Baseball team achieves unprecedented levels of success
BY ANDREW BURR
Sacramento Country Day’s baseball program has had significant success in 2024. By winning five games this season, they vastly outperformed the previous two years’ performances despite losing multiple team members at the end of each year.
Coach Christian Scott, the captains — seniors Aiden Cooley and Ike George — and key players such as junior Max Weitzman have all played important roles in the team’s improved performance this season.
Team members appreciate this season’s success after experiencing challenging
seasons over the past couple of years.
Two years ago, the Country Day baseball team finished their season with one run and zero wins. The following year, the team increased its total run count but only finished the season with one win.
However, this spring, Country Day scored over 60 runs and secured five wins, setting an all-new standard that coaches and players hope to meet and exceed in coming years.
According to Scott, Cooley, George and Weitzman greatly improved their fielding, pitching, hitting and leadership skills.
With their improved performances, Cooley and George showcased both vo-
cal and demonstrative leadership in both practices and games.
“George and Cooley contributed a very high amount with their excellent leadership,” Weitzman said.
According to Scott, Cooley played a big part in helping the team improve by letting people know exactly how to fix their mistakes and praising team members whenever they did something well.
“It was relatively easy to step up into a leadership role for me,” Cooley said. “Being captain and playing catcher went hand-inhand with one another because catcher is already a leadership-focused position on its own.”
George also played a prominent role in guiding the team toward success through different means. According to Scott, he contributed to the team culture by acting as a hard-working role model for younger team members, despite not being overtly vocal.
“Cooley and George would work together to keep practice structured and moving by leading the team’s stretching and throwing,” Scott said.
The season was filled with highs and lows like any other, but many of these moments were on the extreme ends of the spectrum.
BASEBALL RECAP page 3 >>
Athletic Director Matt Vargo named model coach of the year
BY AARYAN GANDHI & AVA LEVERMORE
Last month, Sacramento Country Day Athletic Director Matt Vargo received two major awards to add to his collection, the 2023-24 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Sac-Joaquin Section and the State Model Coach Award.
Candidates are nominated by athletic di-
CAMPUSCORNER
PROM
On June 1, from 7-10 p.m., high school students are invited to attend the Sacramento Country Day High School Prom, held in the Elks Tower Ballroom at 921 11th Street. Tickets are $100, and tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, May 29.
rectors from other schools. It is given to three males and three females from the San-Joaquin Section, comprising over 200 schools from Merced to Yuba City, Nevada to Napa (the 35th largest state association by itself).
The Section then nominates one female and one male to win the state award.
The criteria CIF uses to recognize coaches are based on six key principles: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
On June 6 at 7 PM, the Class of 2024 will graduate from Sacramento Country Day at Edwards Plaza. All grade levels are invited to join and celebrate the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!
and good citizenship.
This means coaches who strive to be positive role models and display leadership within a school or community.
Vargo received both awards. As Head of the Athletic Department, Vargo’s responsibilities include overseeing the school’s athletic programs, communicating with other coaches, and organizing schedules, transportation and facilities. He has also coached several Coun-
try Day sports teams over the past 22 years. Ask him the best part of the award, and he will pull out his wallet and present a heavy, gold-plated CIF San Joaquin lifetime pass, good for any event in the entire section—and he can bring a “plus one”.
Upon receiving the award, Vargo said he felt both surprised and humbled.
COACH AWARD page 3 >>
INSIDE ISSUE the
THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT
Read two contrasting reviews of Taylor Swift’s newest album released on April 19, 2024. (PAGE 9)
PHOTO COURTESY OF REPUBLIC RECORDS
CAPTAIN’S CLUTCH Senior captain Aiden Cooley secures a fastball during a game. Cooley is primarily a catcher, but he also occasionally bats and pitches. PHOTO BY SIMON LINDENAU
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Ava Eberhart
Lauren Lu Garrett Xu
COPY EDITOR
Saheb Gulati
HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY
Siri Atluri
NEWS EDITOR Zema Nasirov
FEATURE EDITOR
Eesha Dhawan
SPORTS EDITOR
Andrew Burr
A&E/OPINION EDITOR
Ishaan Sekhon
PHOTO EDITOR
Rehan Afzal
PAGE EDITORS
Rehan Afzal
Andrew Burr
Ava Eberhart
Lauren Lu
Anisha Mondal
Anika Nadgauda
Zema Nasirov
Ishaan Sekhon Garrett Xu
BUSINESS STAFF
Saheb Gulati, manager
Aaryan Gandhi, assistant Daniel Holz
SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF
Ava Eberhart, editor
Lauren Lu, editor
Anika Nadgauda, assistant
Anisha Mondal
REPORTERS
Kate Barnes
Elisenda Bota
Jesse Dizon
Aaryan Gandhi
Saheb Gulati
Daniel Holz
Ava Levermore
Rebecca Lin
Luke Scripps
Lillian Wang
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Rehan Afzal, editor
Rebecca Lin
Anika Nadgauda
Zema Nasirov
Simon Lindenau
MULTIMEDIA STAFF
Zema Nasirov, editor
Andrew Burr
Jesse Dizon
Anika Nadgauda
Luke Scripps
GRAPHIC ARTISTS
Lauren Lu, editor
Claire Gemmell
Rebecca Lin
ADVISER
Andrea Todd
The Octagon is the student-run newspaper of Sacramento Country Day high school. The print edition is published eight times a year, and the website is updated daily. The Octagon is committed to unbiased and comprehensive reporting, serving as a source of reliable information for SCDS students and the school community. The Octagon will publish all timely and relevant news deemed appropriate by the editors-in-chief and adviser. We seek to highlight high-school-related events and spotlight the voices of those with a story to share. Further policies can be found on our website or by scanning the QR code below.
2024-25 new positions for The Octagon and Medallion
BY LILLIAN WANG
Sacramento Country Day publications and Student Council have selected new leaders for the upcoming school year.
The Octagon, Sacramento Country Day’s high school newspaper, is led by a team of editors-in-chief (EICs) and adviser Andrea Todd. Every year, The Octagon releases eight issues and exclusive stories for its website.
In addition to ensuring every issue is good quality and out on time, the EICs must know how to edit pages, write stories consisting of different styles and plan the logistics for every issue.
Junior Saheb Gulati and sophomore Zema Nasirov will join the two of three current EICs, juniors Ava Eberhart and Garrett Xu, in leading the 2024-2025 school year. Third EIC senior Lauren Lu will be leaving for college.
This year, there were six applicants for the role of EIC.
“What made Zema stand out was her work ethic, knowledge in different story types, skills in photography and willingness to help others,” Lu said.
With 22 staffers in The Octagon, the EICs wanted to make sure that they had strong leaders for next year.
“Saheb seemed perfect for that role. Even when he was practicing leading the class, you could see how easily he fell into that role,” Lu said.
For the 2024-2025 school year, Gulati and Nasirov both hope to make improvements to staff-bonding in The Octagon.
