boys agreed. In the Sept. 26 poll, 90 percent said that they think no part of the dress code should be changed. On the other hand, 62 percent of girls disagreed with Jakobs and want changes. Turnbull had some suggestions. “ W e should be able to wear ripped jeans if we want to because all we’re showing is skin,” Turnbull said. “(And) girls wear bras; it’s not a big deal if their bra straps “It ’s are showing.” not stylish for But Fackenthal said she has no isboys to wear short sue with the bra rule. shorts. For some “That makes sense to me,” she said. reason our society However, Fackenthal said that doesn’t tell boys that boys that break the dress code, such the only way they can be attractive or as by wearing pajama pants or drug valued is by showing off their body.” and alcohol slogans, aren’t dress codJakobs said that the reason that ed as often as girls. girls are dress coded more often than And most stuboys is less complidents agree. In fact, cated. in the poll, 90 perFor some rea“There aren’t that cent of students said son our society many ways that guys that they think that can dress convengirls are dress cod- doesn’t tell boys that tionally that breaks ed more often than the only way they can be the dress code,” he boys. said. (The other 10 attractive or valued is by But, based on her percent said they showing off their body.” experience, Nellis think that boys and —Jacobsen disagreed. girls get dress cod“It completely ed about the same depends on what or they didn’t know. No student thought that boys were each gender is wearing,” Nellis said. “When the boys wore those shirts dress coded more frequently.) that had really large openings in their And Jacobsen agreed. “Girls get dress coded way more arms (bro tanks), we had to deal with that too.” than boys do,” she said.

Minor Offense (first time)

Minor Offense (second time)

Ex: Bra strap showing, ripped jeans below knee - Email notifies student of infraction.

- Email notifies student of infraction - Note most likely sent home to parents.

Major Offense (first time) Ex: Showing midriff or bottom - Email notifies student of infraction and instructs them to change clothes.

Major Offense (second time) - Email notifies student of infraction and instructs them to change clothes. Student serves a detention. - Note sent home to parents.

Major Offense (third time) - Student instructed to go to high school office and wait until parents bring them a change of clothes.

The Octagon

October 31, 2017 • News

Electives: Teachers say budget process needs more transparency

cording to former adviser Mollie back by 200 copies to only 1,000, the Hawkins and current co-editor-in- price would be reduced by only $40. chief Nina Dym. This contrasts to the And for 800 copies, the printing price Octagon, whose budget is completely would go down to only $780. dependent on how much money the Printing aside, Fels said that her school provides and ad revenue. situation hasn’t always been this way; In fact, Hawkins said that she the majority of the Octagon’s printnever knew how much parents were ing costs used to be covered by the (continued from page 1) Wells said. per was going to meet its expenses, charged or how much the yearbook budget. Wells said that a budget “is a proMyers also went to other admin- Octagon business manager Larkin cost to print. Although Wells, Petchauer, curposed amount of money wanted for spring for festivals and competitions, istrators. Barnard-Bahn approached Wells for rent Medallion adviser Tom Wroten a program to run the way it wants to, such as Forum and Golden Empire. “I asked (head of accounts payable information. But for Myers, not knowing her and purchasing) Hannah (Frank), But after speaking to Wells, Bar- and Hawkins would not specify how for example, what you (on Octagon) budget at the beginning of the year who does our budgeting in the front nard-Bahn said she was even more much the publisher charges for each need to run your paper.” yearbook, Thomsen cited the yearThis is why Wells said that Fels can wasn’t as easy to handle. office, if I could have a printout of my confused about the budget. book’s new lower publication cost this come to him if the Octagon needs “We try really hard to set our les- budget because only one of the three “I felt that (even year as a reason for the any additional money. sons up so we don’t have breakage of division heads had told me mine at though the school) difference in budgets But Fels said she misses the ability equipment,” Myers said. “But we’re the time,” she said. wasn’t going to take I kept askbetween Medallion to “plan ahead” and save up for things replacing 10 to 20 floor hockey sticks Myers said that it wasn’t until a our ad money, no one and Octagon. to better the publication. ing (head every year because we’re using them few weeks later, when she noticed a was (necessarily) going “Clearly the budget “If Larkin (Barnard-Bahn) goes against the gravel; Frisbees go over disparity in her budget, that Wells to give us any amount of school) Brooke is going to change be- out and raises another $5,000, we the fence; hockey balls get lost. approached her with the information. of money either,” she (Wells) what our cause the cost of (the have that (money) for something that “Some equipment won’t make it Octagon adviser Patricia Fels said said. yearbook) is going to maybe the school may not think we budget was, and he through the year.” she had a similar experience with the It wasn’t until Ocbe different (after the particularly need but something that In addition, the middle school budget for the journalism elective, tober that Fels and kept saying that he school) saved over we really want,” she said. population is about 140 students, as- which funds the Octagon. Barnard-Bahn finaldidn’t know. ” $20,000,” Thomsen “Right now we don’t have the abilsistant to the head of middle school In 2016-17, the Octagon’s budget ly knew the budget: ity to do that.” —Patricia Fels said. Marisa Christie said. The larger mid- was cut from $6,000 to $1,000, so, $1,000 again, oneAccording to Dym, Myers echoed Fels’s sentiments, dle school population increased the Fels said, it couldn’t get much lower. sixth of the $6,000 not only did Medalsaying that there used to be more biggest P.E. class from 20 students “But originally it seemed like we that it had been for lion cut down the open communication in the past, refto 28. were (going to) get nothing (in 2017- many years leading up to the summer number of pages and make other erencing the fiscal year budget pro“We didn’t have enough hockey 18),” she said. of 2016-17. sticks, baseball bats (or) volleyballs, Fels added that this was the first According to Thomsen, the Octa- “cost-effective changes,” Wroten also cess papers that used to be sent out so we had to buy that equipment, year she could remember not know- gon budget was cut so severely two looked into why and what they were to all department heads by the CFO. and some of it can be very expensive,” ing the yearly Octagon budget by the years ago because of the amount in its being charged for by their publication These papers detailed the budget proceedings for the entire year per deMyers said. first day of classes. “independent bank account,” which is company, Walsworth. After investigating, Wroten decidpartment. Since Myers had to “scramble” to “I kept asking (head of school) raised from advertising and used only ed to switch to Fries“We loved them,” spend money buying more supplies, Brooke (Wells) what our budget was, for Octagon. ens, resulting in “masMyers said. she said she and her department and he kept saying that he didn’t “We looked at that (bank acWe looked sive savings.” She added that she members may not have the opportu- know,” Fels continued. count) and saw that the Octagon had Dym also said that liked knowing when at that nity this year to buy things they (enough) money to make do,” he Medallion is now makher department would were saving up for. said. (bank acount) and be expected to gather Although Myers said she These “cushions” allowed the ing more in ad revenue If there were any questions saw that the Octagon than in the past three and finalize their numreceived middle school budget cut to be made because the school about what their budget was, faced a tighter budget year, he years. had (enough) money bers to present to the information earlier than that of According to Hawheads of school. her high school budget, Wells they could’ve come (to me) and asked.” said. to make do.” kins, there wasn’t a lot Myers also said the stressed that any numbers givsaid that the majority —Brooke Wells of Thomsen —Lee Thomsen papers disclosed when en before mid-October were electives, with the exceptions of of revenue brought in the school, board and preliminary estimates and that the Octagon and the Medallion, during her tenure as Medallion adviser. administration would he was open to sharing those are funded entirely by the school. “(The) school budget provided approve that money. In September, numbers with teachers next year pro“In the past, if I wanted to buy Octagon and Medallion are “invided they knew the numbers were something, I knew if it was or wasn’t out accounts,” that spend both money most of the cost of the book,” she said. she said, she knew what her budget “The majority (of the money for was going to be, allowing her to start not a certainty. outside the budget. But (when I didn’t from the school as well as revenue publishing) did not come from ads; in purchasing equipment and planning “If there were any questions about know my budget) I had no basis for earned from ads, Thomsen said. field trips. what their budget was, (teachers) judgment.” But the price of each yearbook is fact, very few ads were sold.” Dym agreed, saying that Medal“We had much better transparency could’ve come (to me) and asked,” Worried about how the newspa- included in the school tuition, aclion doesn’t have to “generate its own before,” she said. money” for publication costs but Myers explained that the budget instead uses ad money to buy new worksheets kept teachers informed, equipment or cover some of the staff- knowing which months would be the ers’ journalism trip expenses. ideal time to make requests. For the Octagon the inverse is true, In addition to the budget proFels said. ceedings papers, Myers also said she Of the roughly $8,000 spent solely would receive regular budget updates on publishing and mailing the print from former high school dean Daniel edition (with each issue costing about Neukom. 73 cents), the school has provided Neukom said the information he only $1,000 for the last two school distributed included how much monyears. ey department heads The rest is covered had to begin with, how by ads and parent much they had spent We had sponsorships. and how much was According to Fels, much better left. the school has asked transparency before.” “I’d give them this that the Country Day hard copy update every —Michelle Myers one to two months publications (Glass Knife, Octagon, Mein September, around dallion) not create a Thanksgiving, winter parent booster group, as the sports break (and) around the end of the seand fine arts programs have. mester - personally or put it in their Fels also said that although she box,” he said. would love to switch to a cheaper When Neukom stopped being publisher, there is no other cheaper dean of students after the 2013-14 newspaper publisher in the area. year, he was no longer responsible for And reducing the number of cop- the budget information. ies wouldn’t help much either. Both Myers and Fels said they “One of the deceptive things about weren’t sure when the system (the Octagon’s publishing) is that the changed. majority of the cost is just setting up “I don’t know if it’s just a change the press,” she said. in who is leading or running the proAccording to Fels, the last issue of gram,” Myers said. the Octagon cost $879.97 to publish “But I’d really like the transparency WORKING ON A BUDGET Junior Allison Zhang and senior Katia Dahmani work on the second print issue of the Octagon in the Cave. 1,200 copies, but if the Octagon cut to be back.” The Octagon received only $1,000 this year, $5,000 less than previous years. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

