Octagon Feburary 2013

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Faculty members use hormone to drop pounds fast.

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SCDSOCTAGON.COM

VOL. Â XXXVI, Â NO. Â 5

Advanced Topics now open to all sophomores

Teenage Trends

Eighth grade enrollment, 2003-13

February  19,  2013

Points of Interest

55%

Student  Council changes  again

average retention rate from eighth to ninth grade at SCDS.

By Garrett Kaighn Copy Editor

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eversing his prior decision, chemisÄĽ try teacher Alan %HDPHU LV RÉąHULQJ his Advanced Topics class afÄĽ ter all and opening it to any interested sophomores. The class has been meetÄĽ ing every Friday since Feb. 1 IURP ÄĽ D P WR WHDFK extra material not covered in sophomore chemistry. But unlike the past two years, Beamer isn’t teaching WKH FODVVħKH ÂłFRXOG QRW VDFÄĽ ULÂżFH D )ULGD\ PRUQLQJ´ VLQFH this year he also teaches HonÄĽ ors Geometry . Instead, two of Beamer’s teaching assistants, seniors Taylor Oeschger and Imani Ritchards, are instructing it to relieve Beamer’s workload. Now instead of setting up labs, Oeschger and Ritchards spend elective periods planÄĽ ning lectures and writing asÄĽ signments for the class. They rehearse their lecÄĽ tures with Beamer, and he supervises their teaching, but they “still have creative conÄĽ trol,â€? Oeschger said. Beamer is pleased the class is back on, as the sophomore chemistry class as a whole is lagging behind. “We really need to move DKHDG VR WKH $3 VWXGHQWV don’t start out behind next year,â€? he said. And sophomores are showÄĽ LQJ LQWHUHVWħ DUH FXUUHQWO\ taking Advanced Topics, more than in prior years. “Because the class has been slowed down so much, more people are getting bored and feel like they can handle more,â€? Oeschger said. Other sophomores may be attracted by the grade ERRVWħVWXGHQWV LQ $GÄĽ vanced Topics are graded on D ÄĽSRLQW VFDOH PHDQLQJ SHUFHQW LV DQ $ÄĽ ,Q H[FKDQJH they face additional problems on homework and tests. Unlike prior years, AdÄĽ vanced Topics is open to anyÄĽ one who wants to try it. “If students start getting C’s and D’s on their tests conÄĽ sistently, I’ll suggest to them to concentrate on the basic material,â€? Beamer said. “But that’s by no means NLFNLQJ WKHP RXWħWKH\ FDQ always make the decision.â€? Beamer introduced AdÄĽ YDQFHG 7RSLFV EHIRUH WKH ¿ļ nal, giving interested students additional materials to learn and including the information RQ WKHLU IRXUWK WHVW DQG ÂżQDO exam.

Small 8th grade could mean small high school By Yanni Dahmani

Editor-in-Chief

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he combination of too few eighth graders and a lot of graduating seniors is raising FRQFHUQ DERXW KLJKļVFKRRO HQUROOPHQW next year. 2Q )HE WKH DGPLVVLRQV RɡFH VHQW RXW HQUROOļ ment contracts, and now all the school can do is wait. Lonna Bloedau, director of admission, said conļ tracts have been sent to students at Sutter Middle School, Golden Hills School and even the Barstow School in Kansas City, Mo. %XW WKH PRVW LPSRUWDQW TXHVWLRQħIRU ERWK WKH DGPLVVLRQV RɡFH DQG WKH IDFXOW\ħLV KRZ PDQ\ KLJK

VFKRROHUV WKHUH ZLOO EH LQ ļ A drop in students enrolled in the high school seems inevitable. ³6LQFH ZHœUH JUDGXDWLQJ D ODUJH FODVV RI VHQLRUV Ī č DQG WKH FXUUHQW HLJKWK JUDGH FODVV LV VR VPDOO Ī č it’s going to be a double challenge,� Daniel Neukom, KLJKļVFKRRO GHDQ RI VWXGHQWV VDLG In June the high school will be graduating their ELJJHVW FODVV VLQFH Ī č %XW XQOLNH WKDW \HDU WKHUH ZRQœW EH D ODUJH LQFRPLQJ IUHVKPDQ FODVV Ī č to replace the seniors. The loss of the class of 2009 was cushioned by the incoming class: this year’s seniors. That won’t happen next year.