“I want to include more ways for people to interact, especially the freshman and seniors. Something that I’m taking into consideration is bringing back staff dinners,” Nasirov said.
As an rising EIC, Gulati is hoping to bring back past bonding traditions.
“I hope to build back up our staff culture so The Octagon works more as a cohesive unit. I think that will make our stories bet-
ter and make the class more fun,” Gulati said.
The Medallion is a year-long elective dedicated to creating the school yearbook. Yearbook adviser Melissa Strong is in charge of planning and putting the finishing touches for every page of the yearbook.
For the 2024-25 school year, junior Manny Biddle will continue to lead as EIC. Sophomores Itzel Zamora and Morgan Hansen will take the new roles of assistant EIC and copy editor, respectively.
The Medallion plans to train Zamora to become an EIC in her senior year.
“I’m excited to become EIC,” Itzel said, “I already have some ideas for what could happen.”
Hansen is someone who enjoys writing. To gain the role of copy editor, she had to write multiple stories for the yearbook and read an online handbook about the position.
“I think Morgan will be a good copy edi-
tor. I like the direction she takes when she writes,” Biddle said.
Country Day’s Student Council, a group of elected students who handle high school events, has also elected new leaders. Gulati and Xu will be replacing president senior Harper Livesey and vice president senior Brooke Barker, respectively.
Student Council adviser Patricia Jacobsen constantly communicated with Livesey and Barker to make sure that next year’s leaders were suitable for the role.
“I think they both will do great. They tend to be very efficient with their time, so I’m confident that they will make every deadline,” Barker said.
Gulati and Xu will be taking over morning meeting announcements every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
“I’m hoping to bring back Fun Fridays, where every Friday the Student Council will provide a fun treat or activity for the students,” Xu said.
Awards won in both individual
BYJESSE DIZON
From April 4-6, Sacramento Country Day School students attended the National High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City, Mo., organized by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA). The Glass Knife won two awards and The Octagon won one award. In addition, three Octagon staff members won an honorable mention in various categories.
The Octagon newspaper was awarded eighth place for the on-site Best of Show competition. Junior Saheb Gulati and sophomore Zema Nasirov both earned honorable mentions in the JEA National Student Media Contests. Gulati and Nasirov participated in the commentary writing and editorial writing categories, respectively. Sophomore Rehan Afzal was also awarded the Best of Show Award for the Photojournalism feature photo category, placing ninth out of the qualifying ten at the convention.
The National Student Media Contests took place at the convention in conference rooms tightly packed with other competing students. For their respective writing contests, participants received a prompt and had two hours to handwrite a story on a provided topic. According to Gulati, there were around 60 competitors being proctored.
Students were allowed access to outside resources such as dictionaries, thesauruses and spell-checkers. However, Nasirov and Gulati were unaware of this and later regretted not taking advantage of these resources.
Gulati believes that he did well due to his organizational skills. Before writing, he brainstormed and developed an outline which helped him finish quickly without re-writing sections.
As for Nasirov, she thinks that she did well adhering to the AP style, based on the rubric that was given back to her.
For future competitions, Nasirov hopes to do more practice prior to the competition, while Gulati hopes to take a look at the rubric to get a sense of what the judges are looking
and group categories
for before competing. Looking back at the competition, to avoid mistakes, Nasirov advises students to be prepared and aware of where their contest might take place. Before her competition, she ended up going to the wrong hotel, which resulted in a lot of stress and anxiety as she entered the competition for the first time.
“To ease your mind, make sure you know the environment you’re in prior to competing,” Nasirov said.
Gulati advises students to focus on grading rubrics to maximize scoring and focus on having a readable structure and correct grammar.
In the future, Nasirov hopes to possibly compete in the news category of the National Student Media Contest. For Gulati, it depends.
“I’d love to leave the opportunity open to younger Octagon staffers who can use the opportunity to get more experience, develop their writing skills and possibly get an award. It’s a great opportunity,” Gulati said.
The Glass Knife literary magazine was also awarded eighth place in Best of Show at the convention. From the California News Publishers Association (CNPA), The Glass Knife also earned a gold medalist critique and was awarded an All-Colombian Honors for its visual section, scoring 965 points out of 1,000 for last year’s issue.
Sophomore Claire Gemmell, the art editor for The Glass Knife, said she was happy that the staffers’ work was recognized in such a special way.
“Some amazing artists contributed, and our literary pieces were stunning,” Gemmell said. “Everyone worked really hard, so the prize was well deserved.”
Another member of The Glass Knife, sophomore Annabelle Do, believes that the magazine was successful with planning events and getting students involved this year. For next year, Do hopes that the Glass Knife plans and hosts more events.
As for Gemmell, she would like to see more students submit pieces for the
as
did.
This year, The Glass Knife didn’t receive any music submissions, and Claire believes that they add to the magazines creativity and diversity of art.
“Before this year, Tonye submitted most of the music, ranging from alternative to hiphop and rap, so we hope that other musicians will submit more audio recordings next year,” Gemmell said.
magazine’s music category
Country Day alumni, Tonye Jack, ’23,
FUTURE IS BRIGHT Junior Ava Eberhart, sophomore Zema Nasirov and juniors Saheb Gulati and Garrett Xu will be The Octagon’s EIC’s. PHOTO BY REHAN AFZAL
Baseball Recap: Team scored 60 runs, five season wins
(continued from page 1)
Hitting four home runs in a row is a rare achievement for any baseball team, and Country Day managed to do it in a game against Highlands High School.
This achievement served as a huge confidence booster for the team.
The team was only one win away from earning its first playoff berth in any current player’s high school career.
Although this was a disappointing way to miss out on the postseason, it also served as motivation for the team, Weitzman said.
Moving forward from the season, the team hopes to improve, although it will not be easy due to the loss of valuable talent.
“I don’t think anyone can fully fill the gaps that seniors leave behind when they graduate. They’re always such great leaders, and it will be hard for anyone to match their role,” Scott said.
Still, younger team members will do their best to take on leadership roles and improve the team’s culture.
According to Scott, the upperclassmen on the team contributed greatly to the revolution in team culture that the program experienced this year.
Whether this was showing up to practice early, being serious and on-task during games or showing younger team members what to do, they always contributed in
some way.
“We are a young team and have a lot of talented freshmen that could break out and be crucial players if they work hard,” Scott said.
George has a similar outlook on the future of the team.
“The season was really fun. I’m super proud of my guys, given a lot of them had never played before. I’m excited to see what they do,” George said.
Scott also has his eyes on the future and believes improving the team’s confidence and mentality will be the key to greater success.
“We need to realize that just because a team has played longer than us and has more experience, that does not mean they are better than us,” Scott said. “There were a lot of games this season that we went into with a defeatist attitude, and I hope that won’t be a problem next year.”
Many team members are optimistic about the future, including Weitzman, who is slated to become a captain next year.