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News • October 31, 2017

The Octagon

DISASTER ON THE STRIP PHOTO VIA PIXABAY UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

Alumna was there for deadliest massacre in modern US history

sion shirt, which was partly blocking the flow. She then held the flannel down on Aurich’s side as he lay on a futon in the lobby. A woman who said she was a nurse side from the 58 people Opper said. killed by Las Vegas shootThe second or third time the group walked over and offered to hold the er Stephen Paddock, 546 hit the ground was when Aurich said flannel down so Opper could call 911, she said. were injured. he had been shot. But she had to use Aurich’s phone One of them was Philip Aurich, But at first Opper didn’t believe since she had dropped her own. And the boyfriend of Alyson Opper, ’07. him. “He was holding his side, but I then her calls weren’t going through. And a call she made to her father didn’t think he had actually been BY KATIA DAHMANI shot,” Opper said. “We all had blood wasn’t picked up either. Opper said she then looked outon us at this point, which was other side and saw a police officer parked in Along with about 10 friends, Op- people’s. per and Aurich attended the Route “And I didn’t see blood where Phil the middle of the street with people running past him. 91 Harvest Country Music Festival was holding himself. She tried to go through the buildon Oct. 1 and were caught in what “I expected a bullet wound to just would become the deadliest mass be explosive. So I thought the pain ing’s front doors to get help from the shooting in modern U.S. history. came from someone kneeing him in officer, but the people inside wouldn’t Opper said that their group, which the back, as someone had just done let her out. They had already blocked the front door, turned the lights off suffered three injuries, was probably that to me.” in one of the worst areas of all. The group kept pushing Aurich to and were hiding behind objects as they too thought the That was the right side of the stage keep going, but shooter was on foot. closest to Mandalay Bay Resort and as they neared So her only way out Hotel, where Paddock carried out the the end of the We all had was through the back massacre from his 32nd floor corner festival ground, blood on us door, she said. suite room. they became Opper wedged someAround 10 p.m., soon after coun- more and more at this point, which was thing in the door to keep try music singer Jason Aldean took scattered. other people’s.” it open, ran to the policethe stage, Opper said she heard what “We kind of — Alyson Opper man to tell him that she she initially thought was a problem lost everyone had someone who was with the speakers because of its dig- along the way,” shot, and then returned ital sound. Opper said. “In a lot of reports people said “The friend who got hit was along us to the building. She pulled Aurich up, and she, they thought the first noises were for the longest time until he took a along with the support of a man firecrackers,” Opper said. “But when different turn.” the girl in front of us heard it, she When Aurich and Opper finally Opper said she thinks is ex-military, jumped up and held her ears and said, got off the festival grounds, she could brought him to the police car. But she wasn’t the first person with ‘I thought that was a gun.’ tell there was something wrong with this idea. “And in that same moment, a him. “Ten people were circling this group of people 10 feet in front of us “He was gasping and could barely same car because they also were infell to the ground.” catch his breath,” she said. jured,” she said. That’s when Opper and her group But even so they kept going. Opper said that she could see three of friends turned to run. Aurich and Opper turned down As they began running, one friend a side street and kept running until ambulances farther down the road, which a policeman had blocked to said, “I’ve been shot; they hit me.” they entered a building. Opper said she turned around to “We thought we still were be- secure the perimeter. The next step was getting to one see him holding his arm but told him ing chased since the gunfire hadn’t them, which they did with the help of that he had to keep going. stopped,” Opper said. “Every time you hear a shot, your When they entered the building, the ex-military man. “Phil would lean on him and me, initial reaction is to hit the ground Aurich ripped off his flannel shirt, and throughout it, the man told Phil and lie as flat as possible since you and blood poured out of his side. think the person “The adrenaline kicked in,” she he had to keep going so that we could is coming by said. “I don’t remember thinking get to the ambulance,” Opper said. But when they finally got there, foot,” about the future at that point. I was thinking about how I can get Phil out the ambulances had driven off. “We definitely were feeling helpand to a hospital.” Opper said she realized she less at this point,” Opper said. “We couldn’t see the were in the middle of nowhere with blood when one police car in front of us. “We looked and felt stranded.” he first said But then the policeman barricadhe had been hit because ing the road decided to leave his post he was and load Aurich, along with another wearing a man with a chest wound, into his car c o m p r e s - and leave, Opper said. “The cop said, ‘Screw it! Get in my car,’” she said. So she got into the front seat and another woman sat on her lap. And then they were off to the University Medical Center hospital. Opper now knows that the police officer who left his post saved her boyfriend’s life. “The doctor said Phil ultimately MANDALAY BAY Stephen Paddock killed 59 people (including himself) and injured 546 from would have bled out if he didn’t get to his suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Hotel. Authorities still don’t know Paddock’s motives. the hospital in the time that he did,” she said. PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

ROUTE 91 Alyson Opper, ’07, and her boyfriend Philip Aurich attend the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival on Oct. 1., the same night Stephen Paddock carried out the deadliest massacre in modern U.S. history. Aurich and Opper went to all three days of the festival with a group of about 10 friends. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF OPPER

Opper and Aurich were separated immediately when they arrived. “They put (relatives and friends of other people) into a back room almost like a parking garage,” Opper said. She then got a call on Aurich’s phone from a nurse, who said he was going into surgery. “But before I could get an answer of how bad his injury was or for what he was going into surgery, she hung up,” Opper said. When Opper was finally let into the hospital, she sat in a waiting room with a TV, where news outlets named the shooter and described what had happened. Aurich was in surgery by 11:07

spleen. But the doctors couldn’t finish the colon surgery that evening, so he needed the second surgery. Aurich remained in the hospital until Oct. 16, over two weeks after the shooting. But Opper didn’t see the full extent of the massacre on news outlets until several hours after it actually happened. “It was after that first day that I stopped watching stuff (like that) because (the shooting) was becoming every moment of my life,” Opper said. “I wanted to focus on Phil getting better and my family.” Opper told her father about the shooting and Aurich’s gunshot wound as she was walking to one of the The cop (barricading the road) said, police cars, when he ‘Screw it! Get in my car.’” called her back. “I told him that —Opper Phil got shot and that I was trying to get him to an ambup.m., but Opper wasn’t able to track lance,” Opper said. “He asked if there him down until three hours later and was still shooting, and I said, ‘I don’t know.’ couldn’t see him until about 3 a.m. “I may have hung up (on him); I That was after his first surgery. And he would need another one within 24 don’t remember.” Opper finally filled her father in on hours. everything when she got to the hosA bullet had gone through Aurich’s side, and inside it broke two ribs, doc- pital. “There was a half-hour gap when tors later told Opper. my dad didn’t even know if I was The bullet ended up in his lung, alive,” she said. collapsing it, she said. Her father flew from Sacramento “It’s about a centimeter from his the next morning, and her sister flew heart, so (doctors) will leave it there from Los Angeles. indefinitely,” Opper said. Now Aurich’s road to recovery is Parts of the ribs ended up in Aulong, Opper said. rich’s spleen and colon, so the first surgery was supposed to repair the SHOOTING page 5 >> lung and the colon and remove his

The Octagon

October 31, 2017 • News

Sudden fires shock school families Fleeing alum sees ‘bright orange fireball’ at 3 a.m.

ne member of the community impacted by the fires was the son of history teacher Sue Nellis, Jared Gorton, ’08, who lives in Rohnert Park, about 50 miles north of San Francisco. Gorton’s home was several miles away from the closest fire and thus undamaged. However, he was with his girlfriend at her house when the Sonoma County fires reached the area. Both were woken at 3:30 a.m. by her aunt, who told them they had to evacuate. “We had no idea how close the fire was, or what was going on,” Gorton said. “All we did was pack. We got her passport, important documents, pictures - the things she owned that could not get lost in the fire.” Most people in the area were told to evacuate via word of mouth, as the initial fire was moving extremely rapidly due to high winds. According to Gorton, the fire department did not immediately call people after the fires started. When Gorton and his girlfriend went outside, the horizon to the east was “a bright orange fireball,” he said. “It looked like the sun was rising.” Gorton’s girlfriend went to the hospital where she works, which is located north of her home while Gorton returned to his own house to get as far away from the fire as possible. His girlfriend’s house was far enough from

NATURE’S WRATH The Lobo Fire engulfs a hill in Rough and Ready, California, on Oct. 12. PHOTO VIA U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

the edge of the fire to be unaffected. However, her aunt’s home, which is right next to Gorton’s girlfriend’s, is still inaccessible to the public. Though his girlfriend’s house was spared from the fire, Gorton’s former home, located in Coffey Park, was not. “The house that I used to live in was completely destroyed,” Gorton said. “(And) I know multiple (old) neighbors who lost their homes.” For the past two or three years, Gorton has run his own financial and insurance services practice located in southwest Santa Rosa, sev-

eral miles from the fires. Though the company wasn’t directly affected, it still felt the fires’ impact. According to Gorton, during times of crisis, people aren’t interested in talking about insurance or retirement policies. “For the last week or so, the primary questions on people’s minds are ‘Is my home OK? Is my business OK? Is my job gone?’” Gorton said. Besides selling insurance, Gorton said he now acts as a guide for those affected by the fires, answering their questions about claims to insurance or relocating.