New play dramatizes life, work of quirky physicist

See Enrollment, page 3

WDQÄŤ 3URMHFW DORQJ ZLWK KLV WHDFKÄĽ ing at Caltech University. Despite the heavy historical and VFLHQWLÂżF RYHUWRQHV )ULVKPDQ VDLG Feynman’s character adds comedy to the play. Âł7KH VXEMHFW PDWWHU LV VHULRXV man, respectively. By Madeleine Wright Frankel’s role spans Feynman’s but it has a lot of humor,â€? FrishÄĽ Editor-in-Chief work in developing the atomic man said. Âł,W LV D OLJKWÄĽKHDUWHG ORRN DW VHULÄĽ bomb, as well as his meeting and he spring play, “Moving IDOOLQJ LQ ORYH ZLWK KLV ÂżUVW ZLIH $UÄĽ RXV VXEMHFWV ZKLFK UHĂ€HFWV )H\QÄĽ Bodies,â€? stays true to its line Greenbaum, played by senior man’s personality.â€? title. Not only does it $QQLH %HOO LQ WKH ÂżUVW DFW ÄŞVHQLRU And Feynman’s personality was have a lot of bodies, it Elise DeCarli plays Feynman’s next certainly “complex,â€? according to DOVR KDV D ORW RI PRYLQJħWKURXJK Frankel. time, that is. In Feynman’s New And while some directors York Times obituary, might see this as problematÄĽ writer James Gleick ic, Country Day’s own, Brian wrote, “Dr. Feynman Frishman, chose the play for was a curious character. this very reason. He was never content The play, which he deÄĽ with what he knew scribes as a “dramedy,â€? tells or what other people the story of famous and knew. He taught himÄĽ quirky American physicist VHOI KRZ WR Âż[ UDGLRV Richard Feynman by carryÄĽ pick locks, draw nudes, ing the viewer through his VSHDN 3RUWXJXHVH SOD\ various life stages. the bongos and deÄĽ It starts when he is an adoÄĽ cipher Mayan hieroÄĽ OHVFHQW ÄŞDQG RQO\ GLVFRYHULQJ Seniors Jackson Dulla and Elise DeCarli laugh glyphics.â€? KLV LQWHUHVW LQ SK\VLFVÄŤ DQG at the script of “Moving Bodies,â€? based on the He also won the concludes when Feynman is life of eccentric physicist Richard Feynman. 1REHO 3UL]H LQ 3K\VLFV DQ HOGHUO\ PDQ ÄŞDQG UHĂ€HFWÄĽ (Photo by Kelsi Thomas) for his contributions LQJ RQ KLV OLIH DV D SK\VLFLVWÄŤ to quantum electroÄĽ And, as the title hints, there are ZLIH LQ WKH VHFRQGÄŤ dynamics and is associated with In the second act, Dulla’s porÄĽ the atomic bomb and the investiÄĽ two actors in the main role. Seniors Jacob Frankel and Jackson Dulla will trayal of the physicist deals with his See Play, page 3 play the younger and older FeynÄĽ ZRUN RQ WKH /RV $ODPRV ÄŞ0DQKDWÄĽ

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Student  Council,  with  twice  as  many  students  as  last  year,  is  overflowing  with  some  enthusiastic—and  some  not-­so-­enthusiastic— members. Consequently,  Patricia  Dias,    adviser,   plans  for  yet  another  change.  The  group  has  25  mem-­ bers  (in  comparison  to  the  12  they  had  last  year).  Dias  originally  changed  the  number  of  class  representa-­ WLYHV IURP WZR WR ÂżYH EHFDXVH she  felt  that  members  were  spread  too  thin.  But  she  and  other  mem-­ bers   have  found  that  there  are  just  too  many  now.  Senior  Brandon  Mysicka,  student  body  president,  said  LW LV GLIÂżFXOW WR PDLQWDLQ HYHU\-­ one’s  attention  at  meetings.  â€œThere  are  a  lot  of  people  standing  around  doing  noth-­ ing,  while  the  same  people  are  volunteering  to  do  things  over  and  over  again,â€?  Mysic-­ ka  said.  â€œI  think  some  of  the  people   need  to  ask  themselves  â€˜Why  am  I  doing  this?’  â€?  junior  Maddy  Mahla,  student  body  secretary,  said.   Dias  plans  to  solve  the  problem  by  having  three  representatives  per  grade,  LQ DGGLWLRQ WR IRXU RIÂżFHUV IRU a  total  of  16  Student  Council  members  in  2013-­14.  In  addition,  she  is  consid-­ ering  altering  the  officers’  titles  because  â€œpeople  have  become  obsessed  with  titles  like  â€˜president,’â€?  Dias  said.  â€œNo  one  can  tell  by  the  title  â€˜vice  president’  that  the  job  involves  being  in  charge  of  the  dances,â€?  Dias  said. —Aishwarya  Nadgauda Â

Mock  Trial  competes The  Mock  Trial  team  com-­ peted  in  the  first  of  four  rounds  of  the  annual  Gordon  D.  Schaber  Mock  Trial  Com-­ petition,  Feb.  14. The  team  has  placed  in  the  top  four  in  the  county  since  2008. But  this  year  Mock  Trial  has  only  one  upperclass-­ man,  junior  Sydney  Jack-­ son,  and  is  composed  pri-­ marily  of  freshmen. “I  feel  like  they’re  throwing  me  into  the  deep  end  of  a  pool  and  I  don’t  know  how  to  swim,â€?  said  freshman  Emma  Belliveau,  who  is  both  an  at-­ torney  and  a  witness. The  team  will  compete  in  the  second  round  of  the  competition  on  Wednesday,  Feb.  20. —Garrett  Kaighn


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