“I’m a little too hard on myself sometimes, and I think that also goes for the team. Improving our enthusiasm and teamwork is the biggest way we’ll be able to move forward. I definitely think the future is bright for our team,” Weitzman said.
Coach Award: Athletic Director recieves state recognition
(continued from page 1)
“It’s truly a reflection of my coaching staff and our student-athletes at Sacramento Country Day,” Vargo said. “We have a stellar reputation for doing the right thing and having incredible sportsmanship.”
Another member of Country Day’s sports staff includes Jason Kreps, who coaches the ski and snowboard team along with high school boys and girls volleyball.
Kreps has worked with Vargo since 2004 and since then has sought out Vargo’s counsel regarding the sports he instructs.
“He has a wealth of knowledge,” Kreps said. “He’s coached different sports for so long that it’s easy to bounce ideas off him, and it’s just nice to get advice from him.”
Vargo describes the athletic department coaches as inspiring individuals who uplift the Country Day community.
“I would put this staff up against any high school. They inspire me every day. We have coaches on my staff who will be the best coach some student-athletes have ever had,” Vargo said.
Currently, Vargo coaches varsity boys soccer, junior varsity (JV) boys basketball and golf, all in the high school. He also helps coach the middle school.
His work ethic has been recognized through the awards he has won, exemplified by his selection as the 2012-2013 Sac-Joaquin Section (SJS) Athletic Director of the Year.
Vargo started coaching right out of college as the first JV boys basketball coach at Lodi Adventist Academy for two years.
In 1995, Vargo helped start the girls soccer program at Galt High School as an assistant coach, and the following year, he started and
organized the JV soccer team, coaching for two years. Subsequently, he served as the head coach of the varsity girl’s soccer team for an additional two years.
From 1998 to 2001, Vargo was the varsity boys soccer team head coach at Lodi High School.
Growing up with parents as teachers, Vargo describes coaching as an extension of the classroom.
“It’s another way to teach kids. It doesn’t matter what sport you’re coaching, you’re using that sport to teach young student athletes all kinds of different great things,” Vargo said.
Vargo encourages student-athletes to improve their character, work with others, set goals, explore new things, take risks and be physically fit in their chosen sport.
Sophomore student-athlete Ella Martinelli plays for Country Day’s girls soccer team. As the coach, Vargo gives the team pep talks before games.
“Whenever we have a game he is very supportive. It doesn’t matter if we win or lose. It’s always, ‘Let’s just go play our hearts out,’” Martinelli said.
Beyond Country Day soccer, Martinelli expressed interest in playing college soccer to Vargo, who then encouraged her to join recruiting websites, email coaches and get private training to improve her overall skills.
As a longtime Dallas Cowboys fan, Vargo was always a fan of the Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry.
“You couldn’t tell if his team was winning or losing or if they’d won a championship or lost, I try to have that same demeanor,” Vargo said.
Throughout Vargo’s time at Country Day, he coached several students who later pur-
sued professional athletic careers.
“They are focused on becoming the best they can be, and it is rewarding as a coach to see those kids excel,” Vargo said.
When Vargo worked at Lodi High School, he coached Patrick Ianni, a highly drafted Major League Soccer player. Ianni later played for the U.S. Olympic team.
Vargo also coached Duke University shooting guard Jared McCain when he attended Country Day in fifth and sixth grade. McCain is projected to be selected in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, according to Bleacher Report.
Another successful student-athlete from Country Day is Vargo’s son, RJ Vargo, ’23, who plays soccer for Linfield University. In his freshman year, RJ is the fourth all-time career leader in minutes in one season.
“I loved having my dad as my coach, and he sees every sport so well, especially as my coach for high school soccer,” RJ said. “He’s super tactical and knowledgeable with his approach to any sport.”
From lower school to high school, Vargo has coached RJ in various sports besides soccer, such as basketball and golf.
Throughout RJ’s experience, one aspect of Vargo’s coaching style remains clear.
“It’s not just about getting better at the sport, but more about developing as a person,” RJ said. “With every game you play, you represent the school, so sportsmanship really matters.”
The 2021 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Championship soccer game against Cristo Rey was one of Vargo’s most memorable moments as a coach.
“My son, RJ, was on the team and it was also Coach George Champayne’s first sec-
tion title. Winning the championship with my son as a captain and longtime (now 30 years) SCDS Coach Champayne was special,” Vargo said.
Several student-athletes have described Vargo’s coaching style as encouraging but also serious when it comes to focusing on the game.
According to Kreps, Vargo instills a strong team culture and a passion for the sports players and his fellow coaches are involved in.
“It’s not just about the sport, but bringing people together and enjoying it and finding something we have in common,” Kreps said. “I’ve known Matt for so long, but it’s like he instilled that in me from the beginning, and now it’s just kind of carried through.”
Due to Vargo’s efforts in organizing and overseeing high school athletics, many Country Day teams have had successful seasons this year.
For instance, the tennis team placed first in this year’s Delta League Championship. Vargo’s assistance with the team was crucial, according to senior co-captain Liam Kaschner.
“Although he’s not our coach, Mr. Vargo helped us by making sure that we had tennis courts scheduled to play on for practice and games,” Kaschner said.
In the future, Vargo plans to continue creating a successful environment for Country Day sports by hiring skilled coaches, supporting their endeavors and improving himself.
“I think you need to continue to learn throughout life, and so that’s what I hope to do to inspire the next generation of coaches,” Vargo said.
BEST IN STATE Athletic Director Matt Vargo poses with the CIF San-Joaquin Model Coach Award and the State Model Coach Award. PHOTO BY REHAN AFZAL
HARD HITTER Junior Max Weitzman makes contact with a fastball. PHOTO BY SIMON LINDENAU
Michelle Myers departs Country Day after shaping generations
BY EESHA DHAWAN
Michelle Myers, Director of Physical Education and High School Physical Education, discovered her love for P.E. in middle school, marking the beginning of her journey into the world of sports.
But an important part of that journey ends this year, as Myers prepares to retire from Sacramento Country Day after 38 years.
“Sports were always fun to me. You gather, travel, play and win or lose,” Myers said.
It all started when she joined the swim team at 5 years old.
Nine years later, Myers took on an assisting role teaching swimming classes in the eighth grade.
“My water safety instructor said to me, ‘You need to be a teacher.’ The same thing happened in college. I got hired as a lifeguard and then they said, ‘We want you to take training and become an instructor.’ So I did that,” Myers said.
She decided to go to California State University, Sacramento to pursue sports medicine and after graduating, she went to St. Mary’s College of California to obtain her master’s degree.
In her student athletic trainers class, Myers was only accompanied by only one other female.
“It was very lonely, but we knew we were on the cusp of women being allowed to be athletic trainers at high schools and junior colleges,” she said.
As a master’s student, Myers visited Country Day to observe the academic developmental P.E.