H2O SOURCE Firefighters drain sophomore Anna Frankel’s grandparents’ pool in Napa. Like the firefighters, freshman Erin Wilson’s grandparents’ neighbors planned to fight the fire with pool water. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF FRANKEl

Freshman’s grandparents still unsure about damage to Windsor house The grandparents of freshman Erin Wilson, who live in Windsor, were threatened by the Santa Rosa fires and evacuated on Oct. 11. “They weren’t entirely worried (before they were evacuated),” Wilson said. “They didn’t think the fire would get to them.” Wilson’s aunt picked them up, and they are staying at her aunt’s house in San Francisco, she said. Not everyone in the neighbor-

hood evacuated, though. Wilson’s grandparents’ neighbors, who are ex-firefighters, stayed. Like the firefighters in sophomore Anna Frankel’s grandparents’ community (see story at right), they planned to fight the fire if it reached their neighborhood by using a large connected pool system to drown it out. As far as Wilson and her family know, there is not much damage to the house, she said.

Shooting: tragedy bonds Las Vegas community (continued from page 4)

Nurses come each day, and he participates in therapies to help him breathe and walk. And he’s expected to make a full recovery. “Over the next couple months we are hoping he gets his strength and puts on the weight he lost while in the hospital,” Opper said. The optimism Opper has for Aurich’s injuries is also evident in Las Vegas, according to Opper. “I haven’t been to the Strip yet, but I’ve heard from colleagues and friends

also brought everyone together. “On the first night people brought cell-phone chargers to the hospital, and someone brought me a change of clothes,” she said. People were also asking if others that there definitely is an eerie sense needed money, she said. over by Mandalay Bay,” Opper said. The flights for Aurich’s family “But everywhere else members, who live in there is an uplifting Minnesota, were also feel to it. People ask, taken care of, Opper “People ask, ‘Were said. ‘Were you you there? Did you “While there’s a defiknow anyone there?’ there? Did you know nite sadness around, I because they’re gen- anyone there?’” think it’s covered up by uinely concerned for —Alyson Opper a sense of community,” everyone’s well-beOpper said. ing.” “The one thing that And Opper can tell Vegas has always strugthem that her two friends and her gled with as such a transient town is boyfriend are all recovering. that there isn’t a sense of community, Opper says that the shooting has and sometimes you forget that people

All stories by Héloïse Schep

“Our focus is on helping people that have been affected by the fire,” Gorton said. “It has been a hectic week for everyone here.” He is also involved with Active 20-30, a service organization with about 50 groups in the U.S. and Canada that is now providing relief to the Napa and Sonoma communities. One of the focuses of Active 20-30’s fire relief program is providing high school students with school supplies. Gorton said that the donations the organization receives are usually writing utensils or backpacks, not high school level materials such as binders, graphing paper or calculators that are used in math classes like calculus. “(These supplies are) not the first thing on people’s minds when they are (compiling) donations,” Gorton said. “Usually, people bring food, money or water. “But they’re so important because they allow high school students to go back to school, which is paramount to their success moving forward.” Now that the fires are being contained, people are asking how to help, and Gorton has some answers. “We don’t really need clothes or water,” he said. According to Gorton, those wanting to aid should donate money and gift cards instead. Another way to help is by visiting the impacted areas that relied on tourism to support the economy, like Sonoma or Napa counties, he said. “We need people to come here and spend their money so we can rebuild the economy,” Gorton said.

Sophomore camper loses her beloved ‘home away from home’ Sophomore Anna Frankel may not have lost her home, but she lost her home away from home. Camp Newman, a Jewish camp in Santa Rosa, burned down in the Santa Rosa fires, which began on the night of Oct. 8. Frankel said she and her family have attended a special-needs family weekend retreat at Camp Newman in the spring since she was 5 years old. She also attended the summer camp for five years during lower and middle school. Frankel said her synagogue, Congregation B’nai Israel, is very invested in Camp Newman. The fire is especially devastating to the community because Camp Newman had been in the process of renovating many of their buildings, mainly the cabins, for the last five years. “Now it’s all gone,” Frankel said. “Everyone (at the synagogue) is so sad about it burning down. It was a really beautiful place.” Frankel’s paternal grandparents were also affected by the fires. They own a ranch in Napa that was endangered by the Patrick Fire.

Her grandparents have shared the ranch with her grandfather’s brother and his wife since the 1960s. Though it did not burn down, the ranch was completely surrounded by the fire for days. “(My grandparents) didn’t have a whole lot of hope,” Frankel said.

The fire department used controlled fires to ensure there would be no more fuel left for the fire once it reached the ranch, Frankel said. The ranch’s pool was also drained. The water from the pool was put aside to be used to extinguish the fire if it reached the ranch. The methods were successful. Frankel said her grandparents are “out of the woods now,” but they won’t have power for three more weeks as of Oct. 24.

SHABBAT SPECIAL Then fourth grader Anna Frankel (second from left) eats dinner with her counselors and friends at Camp Newman during Shabbat, a weekly Jewish holiday. On Shabbat, campers wore white to celebrate. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF FRANKEL

live here. “Right now you’re seeing the community side of Vegas, which is a first in a long time.” Companies and venues are focusing on attracting locals and making sure they feel safe, Opper said. “They’re informing us of additional and continued security they’re going to be taking on the Strip,” she said. And one of those is figuring out how to secure tall buildings. Opper, who is a private event planner for the T-Mobile Arena on the Strip, said the shooting wouldn’t have happened in an arena setting. “Unfortunately a man found a hole in the system by finding an opening in a tall building facing an open ground,” Opper said. “It’s something new they’re going to have to check, and not only in Las

Vegas. There are many cities that have festival grounds with tall buildings (nearby) - like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.”

VEGAS STRONGER Opper and Aurich leave the hospital on Oct. 16. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF OPPER

Sports • October 31, 2017

The Octagon

Varsity volleyball - practically perfect in league Losing only to archrival Valley Christian Academy, girls are champs for third year in a row

for those positions,” Song said. “Each position is tough to play and has its own challenges. (Trying out new positions gives them) a chance to learn what those differences are.” However, junior Tori Van Vleck said that this new aspect also has its disadvantages. “It’s good practice, especially when we aren’t playing very tough teams,” Van Vleck said. “But at the same time playoffs are

ith only one league loss to their arc hr ivals, the Valley Christian Lions, the varsity volleyball team finished their league season as champions. Senior Lea Gorny said that good communication has been key to the team’s success, along with long service runs and improved serve-receive passing. “We are able to know what’s going on on the court We just need to keep with little confusion,” Gorny playing confidently said. when we have our downs and “We are definitely com- take advantage of our ups.” ing together —Heidi Johnson and meshing as a team better than we have coming up, and we want in the past.” And Gorny said that to be prepared.” “(Playing out of posithis is not the only thing that has changed since tion) can get a little conlast year. The team has fusing and cause us to be also been experimenting out of order.” Van Vleck also said with new positions. Changing positions al- that, like any team, the lows the girls to get famil- girls have their ups and iar and comfortable with downs and that many of the entire court instead of these are based on where just their one position, ac- their games are played. “(For the most part), cording to assistant coach our home games have Sarah Song. “If they always play been pretty strong, but right side and never get to our away games haven’t,” experience left or middle, Van Vleck said. Van Vleck attributed they have less compassion

this to the familiarity of playing in their home gym and using their own balls, as well as the exhaustion of long car rides to away games, some as far as an hour away. And she said that having a home crowd, no matter the size, to cheer them on definitely affects their energy. According to junior Heidi Johnson, working to pull through their off games could definitely benefit the team. “We just need to keep playing confidently when we have our downs and take advantage of our ups,” she said. But Johnson said that besides this improvement, the girls have worked hard this season, and it has paid off. “When we have difficulty with certain aspects, we come back and work harder (to improve) that particular (skill),” Johnson said. The team’s dedication and experience have gone a long way in their performance as well, according to head coach Jason Kreps. “These players put in the time and effort, even out of season,” Kreps said. “A lot of them (played) when they were younger, and it definitely went a long way.”

PASS, SET, TIP Sophomore Jewel Turner tips the ball while a Cristo Rey player prepares to block, and senior Annya Dahmani covers her. The varsity team’s league record was 11-1, and their overall record was 18-5. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

league games

BY ANNA FRANKEL

Cristo Rey 9/8 (3-0)

El Dorado Adventist 9/13 (3-0)

Buckingham Charter 9/19 (3-2)

Valley Christian 9/22 (3-0)

Faith Christian 9/26 (3-0)

Sacramento Adventist 9/28 (3-0)

Cristo Rey 10/2 (3-0)

Valley Christian 10/12 (0-3)

Buckingham Charter 10/13 (3-0)

El Dorado Adventist 10/17 (3-0)

Faith Christian 10/20 (3-0)

Sacramento Adventist 10/24 (3-0)

HAPPY HUDDLE Varsity celebrates after winning the second set of the homecoming game on Oct. 13 against Buckingham. The girls defeated the Knights, 3-0. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE CHAO

Sports Boosters’ Athletes of the Month Yasmin Gupta

Gupta has proven herself a consistent competitor on the volleyball court this season in the front row and in her service game. We are most proud of her sportsmanship and her enjoyment of the game. She contributes by providing a confident presence on the court. She has grown in serving skills and blocking.

Katia Dahmani

Dahmani is always pushing herself and her teammates to play at their best. We are most proud of her competitive nature and leadership on the court. She contributes by reminding teammates to shake off their errors and by being one of our most vocal players during matches. She has grown tremendously.

The Octagon

October 31, 2017 • Anniversary

1989

Teenage weddings: Three alumni marry right out of high school

1983

The truth about Jesuit: Learn what it’s really like at the popular all boys’ high school from a senior at Country Day

PAGES 7, 8-9 AND 10 CONTAIN STORIES SELECTED FROM ISSUES PUBLISHED OVER THE PAST FOUR DECADES OF THE OCTAGON

1986 Drunken art heist: Intoxicated alumnus and friend walk off with $470,000 worth of works, including Picasso and Klee pieces

years of the

OCTAGON

1985 Flying through an explosive encounter: Freshman is brunt of practical joke involving blown-up airport toilet

Fake IDs make school more fun: Underage students find a way to get into bars, clubs, casinos

ALL GRAPHICS IN “40 YEARS OF THE OCTAGON” BY MOHINI RYE AND ALLISON ZHANG

1991

Anniversary

Former student Aaron Schock is currently serving a court sentence requiring him to pay $1,500 and do 200 hours of community service for stealing paintings from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on Sunday, July 28, 1985. Schock, 20, along with his accomplice friend, Mark Dienstag, both students at San Francisco State University, stole artwork by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Man Ray and Edward Steichen, totaling an estimated $470,000 in value. Schock, a member of the museum, claims the heist was the product of a drunken effort to see the works in a better light. He presently lives across the street from the museum and, in the past, went for unofficial visits at least once a week. He learned that the museum rented out a large room for public events and realized that “if you dressed decently you could get some free food and drink. A lot of people did it,” Schock said. That evening, the two friends went to the museum where a wedding reception was being held and started drinking. “They were saving the champagne for later, so they served hard liquor,” Schock said. In the meantime, they drank vodka and grapefruit juice. “We got fairly drunk,” he said. Intoxicated, the pair began to explore the building floor by floor. Due to poor security, several doors were easily opened, so Schock and Dienstag entered a room where some pieces were displayed. “I really wanted to see the Paul Klee’s, so we took some of the pictures into the hall to look at them,” Schock explained. They decided to take the works. On the way out of the museum, they noticed sketches by Picasso and photographs by Man Ray and Edward Steichen and took those as well. “It was the craziest thing, and it wasn’t planned; it just happened,” Schock said. By 3 a.m. the duo had sobered and realized that they needed to return the art pieces. According to Schock, the museum was closed the next morning, so they planned to leave the art in a locker of the Greyhound terminal and phone the police with the whereabouts. By then they had already been exposed. An anonymous call to the San Francisco press led to their arrest. Even though the aftermath was an unpleasant and trying one for Schock, he believes he learned a great deal from it. “Although I would not like to relive it,” Schock said, “at every adversity lies a seed to success. At some time or another, a person challenges the structures that be. This was my challenge.” Schock also said that he learned about how the legal system operates. Since the heist, he has received several calls from people in the city who thought the act was amusing. A party was given in his honor at a San Francisco bar, and he was offered the rights to a story commemorating the episode. He declined. “They made it more difficult for me; it created a real conflict. I had done something wrong that I wanted to get over, and they were celebrating it,” he said. In retrospect, Schock feels the worst result of the incident was the image he gained among people who knew him. “One day I’m a straight-A student, the next day, THIS,” Schock said, remorsefully. “I want people to know that I’m involved in more things than what I did. I mean I’m really a mellow guy; I usually just sit home reading or cooking lentil soup.”

The Oc

Teenage marriage is a phenomenon more common than most people think. The only law restricting such a marriage in California is one stating that any person under 18 must have his or her parents’ consent. Two SCDS graduates were married as teenagers. Katina Meckley, formerly Katina Tsakopoulos (a 1981 SCDS graduate), got married at 19 in December, 1982, after knowing her husband for about eight years. “I have known him since I was 12. I love him a lot and we both decided to get married,” said Meckley. However, this decision produced some problems with family and friends. “Everybody said we were going to regret it,” said Meckley. “Actually, my parents had little to say in the matter. I just got married, and they had to accept.” Meckley realizes that marriage holds many responsibilities, like “doubling everything I do or want.” With her husband Kenny learning to manage a liquor store and Meckley studying to be an accountant, Meckley feels their financial outlook is bright. But at the moment, they are receiving financial support from the Tsakopouloses. “After my husband manages his own liquor store and I finish school, we’ll be totally independent,” said Meckley. Being a married couple has its difficult moments, Meckley said. The Meckleys are hesitant to be around friends who don’t have boy- or girlfriends for fear of embarrassing them or making them feel awkward. “It makes people feel bad because I talk about my husband all the time,” Meckley said.

Arquelle Hamelin (formerly Arquelle Frasse), also an SCDS graduate, got married at 18 after knowing her husband for only five months. Like Meckley, Hamelin said she was “totally in love,” but gave other reasons for getting married also. “I realized I could have my husband and my job,” said Hamelin. “He understands my career and respects that fact.” Hamelin, now 22, said that being married has strengthened her friendship with her husband as well as her career. She said she also appreciates her husband’s help with their baby born last year. “My husband is wonderful about the baby!” exclaimed Hamelin. “I work eight hours a day and then go to night school. He takes care of everything while I am gone.” But Hamelin faced many obstacles when she decided to get married. She felt she had to prove herself to the people she knew. “It was tough. My mother would have preferred that I continued going to school,” explained Hamelin. “I also got a lot of pressure from the people at Country Day.” Hamelin, financially independent and completely happy with her marriage, said marriage has made her more mature than most people her age. Hamelin added, “I also trust and am trusted by my husband.” Both Meckley and Hamelin recommended early marriage only if the couple does not “rush into it.” Said one, “You have to be mature enough and sure enough to know what you are doing. Otherwise, it could be a big mistake.”

one bu Bush blowing Pago P Samoa Pacific. parentl joke. Durin family of Tong a day hour la waited we wer the bat down, noticed “So I explode

By Marc P

2 SCD marr

Alumnus apprehended for $470,000 art

40 YEAR

Stories transcribed by sophomore Jackson Margolis, juniors Jacqueline Chao, Jack Christian, Mehdi Lac Needler, Mohini Rye and Allison Zhang and senior Sahej Claire. Any typos are original and serve to kee published form.

“Some of you won’t be returning next year, be it for disciplinary reasons, grades, or for something else, but very realistically it could be that the fellow freshman sitting next to you may not be here

next year. Get used to the idea. It could be you.” That’s what my freshman class and I were told at the beginning of the Jesuit 1985-86 school year. We sat quietly on the bleachers inside the gym where we were told

READ THE REST on scdsoctagon.com

the way it wa in one place at over a hundred were grouped. We were gre that we should for being able to suit, and that the able among us w to be weeded o

Emphasis on popularity at Jesuit

By James Chapman

October 31, 2017

ctagon

By Shalini Chatterjee

s freshman Mike Bush discovered during Christmas vacation, practical jokes are funny to everyut the victim. was falsely charged for g up an airport toilet in Pago, located in American a, a U.S. territory in the South . The explosion was aply the result of a practical

ng vacation, Bush and his traveled to the Kingdom ga, stopping in Hawaii for and Pago Pago for a 12ayover stop. Said Bush, “We d in the airport, and while re waiting I needed to use throom. I went in there, sat looked behind me, and d the toilet was smoking. I stood up, and the toilet ed from from underneath

me! I fell down and couldn’t hear myself speak. I stood up, pulled my pants on and tried to get my hearing back. I heard knocking and opened the door. “The police grabbed me and threw me up against the wall. They dragged me to the airport police station. I didn’t know what was going on. He (a policeman) asked me if I did it and I said no. He said I better say yes, but I had the same answer and he said the same things several times. I asked for my father and they brought him in and asked me many more question - they even asked me if I was employed. “I started getting my hearing back but everyone sounded like they were on helium. I had a bad headache and earache.” Bush has not had any medical test to determine if his partially impaired hearing was a serious mat-

Exploding toilet shocks Bush in Samoa

ter, but he said his ears “hurt pretty bad every once in a while.” He continued, “They had me empty my pockets and they frisked me. They didn’t find anything incriminating.” Bush was informed about three hours later on the plane home that the fishing bomb was probably planted by a prankster. The practical joker had apparently occupied the stall just before Bush, intending to scare the next person to use that stall. Said Bush jokingly, “I heard the governor of Pago Pago was in the airport at that time. Maybe he had something to do with it.” However, the incident’s effect on Bush was more frightening than funny. “It ruined the whole trip for me,” said Bush. “I hate every memory about the explosion. I was in shock the whole way home: I was scared to death.”