“My master teacher at Sacramento State really wanted me to get into teaching right away,” Myers said. Myers transitioned to part-time work a few months after starting as a substitute, and she later secured a full-time position.
Among her proudest accomplishments are the various families she has had the opportunity to work with at Country Day.
At one point, she would teach about 500 kids a year. It was a wonderful accomplishment to be in so many kid’s lives for those moments, Myers said.
“I get to have fun every day. I get to set up equipment and I get to see the smiles on kids’ faces. I very rarely have a student who ever feels the need to sit out, so the fact that I can make it a happy place for them is great,” Myers said.
She feels lucky to build connections with the parents as well, whether it is through the phone or seeing them at athletic events.
“There’s a real strong bond that I have with families, and I’ll get emails from them that say, ‘Oh my gosh, my kids had the best time this week,”’ she said.
Myers has taught several generations of families at Country Day.
Jason Allen is a Country Day Lifer and a former student of Myers.
“She challenges you positively so you do your best but still have a good time,” Jason said. “She pushed me to excel, which was not the focus of P.E., but she brought out a level of fitness and competition in me that I’ve carried to this day.”
Jason is now a P.E. teacher at Prairie Elementary School and still goes to Myers for guidance and support on teaching. He will be teaching third, fourth and fifth grade P.E. at Country Day next year.
“She’s definitely provided a good example and a good template for me. I remember Ms. Myers focuses on being cooperative, having fun and feeling comfortable. That’s a big part of the way I teach now,” Jason said.
Myers in fact saved Jason’s life when he was an eighth grader by giving him the Heimlich maneuver to unstick a jawbreaker from his throat.
Jason’s daughter, sophomore Rya Allen — who is the first Country Day Lifer offspring of a Country Day Lifer — has also been taught by Myers.
“Her kindness really resonates with me. Everyone likes her. I’m not a very P.E. person, but I was excited and looking forward to going to P.E. because of her. I think that P.E. has a better connotation because of her,” Rya said.
Myers has also had a significant influence on senior Chloé Hirahara. Chloé has known Myers since she was two years old, and her father, Alan Hirahara, learned from Myers during his senior year of high school. Myers would show up to encourage Chloé when she would go horseback riding, and even go on horseback rides with her.
“She just supports us all the students with all their extracurricular sports. I do martial arts, and she shows up to our performances to watch us and just for fun,” Chloé said.
Chloé appreciates Myers’ ability to engage individually with each kid. It elevates physical education from a class to a real community, Chloé said.
“She makes PE not a chore. She creates a community around her and makes such a deep connection with anybody. The fact that she can be like, ‘Hi, how are you doing? How’s your mom’ to any kid on campus is genuinely amazing,” Chloé said.
In addition to building a feeling of community Myers also tailors her interactions with students to their ages, treating older children as equals while providing appropriate guidance to the younger ones.
“Her style changes for every grade, every kid in every age group. And that for me is like ‘How did you do that?’” Chloé said.
Myers’s favorite memory of working at Country Day is taking international trips with her students. Her favorite was their trip to Russia. Thirteen students accompanied Myers the week of the coup in 1991 when Russians revolted against their republic, the then Soviet Union. It was a very tumultuous time, statues were being torn down and each city wanted their own dialect of what they spoke, Myers said.
It was a two-week trip. They worked with a school in Moldova and learned about their culture.
“We saw things that most people don’t get to see. And then the students from Russia came to Sacramento and lived with host families here so they could see our school. One student actually stayed in Sacramento,” Myers said.
Myers has also found joy in her work as adviser of the school’s American Red Cross-sponsored Blood Drive. She is proud of the drive’s capacity to give back to the community while positively impacting numerous lives.
This year the blood drive collected 138 units, which could save around 400 lives, Myers said.
Looking ahead, Kellie Whited, Biology teacher, and Pre-med club adviser will take over Myers’s role as adviser for the Blood Drive next year.
As Myers leaves, she is enthusiastic about her next chapter of life.
“I want to nurture and take care of myself first. It’s something that I haven’t done or been able to do in a while. So yoga, mindfulness, swimming, hiking and traveling,” she said.
“I also want to go to Greece, because obviously, I am a P.E. teacher, right? The Olympics,” she said.
Myers plans to continue teaching by helping students with reading at her parish church, Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, in Coachella Valley. She is in the process of moving there.
Her students will be in the second, third and fourth grades. For some of them, English is a second language, she said.
Myers hopes to be remembered in a way that always brings a smile to her students’ faces.
“I want the students to remember all the fun games we did, but also about being nurturing and learning to win and lose graciously,” Myers said.
Jason Kreps, Country Day’s middle school P.E. teacher, who will be the new Director of Physical Education, said working with Myers has been an invaluable experience.
“She has been my mentor from day one of coming to Country Day. I would say seventy-five percent of what I’m doing is modeled by her,” Kreps said. “It’s been an honor working beside her. If you throw out Country Day, someone will usually say, ‘Do you know Ms. Myers?’ She is a Country Day legend.”
FINAL WHISTLE Michelle Myers engages third and fifth grade students in a game of shuffle ball and tag in the Benvenuti Gymnasium. PHOTOS BY ZEMA NASIROV
Senior Imani Cochran pursues passion for art in college
BY KATE BARNES
The soft sounds of pencils scratching permeate the colorful art room as senior Imani Cochran works on her latest art project, one of many she has completed over the past four years.
Cochran’s current project is a poster featuring two characters she came up with named Deuce and Hendrix.
“I’m working on a dual character sheet,” she said. “I’ve never done one with two people at once. So I was like, instead of one of Deuce, one of Hendrix, can we do one of Deuce and Hendrix?”
This project is the only dual character sheet, a poster featuring two characters, that Cochran has drawn.
However, the poster contains similarities to other pieces of Cochran’s work hung around the room, such as the poster of a character she named Kyle. Both have the same vibrant, comic-book feel with the characters sketched in multiple different poses, such as sitting down or crossing their arms.
Deuce and Hendrix are sketched with black lines and lines of green and blue marker making up their outlines, while Kyle’s character is one of the few that Cochran has colored in. Though Cochran prefers drawing people, she often uses only pencil. Kyle is the exception, something Cochran is proud of.
“I was like, ‘let’s see what happens when I put color to this,’ and it made it pop and added so much more personality to that character,” she said.
Other drawings that Cochran pointed out included a realistic-looking pencil sketch of a young boy. Unlike her character sheets, in this sketch the boy is drawn in one pose with soft pencil lines making up the contours of his face.
Cochran has been drawing since first grade, when an encounter with a friend sparked her determination to become the artist she is today.
“I drew a picture of her and I gave it to her for her to keep. She looked at it and she said thanks in the most monotone way, which is a little weird for a first grader, and gave it back to me and walked away,” Cochran said.
This might have been discouraging for some, but Cochran viewed it as motivation to improve and learn to draw people better.
Her goal was simple: make art that other people would appreciate and keep. This dream led to her teachers and classmates giving her the nickname “Doodle” because of how often she drew on her homework.