Paoletti

DS grads get ried early heist

By Dalya Wardany

combe, Chardonnay ep each story true to its

as. Together t one time, d freshmen

eeted, told be grateful o attend Jee less desirwere going out ...

Fake ID’s purchase what only age can buy Imagine being able to get into any club or bar you wanted. To be able to buy liquor, vote, or even gamble, and all at the age of 16. Some high-school teenagers find these options so tempting that they obtain a false means of identification. That’s right! Fake I.D.’s: they aren’t just for the college crowd anymore. “I got mine so I could buy liquor,” said one Country Day student, who also said the card was used to get into dance clubs and gambling casinos. “One time a group of friends and I went up to Tahoe to gamble. We were denied at some of the bigger places, but most of the second-rate casinos didn’t care. “I would say about 10-20 of my close friends have fake I.D.’s,” the student continued. And they’re good fakes, he said. “It (the I.D.) is really authentic. The only thing it doesn’t have is the official seal (of California that appears on the lamination of California driver’s licenses and D.V.V identification cards). And it’s a little faded-looking, but other than that it looks real.” The student obtained the I.D. through a student at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

“I gave my license to him; he scraped the lamination and typing off with a lead printer, retyped it, and relaminated it.” But what is considered by the law to be a federal offense is not confined only to U0P. “A lot of people I know get them from (UC) Santa Barbara and Cal (UC Berkeley).” The student is currently in the process of getting a new one from a student at American River College who “does it for twenty bucks.” For some collegiate entrepreneurs, fake I.D.’s are big business. “There’s also a guy in Santa Barbara that for a hundred bucks will steal you a birth certificate from city hall. Then you just take it into the D.M.V and tell them you lost your license or you need an I.D. card.” The I.D. scam is not foolproof however. “My old one got taken away at an Oak-

By Steve Lesher

land A’s game,” the student said. “They had this light they shined on it to see if it had the seal (on the lamination). And when I asked for it back, they threatened to press charges.” No matter how easy it seems to pull this off, however, the authorities aren’t taking fake I.D.’s lying down. Steps are being taken by the D.M.V. to prevent forgeries, the latest and most effective of which are the new types of California driver’s licenses and I.D. cards, which now are credit-card-style plastic and are supposedly impossible to fake. Although the penalties vary depending on the case, according to the public defender’s office, a minor in possession of a fake I.D. is charged with a misdemeanor and a fine. Additional consequences depend on what the I.D. was used for.

Anniversary • October 31, 2017

The Octagon

77 Feb. 7, 19

Over the decades

Orchids

“Orchids & Onions” was first published in the middle school newspaper that Octagon adviser Patricia Fels started in 1976. Its final appearance was in the January 2017 issue of the Octagon.

Headlines have been transcribed from the original stories, and all dates listed are the publication dates.

Jan. 18, 2017

Onions

Oct. 20, 1977

The first issue of the Octagon Artist’s conception of the gym

Jan. 30,

Fels (and Nellis) give birth to girls, girls, girls!

1981

Board approves gym plans

An SCDS wedding

Jan. 27, 1986

, 19 Nov. 24

School colors change to red, black, w hi te Jan. 30, 1981 Jan. 29, 1988

Cable finally beamed to Sacramento after long-awaited arrival Some of the channels available were • • • • •

USA network ESPN The Disney Channel MTV Country Music Television

• A&E • Black Entertainment Television • The Weather Channel • A&E

• • • • • •

CNN The Movie Channel Nickelodeon HBO Showtime The Playboy Channel

Feb. 19, 1988

Preschool reopens after seven years

Feb 19, 1993

Reid & Price Advertisements Feb. 19,

Nov. 14, 1997

1993

Sept. 19, 2017

Pepsi deal controversial Two drink-vending machines selling PepsiCo products were installed in the gym lobby in return for a $4,300 scoreboard. SCDS earned a 20 percent commission on all drinks sold.

Jan. 26, 1989

Homecoming returns to Country Day Theme: Cupid’s Night Out Date/time: Saturday, Feb. 4 from 8:30 p.m. to midnight Location: Gym Tickets: $8 a couple or $5 per person

thanks for 40 years!

Opinion • October 31, 2017

OCTAGON STAFF

The Octagon

“Budget Questions” by Mohini Rye

My Angle

PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Annya Dahmani Katia Dahmani Sonja Hansen

By Jackson Margolis

ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Sahej Claire Chardonnay Needler

Halloween and homework don’t mix

DESIGN CHIEFS Mohini Rye Allison Zhang BUSINESS MANAGER Larkin Barnard-Bahn NEWS EDITOR Jack Christian FEATURE EDITOR Mohini Rye OPINION EDITOR Allison Zhang PRINT SPORTS EDITOR Jake Longoria ONLINE SPORTS EDITOR Bryce Longoria SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Bri Davies PHOTO EDITOR Jacqueline Chao MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Jake Longoria Harrison Moon Bryce Longoria, assistant David Situ, assistant PAGE EDITORS Jack Christian Annya Dahmani Katia Dahmani Anna Frankel Sonja Hansen Mehdi Lacombe Jackson Margolis Mohini Rye Héloïse Schep Allison Zhang

REPORTERS Keshav Anand Sarina Rye Kristine Schmitz Spencer Scott Elise Sommerhaug Ian Thompson Erin Wilson Ming Zhu GRAPHIC ARTISTS Jacqueline Chao Mohini Rye PHOTOGRAPHERS Jacqueline Chao Bianca Hansen Shimin Zhang ADVISER Patricia Fels The OcTagOn is sacramenTO cOunTry Day’s high schOOl newspaper. iTs purpOse is TO prOviDe a reliable sOurce Of infOrmaTiOn On evenTs cOncerning The high schOOl in Or-

Der TO infOrm anD enTerTain The enTire schOOl cOmmuniTy.

The

sTaff sTrives

fOr accuracy anD freeDOm frOm bias in iTs sTOries.

significanT

will be nOTeD anD cOrrecTeD.

The OcTagOn

errOrs

shall publish maTerial

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EDITORIAL: Budgets need to be prompt, transparent and fair

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hich scenario teaches children responsibility: buying them what they want when they ask for it or giving them a set allowance to save up for what they want? While teachers don’t need lessons on maturity or conserving money, the principle still applies. This year, due to an unexpected drop in enrollment, the budget had to be redesigned at the last minute. So high school teachers didn’t know their budgets until mid-October. We understand that enrollment fluctuates, but in previous years, teachers always received at least an estimate by the first day of school. And while the extra month of waiting for exact numbers might not seem like a big deal, for some teachers, like head of the physical education department Michelle Myers, it is. At the beginning of this year, she needed more supplies for growing P.E. classes. (See “Elective teachers grapple with budget changes following dip in enrollment,” p. 1.) But since she didn’t know her budget, she had to scramble to get equipment, which isn’t cheap. Head of high school Brooke Wells points out that if teach-

ers need more money, they can always approach him. But this solution shows the flaws in our current system. The purpose of budgeting is to provide a financial framework for teachers’ decision-making. If the process is done properly, teachers shouldn’t need more money than what they’re given. And if teachers do need more, does “approaching Wells if they need more money” mean that their budgets must be completely drained before teachers can request additional funding? The school needs more transparency and a better system of communication to prevent such issues from arising. Fiscal year budget process papers used to be sent out by chief financial officers to notify department heads of their budgets for the following year. Furthermore, regular budget updates were consistently released by former high school dean Daniel Neukom. These updated teachers on how much money they had spent and how much remained. So why have these methods of communication stopped? Not only are they helpful for teachers to plan ahead, but they also teach students the importance of budgeting. Students in charge of activ-

ities, such as Student Council or our various publications, should be part of the conversation. Learning to budget is part of learning to lead. The school is taking steps in the right direction, though. Wells has asked teachers to estimate how much money they will need in January or February prior to the start of the next school year. And for many core classes such as English and history, this method works well. But for others such as Octagon and P.E., how can those teachers or students in charge know what they’ll need nine months before the next school year when they’re only halfway through the current one? Anticipating purchases will get us only so far. And for the Octagon, it probably won’t help. We spend roughly $8,000 on printing and mailing the print edition, but a mere eighth of this is paid for by our $1,000 budget. Ad and sponsorship money goes straight toward printing costs. On the other hand, the Medallion’s publishing costs are largely funded by the school while its ad revenue pays for extras like special equipment or staffers’ journalism-trip expenses. The Octagon would like the same consideration.

CAMPUSCORNER Which elective deserves a bigger budget?

“The music program probably. People who (are part of) either band or orchestra usually take other music classes like chamber or jazz. The people who are part of the music program have to be pretty devoted and (have) to (play their instrument) before and after school.”

“Drama definitely needs more money for a new stage and better resources like lighting and costumes. The green room still needs updating - it’s really crowded. It’s the little things that we need: more backstage stuff and sets. (Drama teacher) Brian (Frishman) does some things out of pocket.”

ASHWIN ROHATGI, FRESHMAN

LUCA PROCIDA, JUNIOR

Even though I wasn’t allowed to eat candy until I was 8, Halloween has always been one of my most enjoyable nights of the year - and it’s not just because I can dress up as Han Solo or The Wolverine. On Halloween, while roaming around the darkened streets, I have a sense of invincibility. I feel as though the night will never end. But then I realize that it’s Tuesday, and I have school tomorrow. When I get back from trick-or-treating, I have homework assignments coming out of my ears. Also, houses that give out candy will stay open later when Halloween falls during the weekend. So if you’re like me who does an extracurricular activity every day of the week, then there isn’t much time for trick-or-treating on a school night. This scheduling conflict means I get only raisins from that one health-nut neighbor, because that’s usually the only candy left. Ever since I can remember, I have responded to these melancholy Halloween school nights with nothing more than a shrug and a broken heart. However, to quote Mrs. Banks from “Mary Poppins,” I have decided to “cast off the shackles of yesterday!” Even though she is referring to women’s rights in her song, I believe that this quote can also apply to my campaign to move Halloween to the last Friday of October. Face it, who in their right mind likes Halloween on a school night, besides stingy people who don’t buy candy or don’t like trick-or-treaters wandering around their neighborhood? But you might be asking yourself, if that’s true, why haven’t we moved it yet? Well to answer that, we need to dive into some ancient Celtic history. And if that doesn’t sound like fun, I don’t know what does. Halloween was originally a Celtic festival, celebrated on Oct. 31, involving spirits visiting Earth. The Celts built sacred bonfires and sacrificed animals to spirits while wearing costumes made of animal skins. It then became Catholic affiliated, because it was the eve of the Catholic and Celtic combined holiday: All Hallows’ Eve. So even though moving Halloween probably goes against the ancient Celtic traditions and modern religious practices, holidays are constantly adapting to the current world. For example, Thanksgiving, which used to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November was moved to the fourth Thursday by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1939 to give merchants more time to sell before Christmas. And it’s not like religious holidays have never changed either. Look at Christmas. In Roman times Dec. 25 was celebrated with elaborate feasts and religious sacrifices because it was the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. Christians didn’t choose that day to celebrate Jesus’s birth until after it was already a Roman holiday. Since we live in a nation of many religions, why should a holiday that brings together families and neighbors of many different spiritualities contain a specific religion at its core? It shouldn’t. But more importantly, it shouldn’t take place on a school night. That way, I’ll be able to eat all of my Halloween candy while I stay up late watching “Psycho.”

Opinion • October 31, 2017

The Octagon

HALLOWEEN HORRORS

Murderous clown, haunted hotel, vengeful stalker leave students screaming

cessor, one can see “It” as more of a story than a stereotypical series of jump scares and high-pitched violin notes. Instead, this film has a plot, complete with a climax and a resolution, and conI hate horror movies. Why in the world tains multidimensional charwould anyone go to the theater and watch a acters with equally commovie to get freaked out and posplex relationships. sibly lose some Z’s? Every 27 years in That’s why I was surprised the fictional Amerithat despite the genre, I thorcan town of Derry, the oughly enjoyed “It.” number of missing chil“It” isn’t supdren spikes. So a group of posed to be only misfits (the “loser gang”) descary. cides to settle their differences In fact, it’s a bit in the hopes of defeating the like a roller coastsinister entity claiming other “But if you’re er - exhilarating, children’s lives - It. raises your blood It seems like every audience looking for terror, pressure, unsafe for member can associate with one rest assured that ‘It’ pregnant women of the members of the “loser offers plenty.” and the elderly, ridgang.” (I took a quick liking to ers (viewers) must the brash Richie Tozier.) be a certain height And that’s fairly remarkable (age) to enjoy this ride, etc. considering the main characters are all Looking beyond the great CGI separat- children. ing the modern movie from its ’90s predeWell, except for the monster ITself.

BY CHARDONNAY NEEDLER

‘It’

The monster, Pennywise, well known for being the quintessential creepy clown, is horrifying and humorous. It’s not uncommon to go from chuckling at a snide remark from It to having your heart skip a beat out of fear within a few seconds. The surprises hit hard, and the action scenes are balanced with ’80s-nostalgia-inducing scenes of the town of Derry. (Even though I wasn’t born in the ’80s, that era produced classic Americana films, alongside which “It” would fit in perfectly.) But if you’re looking for terror, rest assured that “It” offers plenty. “It is not for the squeamish or easily disturbed; Pennywise conjures up every creepy thing imaginable to scare the kids - and the viewers. If the ominous red balloons, surprising jump scares scenes, creepy dead children, perverted fathers or clowns don’t get your blood curdling, then maybe the emotional twist at the end will be enough. And if you don’t gasp at least once during the 135-minute film, then you’re either lying or “floating” in a different world.

BY IAN THOMPSON

‘The Shining’ About a month ago on a Sunday night, I was home alone and decided I wanted to watch a horror movie. I eventually landed on “The Shining” and settled down for two-anda-half hours of fear and a night of disturbed sleep. “The Shining” is the story of a family that relocates to a hotel in Colorado over the winter, while the hotel is out of operation. While the father, Jack, maintains the hotel, the family is quickly beset by increasingly terrifying experiences, including disturbing visions of their toddler and a phantom bartender. There are very few movies that are as captivating and tense as “The Shining.” From the ominous drive into the mountain to the ending credits, I found myself riveted, as the

BY JACKSON MARGOLIS

‘The Gift’ Though movies with supernatural beings like “The Conjuring” and “Friday the 13th” send chills up most people’s spines, horror movies that are realistic and have more probable plot lines have always terrified me more. And a perfect example of a film that fits into this realistic horror genre is “The Gift.” Released in 2015, “The Gift” tells the story of Simon and Robyn Callem, a young couple who moves from Chicago to Los Angeles with their dog after Simon gets a new job. But after only five minutes, it becomes clear that this 108-minute film will mostly revolve around Simon’s high school friend Gordo, who looks and acts as if life hasn’t treated him very well. Simon tells Gordo that he should come over and that they should catch up. So Gordo does just that and then proceeds to stalk them every day when Simon is

“IT”: TEEN - SCARE RATING

“THE SHINING”: TEEN - SCARE RATING

“THE GIFT”: TEEN - SCARE RATING

intoxicating mixture of fear and foreboding orchestra. I found that the ambient-like indrew me deeper and deeper into the Over- dustrial sounds created tension even when look Hotel. the events on screen felt somewhat mundane. Even at the beginning, it’s obvious someThe music mixes with the visuals to form a thing is off with both the family and the haunting backdrop for the events of the movhotel. The child has an “imaginary friend” ie; the bellowing, sinister horns punctuating that seems to predict the future, and the long drive into the desothe former hotel manager late mountains pulled me in committed murder in the immediately. hotel. With an R rating for alWhile the quality of most every category possithe movie’s video is pretble (violence, profanity, “... intoxicating mix of ty dated (it was released nudity and substance in 1980), the imagery is use), this movie isn’t fear and foreboding impeccable: every shot for all audiences. drew me (in) deeper ...” feels necessary to produce However, afthe film’s eerily calm aester seeing it for thetic. myself, I think The movie’s beautiful cinematography it is worth stomaching; it’s alis accompanied by a haunting, understated ready one of my favorite movscore of ominous horns and shrill, industrial ies and definitely a good pick clangs combined with a more conventional for Halloween.

at work and Robyn is home alone. another horror movie stalker, but What started as a friendly re- the audience, after learning his tragunion dinner turns into Gordo ic past, begins to feel sorry for him bringing the Callems gifts, such as and starts to wonder who is the true koi for their pond. protagonist. These generous acts make Simon I watched this movie for the first uncomfortable, but Robyn thinks time at a party because I wanted to that Gordo is just being friendly. watch a movie that was scary but Gordo then invites them over “wouldn’t leave me with nightmares.” to his own house for dinner. The “The Gift” was the wrong choice. Callems are expecting a run-down After watching it, I was scared to shack. However, when they pull be home alone for at into the driveleast a month. I was way, they so terrified because I are met by a knew that what hapmansion. pened in “The Gift” Once Gorcould happen to anydo leaves to one. “After watching it, I was take care of a In addition, the scared to be home alone “quick emerfilm’s frightening gency,” Simon moments are essenfor at least a month.” decides that tial plot elements, he no longer not unnecessary horwants his wife ror add-ons. (or himself ) to be in contact with Amazingly, the actor who plays Gordo. Gordo, Joel Edgerton, also directed So when Gordo returns, Simon the movie and wrote the script that tells him to stay away from both of will scare you out of your mind. them. Zombies don’t exist, dolls The next day, Robyn finds the koi don’t come to life, but dead and their dog missing. creepy parts of your past From then on the movie takes un- might indeed come expected dark turns. At first, Gordo back to haunt you. seems like just

The Octagon

October 31, 2017 • Opinion

When I was little...

the Borg, sea storms and Dementors scared me to death! “HARRY POT TER”: KID - SCARE RATING

“LIT TLE MERMAID”: KID - SCARE RATING

BY SPENCER SCOTT

‘Star Trek: First Contact’ “Star Trek: First Contact,” which came out in 1996, is a movie in which the villainous Borg go back in time to assimilate Earth after the Third World War. The crew of the Enterprise, the main ship in the series, follows them back in time to prevent this, but is infected by the Borg along the way. The Borg are a cyborg collective, all connected by a hive mind, that fly around in gigantic cubes as their space ships. They go from planet to planet integrating life into their collective by turning that life into cyborgs.