Her initial spark of motivation grew into a fire when Cochran realized that her passion for drawing could be turned into a career path.
Her inspiration? Walt Disney.
“I was just like, ‘Oh, this dude sat around and drew on walls and made up goofy characters all the time.’ That’s what I want to do,” she said. “And then I found out that that’s called animation.”
Cochran’s mind was made up.
“I want my career to be character design. That’s what I want to do,” she said.
Character design in art is the process of developing drawings and illustrations that reflect a character’s personality, physical characteristics and aesthetic, all part of the process of animation.
One skill she will have to mas-
ter in this field is drawing turnarounds.
Turnarounds are when a character is drawn facing forward, then sideways and backward. This allows the character to appear like it’s turning when animated.
Luckily, she has many opportunities to improve on her art outside of high school.
Cochran plans to enroll at San Jose State University, where she was accepted into their studio art practice. This suits Cochran fine, as it gives her the freedom to branch out and try new types of art, like glassblowing or ceramics.
“I get to mix and match my classes and make my courses,” she said. “I can get what I need out of college.”
According to Sacramento Country Day art teacher Andy Cunningham, her time in his class was well spent.
Cochran likes to use class time to hone her individual passion and skills, rather than work on other projects.
“Focus has helped Imani to improve her character development, which is what she’s been wanting to do this whole time,” he said.
Like most artists, Cochran has faced hurdles. For her, finding the time and motivation to create art is challenging, but the most challenging thing of all is being OK with imperfection. To Cochran, there’s no such thing as perfect.
“That’s kind of my motivation. Finding the confidence in myself and in expressing myself and knowing that I’m not perfect. So none of my stuff is perfect, and that’s okay,” she said.
She also finds motivation in seeing people like her making art, for example, YouTuber Whyt Manga, who makes videos about character design.
“He was the first Black artist I saw do that stuff,” she said. “So I was able to have that role model, and now I can see myself or other people who look like me in these fields doing this and being successful at it.”
By ‘that stuff,’ Cochran is referring to the detailed videos the YouTuber posts focusing on how to improve drawing characters and their personalities.
Cochran’s creative personality isn’t only reflected in her drawings. She also likes to express herself by dancing and acting; she played Creonta in the Country Day drama elective play “A Love of Three Oranges” last fall. The way she sees it, art is many different things, not just paintings in a museum.
“Usually when people think of art, they think of drawing, painting or sketching,” she said. “But art could be theater art, art could be literature and so many other things.”
For Cochran, art has always been a way for her to express herself.
“It allows me to not live in my own mind and be able to put that out into the real world, whether that’s drawing characters or something else,” she said.
Over the years, Cochran has succeeded in creating art that she is proud of, whether that be a polished piece or a doodle on her math homework.
From dancing at the Country Day talent show to drawing characters like Deuce and Hendrix, Cochran knows that all art is a way to be herself and creates a path to an expressive future.
PHOTOS BY REHAN AFZAL AND DANIEL HOLZ
THE SKY’S
THE LIMIT
CALIFORNIA
Cal Poly Humboldt
Aiden Cooley
Cal Poly Pomona
Liam Kaschner
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Kaitlyn Dias
Claremont McKenna College
Grace Zhao
California State University, Chico
Kasmer Conner
Pitzer College
Mia Crowder
San José State University
Imani Cochran
Scripps College
Juliette Zúñiga
Stanford University
Siri Atluri
University of California, Berkeley
Ishaan Sekhon
University of California, Davis
Gulzar Sohal
University of California, Irvine
Rachel Pirie
University of California, Los Angeles
Zoe Genetos
University of California, Riverside
Katie Espinoza
University of California, Santa Barbara
Andrew Klieger
Julie Tsoi
University of California, Santa Cruz
Delsyn Beaton
Aiakos George
University of San Diego
Brooke Barker
University of Southern California
Luana Booth
Lauren Lu
Luke Scripps
University of the Pacific
Sylvia Valverde
COLORADO
Colorado School of Mines
Aidan Look
University of Colorado Boulder
Chase Usrey
ILLINOIS
Loyola University Chicago
Lilya Jafari
MASSACHUSETTS
Babson College
Annalucia King
Northeastern University
Derek Taylor
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Paxton Graham
Alex Shuler
MONTANA
Montana State University
Harper Livesey
NEW JERSEY
Seton Hall University
Aakash Arumugam
NORTH CAROLINA
Duke University
Eshaan Dhaliwal
William Holz
OREGON
Lewis and Clark College
E Robinson
SCOTLAND
The University of Edinburgh
Chloé Hirahara
GRAPHICS BY ANISHA MONDAL
“Dance!”
EDITORIAL: More student involvement in dance planning
Throughout the years, Sacramento Country Day dance venues have varied widely, from the River Fox Train to the California Museum.
As any student knows, dances have also varied in degrees of success, depending on the song selection, DJ, theme, food, decorations, attendance and other factors.
Naturally, students form opinions on these dances, for better or for worse.
But if we truly want changes made to our dance experiences, it is our responsibility to give direct feedback to Student Council representatives or get involved in dance planning.
In recent years, giving direct feedback to Student Council members has been the main mechanism for students to contribute to dance quality.
Next year, that will no longer be the case. A newly formed Country Day dance committee will make it possible for students, even those not involved with Student Council, to contribute by attending dance planning meetings.
Dean of Student Life and Student Coun-
cil adviser Patricia Jacobsen expects that by allowing any student to contribute to dance planning, quality will improve. She compares this to the success of Country Day’s Solar Regatta team, which involves engineering and non-engineering students alike in building a solar-powered boat.
“That team is stronger because it’s not just the math nerds or the history nerds,” Jacobsen said. “There’s a lot of magical creativity and ideas that happen when you get a variety of people together.”
This diversity of input is precisely what’s needed to revamp our dances.
Currently, student feedback — if any — that reaches the Student Council after dances is indirect, vague and typically negative.
According to senior Harper Livesey, the now-graduating student body president, although the Student Council tries to take into account what students want, getting direct input from the student body would definitely help in dance planning.
“If you want change, it’s important to speak up about it,” Livesey said.
So, students — why not voice your opinions more directly?
In order to properly cater to the wants and needs of the student body, dance planners need to first understand what students actually want.
“Personally, I don’t get offended if you say, ‘Your dance sucked,’” Livesey said. “Tell me why and maybe we can fix it next time.”
Dance Chair Imani Thiara, a junior, believes that there is significant room for improvement in the planning process with this new input.
“It’s been a little haphazard, and I think we can do a little more research into DJs, food or the photo booth to make the student population happier,” Thiara said.
Public dance committee meetings, led by Thiara, will be announced in the weeks leading up to a dance for interested students to brainstorm and decide on creative direction. These meetings will be flexible, allowing students to attend whichever sessions their schedules permit.