“I didn’t watch this movie again for years afterward. When my family members watched it, I would hide in my room.” Whenever they hail someone, they say, “We are the Borg. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile.” As an 8-year-old, this mantra terrified me. Whenever I bring this up with friends, they say, “Wow, you were such a scaredy-cat!” To justify my long nights of staying up staring into the dark corners of my room for a week after watching the movie, here is some background. As a young child, I not only watched the Borg destroy a lot of human starships while suffering little to no damage itself, but also saw the scary assimilation scenes. The Borg would start by injecting people with nano-probes, discoloring their skin. Soon after they would amputate a limb and replace it and an eye with cybernetic implants. Once the nano-probes took over completely, the victim’s hair would fall out, marking the end of assimilation. This transition into a part of the collective was the scariest part. Most of the crew members who were assimilated had already had screen time as people. But once they had been assimilated, they were a different person. This person who had been funny or quirky was now just a mindless drone connected to the hivemind. I didn’t watch this movie again for years afterward. When my family members watched it, I would hide in my room. When I was 14, I finally grew the nerve to take another look. While I was still scared to death, I stayed up for only two nights instead of the whole week! Go ahead and poke fun all you want, but just imagine watching this as an impressionable 8-year-old. Scary, right?

“STAR TREK”: KID - SCARE RATING

BY KESHAV ANAND

‘Harry Potter‘ BY SAHEJ CLAIRE

‘The Little Mermaid’ The Disney Princess movies are the pinnacle of sweet, heartfelt, do-good animation, perfect for young girls because of their strong female characters and triumphant happily-ever-afters. Right? Wrong. To 5-year-old Sahej, watching “The Little Mermaid” was akin to walking through a haunted house alone. It wasn’t the sight of the tentacled sea witch Ursula or her eel henchmen, Flotsam and Jetsam, that terrified me. It was the storm. And not even the storm during the final battle, in which we see Ursula, in all her queenly glory, get skewered on the prow of a ship by Prince Eric. Nope. The storm in the beginning. For some reason, the sight of Eric and his men at the mercy of towering, violent ocean waves inspired a fear so strong, I couldn’t continue to watch the movie. I

More horror Find an exclusive video of high school teachers discussing movies that scared them when they were young at scdsoctagon.com.

never got to the part where Ariel saved Eric until a good five or six years later. As someone who’s now a dedicated fan of horror movies, thrill rides and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, even I find the story hard to believe. But I have a very vivid memory of sobbing and screaming, “I don’t want to watch it! Turn it off !” while my mother tried to comfort me.

“I have a very vivid memory of sobbing and screaming, ‘I don’t want to watch it! Turn it off!’” Coincidentally, I read Hans Christian Andersen’s original fairy tale before watching the Disney movie in full, and it’s undeniably darker. Ariel obtains her legs at the cost

of not only losing her voice but also feeling the sensation of walking on knives with every step. And there’s no happy ending. The prince marries the other girl, and instead of killing him to save herself as a sea witch demands, Ariel chooses to dissolve into sea foam. Looking back, I think it was the original fairy tale that convinced me the movie wasn’t as horrifying as I’d once thought. Thanks for curing me, Hans.

Almost all American children enjoy the Harry Potter series. But I am not one of them. In fact, as a 7-year-old, the Harry Potter series was the bane of my existence. Those movies are the reason that I still quiver in fear while watching a horror movie. Every Harry Potter movie terrified me; however, it was “The Prisoner of Azkaban” that completely destroyed my liking for the series. What scared me the most was the dementors. Dementors are monstrous creatures that appear for no reason, draining peace, hope and happiness from those around them. Afterward, I thought that dementors were real and would feast on my happiness at night. This certainly interfered with my sleep.

“I was so frightened that I turned off the movie and did not watch it for the next couple of hours.” The production effectively created images that popped out in the movie, or changed the lighting by dimming the background. The viewer is always thinking of what is coming up next but never knows. This allows viewers to imagine they’re in a dark haunted house. “The Goblet of Fire” also scared me. In this movie, Harry is chosen by the Goblet of Fire to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. In each of the Tournament’s three dangerous challenges, Harry Potter nearly dies. When Harry is teleported to Voldemort’s graveyard, Voldemort’s minions bring Voldemort back to life. With the help of his parents, Harry duels with Voldemort, barely escaping death. As Harry Potter faced near-death, I was so frightened that I turned off the movie and did not watch it for the next couple of hours. Because the movie’s special effects were so effective in portraying this part of the movie in which Harry Potter is trapped, I thought “Harry is going to die!” After almost witnessing a death of a fictional character that I thought was real, I gave Harry Potter up for good!

Feature • October 31, 2017

The Octagon

PILOTS TAKE FLIGHT

Earning licenses means tests, long hours in the air All stories by Héloïse Schep

ike many other teens, sophomore John Snyder is training to get his license. However, the license isn’t for a

car. It’s for a plane. Snyder started taking flying lessons in May. He said his interest in flying was caused by his uncle, who was a navigator in the Air Force. “I thought I’d take up (flying) even though it was kind of early,” Snyder said. “You have to be 16 (years old) to fly by yourself, and I was only 15 (in May).” Snyder said he has flown to Napa, Chico, South Lake Tahoe, the Grand Canyon, Sedona and San Andreas airport. Snyder isn’t the only aspiring pilot at SCDS. Junior Alex Rogawski started taking flying lessons this summer at Rison Aviation in San Diego. Rogawski flew in a 40-mile radius from Gillespie Field, where Rison is located, around the San Diego area. Some of his other flights were along the coastline of San Diego, from San Diego toward Orange County, and over mountainous terrain east of Gillespie Field. “As long as the airspace wasn’t restricted, I was allowed to fly wherever we pleased,” Rogawski said. According to Rogawski, his mother was very close with Jim Panknin, Rison’s owner, in college. Rogawski said he started flying because he has been interested in aviation since he was little. Over the summer, Rogawski also interned at Panknin’s charter company, Executive Flight Support. The internship included filling out (mostly

financial) paperwork, adding up bills, According to Snyder, the plane he flight, mean. checking fuel prices and creating bills flies with his instructor is about the size “It’s not very complicated,” Snyder for passengers. of a minivan, but he plans to fly bigger said, “but there’s a lot of detail in the Rogawski said he also worked on ones with multiple engines once he gets airspace questions because they don’t the company’s social media accounts to his license. want you to, for example, fly into Beale help attract new pilots. He does not own a plane, but rents airspace, where the Air Force is located, In return the company provided one from the company where his current and get shot down by fighter jets.” planes, runways and an instructor for instructor works. Snyder said he missed only two of the him during his flying lessons. Rogawski said he has flown a Piper exam’s 100 questions. When Snyder began flying, he flew PA-28-161 Warrior, an all-metal, unBecause he passed the test, Snyder can with four different instructors, who pressurized, single-engine, piston-pow- fly by himself but has done so only once. helped him with the routines. ered airplane with low-mounted wings Rogawski said he can’t fly by himself Snyder said that there is a large turn- and tricycle landing gear. yet and isn’t taking lessons at the moover in instructors because becoming a “(It is a) four-seat single-engine prop, ment but hopes to pass the exam and flight instructor is part of the process to sort of like a sedan,” Rogawski said. finish getting his license this summer. become a certified pilot. Snyder flies twice a month. He estiThe licensing process for pilots inWhen aspiring pilots graduate from mates he has flown about 50 hours so far. cludes a written test and a check flight college, they can pick up flight with an FAA-certified (Federal hours (which are necessary to Aviation Administration) pilot. be hired by airlines) by becomAnd Snyder is now looking I don’t think (I have) a favorite thing ing instructors. forward to getting his pilot’s about flying, but when you’re up there - license when he turns 17 (a reHowever, not all instructors are training to become pilots. quirement for the license) on especially when you’re flying alone, and you just Rogawski said all of his inAugust 22, as he is interested in structors were experienced hear the engine - it’s so serene.” flying as a career. —John Snyder pilots who instructed on the According to Snyder, there side, and Snyder said his last are many career paths for pione was a California Highway lots, such as attending the Air Patrol officer who was already a licensed Aspiring pilots must fly 40 hours to Force Academy, going to college and pilot. receive their license. They must also take then joining the Air Force Reserves, or Rogawski said he has had positive ex- a pre-solo written take-home exam, becoming an airline pilot. periences with each of his instructors. which Snyder has already passed. Other options include colleges spe“My main instructor was a super-nice According to Snyder, the exam tests cializing in aeronautical engineering guy - very helpful and really helped me knowledge of many situations, such as with training to become a pilot as well. learn my way around planes,” he said. what to do when the engine dies or how This is one option Snyder said he is esRogawski said the instructor showed to perform maneuvers with certain mea- pecially interested in; another is the milhim around the cockpit, explaining how surements (like a steep turn within plus itary. the plane flew and giving him a lot of or minus 100 feet), and whether the stuSnyder said he wants to join the Air in-the-air practice. dent pilot can land the plane. Force, but he plans to attend college first. Like Rogawski, Snyder said all four of The exam also asks about airspace Pilots must make a 10-year, active his instructors have been “pretty great.” (where and how high a pilot can go), duty service commitment when they enHowever, there was one who grabbed various functions of the plane, what list, according to the Air Force website. the control stick away from Snyder when speeds are allowed and what different “I’m definitely going to serve in the he was landing to take control of the insignias mean. military,” Snyder said. “I’m not sure plane, which he did not like. For example, if pilots are at an airport, about (serving) the whole ten years, “She didn’t think I could (land) the they need to know what the heading though, so I might join the (Air Force) plane by myself, but I could,” he said. numbers, which indicate the direction of Reserve.”

FLYIN’ SOLO Right: Sophomore John Snyder went to Ketchikan, Alaska, on vacation and flew with Tony, a sea plane pilot last July. Snyder has also flown over Nevada, Tahoe, Napa, Chico and San Andreas. Bottom: Snyder flew a Cessna 172 Skyhawk plane during his first solo flight on Sept. 16 in Auburn. A Cessna is a highwing plane, so the wings are on the top. PHOTOS USED BY PERMISSION OF SNYDER

The Octagon

October 31, 2017 • Feature

In the Reserve, pilots are allowed to choose their flight hours and don’t have to serve a 10-year commitment, according to Snyder. “That’s also a way to (gain) more hours, so after (serving in the Reserve) I can become an airline pilot,” Snyder said. He also aspires to become a firefighter pilot after he retires. “(Fires) are a really big issue in California, and I want to be able to help the community out,” Snyder said. “It doesn’t pay a lot of money, but it seems like a really cool job.” Rogawski is interested in flying as a career, too. However, he said because it takes a long time to get the hours and ratings necessary to become a pilot, he is not entirely sure. For both boys, there are many great aspects of flying. Rogawski said he loves seeing everything from above. “It’s just cool to look down and see your surroundings from so high in the air and to have the ability to move around up there,” Rogawski said. However, Snyder said he is often so focused on the plane that it is hard for him to take in the view. “I don’t think (I have) a favorite thing about flying, but when you’re up there especially when you’re flying alone, and you just hear the engine - it’s so serene,” Snyder said. He also really enjoys flying at night, which he has done once in Arizona. “It’s just a totally different type of flying,” Snyder said. “You get to see a bird’s-eye view of the city at night, which is amazing. Not a lot of people get to see that.” He also has a definite least favorite part: putting the cover on the airplane after

flying. “It’s a pain,” Snyder said. “You have to strap the cover around the whole plane, and there’s so many things you have to strap and hook on.” Rogawski said his least favorite things are all the pre-flight checks, checklists and paperwork. “It can take a long time, but it’s also important to be safe, (and it’s) not something I can avoid,” he said. Rogawski said he has never been involved in any scary incidents. During one flight, his attitude indicator (an instrument used in an aircraft to inform the pilot of the orientation of the aircraft relative to Earth’s horizon) was a little off, but this wasn’t an issue because it was sunny and clear out. It was easily fixed once Rogawski landed. Snyder had a similar experience: the flaps of his plane, which lift the plane during takeoff and slow it down during landing, repeatedly fell down during the flight because the flap-switch did not stay up. He also once almost ran over a piece of metal on the runway with his plane while flying in Chico. And during one flight the horizontal stabilizer, which is used to maintain the plane’s longitudinal balance, failed to work, but it did not affect the plane much, according to Snyder. But do nerves ever get to these pilots in training? “Nope,” Snyder said. Rogawski agreed. “Planes are usually pretty safe,” he said. “It’s almost always pilot error when a plane crashes. “Flying doesn’t scare me. Otherwise I wouldn’t be a pilot!”

SKY HIGH Junior Alex Rogawski flies over San Diego in August while his instructor Piper Arrow watches. PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF ROGAWSKI

Q&A

WITH ALEX ROGAWSKI In addition to flying planes, junior Alex Rogawski has also collected model airplanes for about 10 years. Q: Why did you begin collecting model airplanes? A: My grandfather bought me a few model airplanes when I was (young). I especially liked the planes when I was younger, (since) I couldn’t fly. Q: Where do you buy them? A: I buy them pre-built from different websites. Q: How many models do you have? A: Around 30 or 40. Q: What type of planes do you collect? A: Mostly Delta (Air Lines) aircraft. I have pretty much every type Delta currently flies. I also have models from other American and international airlines. Almost all of the model planes are commercial, but I also have a few WWII-era fighter planes. Q: Why mostly Delta aircraft? A: Delta is my favorite airline.

John Snyder

PILOT’S PERSPECTIVE FAVORITE PLANE? Boeing 757. FAVORITE AREA TO FLY? Lake Tahoe because the views are amazing; and the air, especially in the morning, is extremely smooth. FAVORITE AIRLINE? Hawaiian Airlines. I haven’t had a single bad experience with them.

Q: What is the most expensive aircraft you own? Where did you get it? A: I own some planes that are pretty old and couldn’t be purchased today unless it’s from a collector. My Delta (Boeing) 757 or 767, without winglets, are the rarest. I got (them) online many years ago, probably from Amazon. Q: Do you ask for particular models as presents? A: These days I don’t purchase them very often. In the past, (though), yes. Almost all (my planes) were presents or (bought with) money I (had) saved up. Q: Is there anything you dislike about the planes? A: There isn’t much I dislike, but they do break very easily and require a high amount of precision and care. They aren’t toys.

Backpage • October 31, 2017

The Octagon

Metal umbrella, tree save art teacher from 10 billion watts of electricity Q&A with Julie Didion

Ceramics teacher Julie Didion was only feet away from a lightning strike on Aug. 6 while at the beach with her family.

BY MEHDI LACOMBE

Q: Where were you when the lightning struck? A: My husband, daughter and I were at Lester Beach in the D. L. Bliss State Park in Tahoe. It was getting cloudier, but Tahoe weather always changes, so we stayed at the beach. We were out by the water’s edge, with our beach blankets and our umbrella. Q: Was anyone else there? A: There were a few other families scattered around the beach and this one very large Middle Eastern family (eating) at picnic tables under this large tree. Q: What was the weather like before the lightning strike? A: The sky was really dark, so I told my husband we should get going. All of a sudden, this really strong wind came up out of nowhere. The wind ripped through, so I went to grab our umbrella. It was one of those old-school (beach) umbrellas, so it was made out of metal.

Q: What was the lightning strike like? A: We heard the loudest blast - the loudest crack of sound I had ever heard. It was a huge crack of thunder. It was so loud that my husband was knocked down, either because of the sound or the lightning bolt itself. Q: Where did the lightning strike? A: We found out from other people that lightning had struck the tree where the Middle Eastern family was sitting, and one bolt had branched out to our umbrella. Those were the only two tall things on the beach. It split the tree about halfway down. It cut down a really thin line as if someone had cut through it with an X-Acto knife. Q: Did you and your family see the lightning strike? A: We personally didn’t see it because it was right above our heads. We were so disoriented because it was so loud. (I’m surprised no one burst an eardrum.) At that moment every car alarm in the parking lot went off, and every baby started crying. It was so loud I almost wanted to cry too. It was like a bomb had hit. Q: What did you do after the lightning struck? A: We went to leave, and it was then that

I realized my arm was numb. My arm only stayed numb for an hour. We didn’t even know at this point that a part of the lightning had hit our umbrella. Thank God no one eating under the tree was hurt. Everyone just started to run in different directions. The entire event was just really bizarre. Q: How did you find out that lightning had hit your umbrella? A: Some guy who was about half a block away came and told us. He couldn’t believe that lightning had actually hit (it). He kept asking if we were OK and saying how unbelievable it was. Q: How do you feel about witnessing such a rare event? A: It was a once-in-a-lifetime event. We really wanted to know what the chances of that happening to us were, so the second we got cell service we looked it up. It’s actually way more common than you would think, like 1 in 3,000. I just wish I had been able to actually see it. I really love lightning, and I always try to run toward it when I see it. Since it was right above us and there was no other lightning, I didn’t see it at all. We had no warning that this massive amount of energy was collecting in the sky ready to come down.

PAINTING BY SOPHIE NAYLOR