This will lift a burden from Student
Council members, who can focus on other tasks such as booking venues and buying supplies.
Some students, like junior Priya Chand, are already planning on taking advantage of this new opportunity.
“Even if I’m busy and I don’t have the opportunity to join the Student Council, I can still be involved with what’s happening at the dance,” Chand said.
Chand hopes to improve song selection and DJ choices.
In the past, direct contribution to dances was largely limited to suggestions for song selection. Now, if students are dissatisfied with other aspects of the dance, there is a clear route to improvement.
These new changes are making it easier than ever for students to contribute to the quality of our dances. With each person actively participating in the planning process, students can ensure their dances are more enjoyable and memorable for everyone.
So, have an opinion about Country Day dances? Join the dance committee and make your voice heard.
EDITORIAL: Library’s Quiet Room should fulfill student needs
In the back corner of the Matthews Library, there exists a small room, marked by a plaque with “The Andrew Cochrane ‘97 Room of Requirement” embossed in gold lettering on its front. Colloquially, it is simply referred to as the “Quiet Room.”
The implication is that the space will flexibly meet the needs of students seeking an environment for silent study and work.
However, the reality has been quite different: Varying student behaviors and inconsistent enforcement have created a contentious cycle, leaving everyone dissatisfied.
Something needs to change.
To resolve this discord, students should be more respectful of their peers and rules,. The administration should consider providing more indoor collaborative spaces where possible, and the student population should clearly express their preference for room usage in the annual library survey.
Despite library policies limiting occupancy to six people, the Quiet Room is regularly overflowing with boisterous students — at times, nearing a dozen.
“There are people who will blatantly not stick with the rules and I just ask them to leave and try again the next day,” librarian Jo Melinson said.
Rules include a limit on the number of
people, no consumption of food or drink, and removal for disruptive behavior.
“There is not an option where there is not a quiet space in the library given the nature of libraries,” Melinson said. “But students do get the chance to weigh in on whether the main library or the small room are the quiet space.”
Melinson sends out an annual library survey as assigned homework for students, with specific questions intended to ascertain student body opinions regarding usage of the main library and Quiet Room.
56% of students responding to this year’s annual survey, given in September, said that they preferred the main library to be talkative over the Quiet Room.
Although some students are unhappy with this arrangement, it satisfies the needs of the greatest number of students.
“There are students who are very happy that we make those rules, while others are not happy if we don’t enforce them quickly enough,” Melinson said.
This is the silent majority, students who truly want to be able to utilize what, at the moment, is the only indoor space on campus demarcated as a place of silent study.
Freshman Gabriel Mark uses the Quiet Room most days during the school week to study during his free period.
“Sometimes it’s too loud and the actual library is more quiet, or there’s too many people,” Mark said.
Mark doesn’t mind some talking, but at times has to migrate to the main library to study or put on headphones when students get too loud or crazy.
Junior Andrew Burr also uses the room most days, but sees its purpose a little differently — a room where he uses his time to engage in collaborative study with friends.
“Some of the time I spend hanging out with them, but for most of it there’s some school-related task I’m trying to accomplish,” Burr said.
Burr believes that the six-person limit in the Quiet Room impedes meaningful collaboration.
In reality, by the decision of students, the usage for the main library and Quiet Room are swapped compared to their intended purposes, Burr said.
“It’s almost as if you’re talking in any meaningful way, you’re bound to get kicked out,” he said.
According to Melinson, enforcement of Quiet Room rules is an art, not a science that depends on context such as how many students are in the library as a whole.
The problem underscored by this conflict is the lack of additional indoor collab-
orative spaces, such as a student lounge, on campus. To the extent possible, the school should weigh this consideration highly when looking at new development or re-assigning the purpose of different spaces.
The Quiet Room issue also highlights another, broader problem: the need for respectful behavior and adherence to established norms. Students should be more conscious of the needs of their peers and respectful of the Quiet Room’s rules — even if they disagree.
Next year’s survey might include explicit questions about Quiet Room usage. Students who disagree with current policies should consider the question: given that somewhere needs to be quiet, what do you propose?
When students are given the opportunity to express their opinions, they should do so and abide by the result.
Ultimately, the status quo, where students desiring quiet are disturbed by those desiring an additional collaborative space, is unsustainable.
The Room of Requirement must live up to its name and provide a space that truly fulfills the majority of students’ needs.
by Claire Gemmell
The Tortured Ears Department
Hate her or love her, Taylor Swift is undoubtedly one of the most famous artists of our generation. Numbers-wise, this isn’t really up for debate — but whether she deserves it or not most definitely is. With the release of her new album “The Tortured Poets Department,” I lean toward the latter option. A combination of iffy lyrics, repetitive melodies and overall unlistenable music truly causes the album to crash and burn.
So High School
In “So High School,” Swift sings about, you guessed it, high school. Unsurprisingly, she does this through some questionable lyrics.
“You know how to ball / I know Aristotle / Brand new, full-throttle/ Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto / it’s true, swear, scouts honor.”
It seems like every song on the album is about one of Swift’s many boyfriends or times gone by. This alone isn’t easy to enjoy, but the “Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto” line is so cringe-worthy that it almost made me laugh out loud.
Keep in mind that Swift is 34 years old. She graduated from high school before most people attending high school now were born.
It is almost comical how little the topics of her music — specifically her many exes — have evolved over the years, and for this reason, her lyrics seem played out and empty.
I Hate It Here
Everything about this song seems lazy to me. The vocals are low-energy, the melodies lack creativity and some of the lyrics are straight-up egregious.
I was getting pretty close to falling asleep while listening to this one but was ultimately jolted awake by Swift’s statement, “My friends used to play a game where / we would pick a decade / we wished we could live in instead of this / I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists…”
I genuinely feel these lyrics have no subtext or deeper meaning. On top of this, it doesn’t even make sense in the song’s context.
It’s such an odd thing to mention, and it truly feels like Swift used a random word generator, found ones that remotely rhymed with each other and added a few ancillary words to tie it all together.
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
Upon first listen, this is the least offensive of the songs. It isn’t anything special, and the vocals are pretty standard and repetitive. Some of the lyrics are slightly corny, but that’s to be expected in most of her music.
One of the lyrics that jumped out at me was Swift saying, “You wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me.”
I don’t know much about Swift’s early life, but after a quick Google search, I feel confident that comparing it to an “asylum” is a bit of a stretch.
Imagine you’re pushing a shopping cart through Raley’s or Target, and there’s the subtle drone of some generic pop song playing through the store’s speakers.
Whatever you imagine playing is likely completely interchangeable with this song and, frankly, any song on this entire album. Nothing really stands out, good or bad, and by this album’s standards, that is a victory for Taylor Swift.
Anything But Torture
With 14 Grammy Awards and 23 Music Television Video Music Awards it is indisputable that Taylor Swift is one of the most successful artists of our generation. At the 2024 Grammys, Swift announced that her newest album “The Tortured Poets Department” would be released on April 19. The album goes into the depths of Swift’s emotions after the break up of her six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn and touches on her new relationship with a Travis Kelce from the Kansas City Chiefs.
So High School
The lyric “You know how to ball / I know Aristotle” in particular went viral all over social media. Kelce clearly knows how to ball with his three Super Bowl wins, but Swift does not exactly know much about the works of Aristotle. However, she is just referring to how different their personas are with Swift being a phenomenal lyricist and singer in addition to having a doctorate in fine arts and Kelce being a macho man football player.
In “So High School,” Swift conveys this message with her subtly raspy voice paired beautifully with the drums and rapid electric guitar, creating an upbeat yet gentle ambience. Overall this song is beautifully composed and really reminds me of what it’s like to have a high school crush.
I Hate It Here
With a slow tempo and a calming melody, “I Hate it Here” has a whimsical essence that is achieved through the gentle strumming of the guitar and the way her voice flows smoothly through the whole song.
The song as a whole creates an environment that allows you to retreat into your own personal, deeply emotional sanctuary — Swift directly references this with lyrics about “secret gardens in my mind.”
The song echoes beauty with its soft keyboard melody, which is the dominant backing for the song. Swift’s storytelling and quiet voice also enhance the theme of secrecy in the song. This is reinforced musically, as the electric guitar and drums lightly underlay the keyboard.
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
Out of all 31 songs in Swift’s new album, this song is second only to “The Prophecy.” While some listeners may choose to take the lyrics quite directly, that simply will not show you the real meaning of the song.
Swift has often opened up about her difficulties of spending her late teens and onward in the music industry and the constant media attention, especially as a woman who was made to feel as though she did not deserve any of her awards.
The tempo of the drums and electric guitar switch from slow and soft very quickly to fast and dramatic. While the instrumental aspects of this song are soft and gentle there is a sense of resentment in the lyrics of Swift’s voice, which I think really brings the song together.
STORY BY ANDREW BURR AND ANIKA NADGAUDA; GRAPHICS
BY NADGAUDA; PHOTO FROM SPOTIFY
SENIOR GOODBYES
Throughout my childhood, it always stuck with me when adults would tell me to hold on to the present, that I didn’t know how good I had it, and that these were the times that I would wish to go back to when I was grown.
Unlike my lower school classmates, I didn’t enjoy thinking of my future life as a grown-up because no matter how intoxicating I found the idea of freedom in this idealized adulthood, I couldn’t look past the fact that it would also carry with it one of my longest-lasting lifelong fears: change.
Truth be told, I’ve always been someone that’s most comfortable in a routine, where things are known, tested and safe. This has manifested itself in many ways over the course of my high school years, but the first example that comes to my mind is when I got my driver’s license.
When I first began driving myself to school, I memorized every detail of the route down to the exact spots along the road where I would switch lanes and speeds at which I would take each turn. I’d always try to leave home at the same time so that I knew what to expect from traffic, and park in the first spot that I saw in case that was the only one available. Improvisation and adaptation had to be avoided at all costs.
About midway through my junior year, my parents discussed this approach with me, on a larger scale than just my early morning commute. While sticking to what’s known had probably saved me from a few uncomfortable experiences in life, it did so at the cost of the knowledge that comes with mistakes — invaluable information for my growth as a young man and soon-to-be college student. I needed to join clubs, try new sports and take more risks to really find out who I was or wanted to be.
In the months that followed I founded and expanded the Country Day Fantasy Football club to share my love of
Luke Scripps Siri Alturi
football with students across the high school. I signed up for The Octagon to explore my potential as a journalist before deciding to commit to USC as a journalism major. I forced myself to join the track and field team despite having no experience in the sport, and eventually set the Country Day 200m record in my penultimate race. Senior year was the culmination of years of becoming comfortable with taking risks and embracing change, and it was my favorite year of high school yet.
I’m well aware of how unsurprising it is for a graduating senior to ask where the time has gone, but on this rare occasion my discomfort with being cliché doesn’t invalidate the sentiment in the slightest. It truly doesn’t feel real that the life I’ve known for the past four years, and the additional fourteen years before, is finally reaching its conclusion.
“They” say that time flies when you’re having fun. I’ve heard it more times than I can count, nearly to the point at which it’s lost its meaning. But as a member of the graduating class of 2024, I can tell you that the past four years of my life have felt like the fastest I’ve ever lived. The life I’ve known will continue to rapidly transform, but I now know to appreciate the strength that comes from discomfort and the growth that can be spurred by mistakes.
As I enter the next four-year chapter of my life, I’ll carry with me the words of Theodore Roosevelt, in a quote that my dad shared with me on my first day of high school in September of 2020:
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”
Thank you Sacramento Country Day, for showing me the importance of change.
SINCE 2020
SINCE 2022
For the past few weeks, I’ve been reflecting on what it means to reach certain milestones: turning 18, getting into college, my last day of high school.
These are all things I’d always considered future events. I’d wonder — how would I feel in that moment? How would I change? Who would I become?
When I joined Sacramento Country Day in my junior year, I struggled. As someone who was goal-driven but also wanted to enjoy the present moment, I became frustrated with myself. Why couldn’t I pick an outlook to stick to?
I wanted to achieve the vision of success I had conjured up in my mind: someone who had gotten into her ideal school, was organized and felt fully confident navigating any situation. At the same time, I missed the moments with my friends at my old school — I found myself dwelling on moments when we’d grab a snack after class or walk around and laugh about meaningless things.
After I moved, I wished that as an underclassman my future-centered goals would have shifted a little more, and that I’d spent less time worrying about the future. Even throughout my junior year, I still believed that achieving my goals would change me as a person. The version of me that would get into college could only be the ideal version of myself; poised, perfectly organized and never showing struggle.
But when I got into college, I felt a mix of emotions. I hadn’t become the ideal picture of myself I had created in my head. I still had my glaring flaws, struggled with disorganization and was not the perfect student. I started feeling like I needed to act like a person worthy of achieving the goals that I had rather than truly enjoying the fact that I had met them. I still felt a need to prove myself. Why? Even when I could sense that perceptions of me
had shifted, I still focused on the negative — the ways I had to change.
In the back of my mind, I realized I always related to this question when it came to my success: how would others perceive me? I never truly focused on examining my own perception of myself. Do I believe that I am accomplished in my own right? That I have proven myself? That I am hardworking, resilient and deserving of the compliments that others give me? Otherwise, I could never truly believe them.
In the end, I realize my own perception of myself is far more valuable than that of others. Of course, someone who only values their own perception, failing to even remotely care about others’, stunts their own growth, failing to realize their own weaknesses. But I think giving ourselves grace makes us less judgemental people — less likely to nitpick traits of others that we are insecure about in ourselves. As I define my successes on my own terms, I finally feel content in them.
As someone who has grappled with this feeling for a while, I hope others can realize that their self-perception and sense of success do not have to rely on another person. In the end, being kinder to ourselves, choosing to believe that we are deserving, that the good things people say about us are genuine markers of our character — all of these actions make us more fulfilled and compassionate, in turn, for others.
It’s important to be open to truly appreciating others and the energy they put into us.
At the same time, remember that the way you view yourself will eventually reflect how you see the world around you; so make sure to give yourself your flowers when you deserve them.
STORIES BY LUKE SCRIPPS, SIRI ATLURI, LAUREN LU & ISHAAN SEKHON; PHOTOS BY REHAN AFZAL, AVA EBERHART & ANIKA NADGAUDA; GRAPHICS BY EBERHART & GARRETT XU
Lauren Lu
Sometimes, I fear that I make The Octagon my entire personality.
“The Octagon grind never stops,” a friend oncesaid jokingly after I texted my class group chat for the score after a boy’s soccer game.
In one way or another, The Octagon has a stubborn way of infiltrating my thoughts. I am so easily reminded of my treks to Loehmann’s Plaza in the afternoon heat, late-night paste-up fits of laughter and the skills and confidence I have gained over the past four years.
Being a member of The Octagon has given me several “firsts” — first club, first leadership position and first task I ever dedicated myself to doggedly, regardless of how late the hour or how early I had to rise the next day.
Writing this piece makes me think of the countless stories, shared experiences and traditions that make The Octagon a family.
That is why I spent this year wondering how to kindle the same fire for our newspaper in the new generation of staffers.
When I became an editor-in-chief, my first concern wasn’t how to maintain the quality of our paper or figuring out how to shoulder the responsibility of four leaders on three individuals — it was how to present myself as a role model to the younger staffers.
Last year, my EICs inspired me with their leadership, work ethic and humor.
I wanted to do the same, to give my underclassmen a senior worth chasing after and to give them a taste of how The Octagon was run when I was an underclassman.
As the only senior in this year’s EIC trio, I also held a desire to guide the other two with my extra year of experience.
At times, I feel that my attempt backfired.
By getting so caught up in maintaining a pristine image and becoming an aspirational figure, I think I forgot to enjoy the position I worked so tirelessly to obtain.
A&E EDITOR
I’ll admit that the stress of paste-up and my duties as an editor-in-chief can feel overwhelming.
I remember the stressful midweek paste-ups and the last-minute shoots for front-page photo. Reading late stories and making page corrections while on autopilot made the struggle feel purposeless.
In the moment, I’ll wonder why I longed for this position so badly.
What reminds me of its worth is the pride I feel when a passing student asks me when our next issue is coming out, or the incomparable satisfaction from seeing the class flip through the freshly-printed pages of a new issue.
It is my privilege to shape, develop and inspire younger generations of staffers — and future leaders of The Octagon — in the same way that I looked up to my EICs.
I know I’ll miss all of this when I attend USC in the fall.
I’ll miss Facetiming fellow EICs Ava Eberhart and Garrett Xu to plan out the new issue (and to go on tangents about AP Statistics and AP Biology) in our group chat, The Hexagon.
I’ll also miss teaching Ms. Todd, our adviser, the ins and outs of the points system and leaving page-long comments for reporters in my trademark baby pink color.
At this year’s journalism convention in Kansas City, Missouri, I attended a session called “(Re)building Staff Culture.”
Our speaker talked about “thin” and “thick” organizations — thin organizations pass through you, disappearing once you leave, while thick organizations stick with you. They leave you with something intangible but memorable, imprinting itself on your identity.
The Octagon is my thick organization.
Years down the line, I’ll look back fondly on the old issues, memories and inside jokes our staff created together.
I know I’ll always be part of The Octagon staff. Staffers, I hope you’ll always see me as one of your EICs.
SINCE 2010
Ishaan Sekhon
My eyes flickered open as I gazed at The Octagon, my school newspaper, and room. My fellow staff members were physically right next to me but had never felt farther apart from me than this year.
Why am I here? I thought to myself as I stood in the back of The Octagon room, watching my classmates discuss story ideas.
I had recently experienced a feeling of purposelessness that I’d never felt before.
This was partially because I felt like I could no longer offer the support my fellow Octagon staffers needed and partially because I wondered if The Octagon was still important to me.
Had I asked myself this question a year ago, I would’ve undoubtedly said yes. The Octagon was vital to my growth as a person and as a writer.
The Octagon promises an in-depth education into the world of journalism and writing. The education I’ve received is far greater than what I expected.
Through an intense and demanding work culture, The Octagon has made me a more responsible, organized, respectful and confident person. Albeit, I made many mistakes and frustrated my editors very much before I grew into the person I am now.
Despite the stress I suffered from time to time, the experience was undoubtedly a privilege. I learned and worked with several hardworking, intelligent and talented people.
However, I believed I had reached my ceiling as a writer when I entered my senior year. I knew that as a senior and an experienced editor it was my responsibility to motivate, educate and serve the rest of The Octagon like my editors had done for me.
But I didn’t think there was anything I could give to The Octagon that wasn’t already being given to them from my fellow editors, leaders and advisers.
Nonetheless, I continued to work for The Octagon throughout the year. My perspective completely changed
when I traveled with most of The Octagon staff to a journalism convention in Kansas City, Missouri.
Due to the boring and lackluster nature of Kansas City, I found myself spending more time with my Octagon classmates, which I’m grateful for.
The once-annoying arguments my classmates had about Taylor Swift suddenly became endearing to me. I realized I loved them. I realized that I’d been treating The Octagon like a company when it was really a family to me.
Although The Octagon is a rigorous and stressful environment, it’s manageable due to the people within the environment.
This is most evident during our paste-up weeks. These weeks require many Octagon members to stay late into the night to edit, correct, design and send off the print version of the newspaper.
We manage to cheer each other up despite the stress by simply being ourselves and working together efficiently. We are not perfect by any means. We are dysfunctional. We bicker, we argue and sometimes we make terrible mistakes in our paper, like interchanging the addresses of a San Juan school district and the capital of Puerto Rico in a story. Sometimes our photography team takes photos at an agonizingly slow rate, but no matter what, we always stick together and support each other like a family.
I’m grateful that I stayed with The Octagon through high school, despite the stress.
I didn’t stay with The Octagon to pass down great knowledge, improve myself or to earn prestigious awards. I stayed with The Octagon out of love. I love my classmates, who’ve become like little siblings, and my adviser, who’s become as close to an aunt as we could’ve had.
I’ve had a great experience with everyone here every year. To current and future Octagon staffers, I wish you all the best. Stay strong and learn from your mistakes and continue to support each other. Thank you for putting up with me. It’s been golden.
Country Day Campus Promposals
Anew, unprecedented wave of promposals has swept the campus this spring. Multiple students have contributed to an entertaining and fun trend by asking their friends or partners to prom. With students from all grades participating, this wave has truly spread across campus and may even mark the beginning of a new promposal tradition.
Graphics by Andrew Burr