December 2016

December 2016 lightningboltonline.com

20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, CA 92657 www.issuu.com/shsbolt @theboltonline

Volume 17, Issue 5 www.facebook.com/sagehillschool

Survey Rates New Food Service

School-wide report evaluates current Thoughts on Flik . . . offerings and student satisfaction “Never have enough food.”

- Mateo Merage

“The breakfast foods are really high quality.

It’s good in the morning when you don’t have enough time to eat breakfast.”

- Samuel Abraham “Never have enough chips.”

– Josh Watkins “The spaghetti is muy bueno.”

– Tommy Burns “We would enjoy having more snack options” - Maya Byrd “The staff at Flik are very nice.”

– Alice Warden “They try too hard and their food is too elaborate.”

– Paige Czepiel “Is a pretzel really worth 5$?”

- Arielle Hinrichs “Their food is not geared towards teenagers.”

- Sydney McCord

Krystal Gallegos

Serving the Community. FLIK manager Barbara Stoner serves freshman Polina Mogilevsky during the first week of school and the food service’s first year of operation on campus.

By Hannah Woodworth 19woodworthh.publications@gmail.com

Having a reliable food service is fundamental to ensuring positivity and activity on campus. Getting a new caterer this year, students eagerly awaited the changes that came with the transition from Sapphire to Flik.

Recently, a school-wide community survey was sent out to all students and, three months in, students have had time to formulate opinions and suggestions to better the service.

On the survey, many students brought up the issue with food packaging. The service has addressed this issue and began to use heatable, recyclable packaging to better the quality of the food. Additionally, survey results showed a need for more “kidfriendly food.” Students should not need to use a knife and fork to eat, and all of the food should be more simplistic and predictable.

Weeks ago, Flik officials

came to campus to evaluate the food program overall and to show their support. Officials emphasize how they “truly want to make this work” and keep food interesting and healthy, yet still tasty.

Despite Flik’s changes to better the program, students still seem to think something is missing. Junior Carissa Long says, “Flik is inconsistent with portion sizes and constantly runs out of popular items.”

Similarly, freshman Hannah Ren says, “The people are super nice, but the food can sometimes not be very appetizing.” Sophomore Madison Harris-Weiner says, relating the service to Sapphire, “I like Flik because it has ice cream and it has good salads, but Sapphire had much better hot meal options.” Sophomore Jeff Xu says “prices are too high and the food can be improved.”

One aspect of the service, however, that all surveyed students agree on is the quality of service. Everyone working at

Flik is very nice and helpful, and the café itself is very clean and orderly at all times. The service is fairly efficient and students agree that this is a very important component to running a strong food program.

Overall, students agree that Flik has the potential to provide a strong meal program for Sage.

Chief Financial Officer, Kathy Wilk, stresses how Flik’s “primary objective is to please the community.”

Flik organizer Barbara Stoner says that Sage students, out of the 30 schools she has been at in the past year, are “the coolest, nicest kids to serve.” She believes that both she and her staff feel comfortable working at Sage.

They have added comment cards, available right now in the Flik Café, to help grasp an understanding of what the students want.

For the rest of the year, she says, students should be aware of new, seasonal menus as Flik looks forward to its future at Sage!

“Prices are too high and the food can be improved.”

– Jeff Xu “It has gotten better. They really took the student suggestions to heart.”

– Emma Dickerson “Overpriced and too fancy.”

– Ripley Newman “Flik has been such an improvement to Sage. The food is consistently good and everyone loves it!”

– Lauren Abbott “The staff is nice!”

– Nia Parks “In my opinion Flik is a downgrade from Sapphire. There aren’t many food options and the breakfast is especially lacking... But on the bright side the drink options are good so I am never dehydrated.”

– Noelle Reyna “The quality has definitely declined since how it started at the beginning at the year.”

- Luca White- Matthews

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The Bolt Sage Hill School December 2016

EDITORIAL

United We Stand

DIVI

DED We Fall

There is a clear divide in the country, and even at Sage right now. The results of the already polarizing election have only created more animosity and bitterness.

At school, not only is there a political divide, but there is also a clash between students and administration over the culture at Sage.

Both on the national and school level, we need to address this divide and work to fix it; however, this also brings up a debate about respecting each other’s opinions.

How do we balance fighting for what we believe in and being willing to hear the other side?

T

We need to respect each other, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to respect each other’s opinions.

If the election has taught us anything, it’s that some opinions directly disrespect certain groups of people.

How are we supposed to expect that those groups of people will respect an opinion that directly disrespects them?

Is it right to expect an undocumented immigrant to respect the opinion that all undocumented immigrants should be deported?

Should a woman respect the opinion that rape or violence against women is okay?

This doesn’t mean we should hate on each other and be disrespectful; it just means that there’s a difference between respecting each other and

respecting each other’s opinions.

We should recognize where the opposition is coming from and from which perspective they’re speaking; however, acknowledging perspective and understanding why they believe what they do does not mean you have

to respect what they say.

As a publication, The Bolt is a nonpartisan, open forum for student voices.

While we as individuals may have our own opinions, The Bolt doesn’t have the right to respect or not respect an opinion or a piece.

the

he Bolt, published seven times a year, is a student newspaper and serves the public forum at Sage Hill School. Its content - news, editorial, opinion and feature - is protected by Education Code 48907, the state student rights law and the California Constitution which guarantees all citizens the right of freedom of speech and of the press. The Bolt accepts signed letters to the editor from members of the Sage Hill Community which may be posted as comments to our website, lightningboltonlilne.com, or addressed to editor-in-chief Vale Lewis and put in her mailbox on campus. These letters may not exceed 150 words or they wil be edited for inclusion.

Editors-in-Chief

Vale Lewis, Stephanie Min, Claire Lin and Tommy Lee Associate Editors

Christina Acevedo, Niva Razin and Catharine Malzahn

Our newspaper is always a place for student voices and we encourage all students with any opinion to write as a contributor, either on lightningboltonline.com or in The Bolt.

As mentioned in the last issue, we don’t accept anonymous submissions for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, we believe that students should own their opinions and take responsibility for what they say.

We live in the Internet culture with social media allowing anonymous posts, comments and more.

The anonymity makes the user feel as if they have a right to say or do whatever they want, without the fear of being caught or having to own up to their actions.

This is exactly the

type of culture we’re trying to prevent in The Bolt.

Anonymous submissions allow students to say whatever they want without standing behind their opinions.

Going forward into the new year, new

presidential administration and new changes at school, respect each other even if you can’t respect each other’s opinions.

Just because we disagree doesn’t mean we have to be divided and disrespectful to each other.

There’s room for both disagreement and for unity.

Bolt Halah Biviji Jamie Dailey Julia Dupuis Sahar Emtiaz Jo Farkas Daniel Fishman Lauren Fishman Lynn Fong Jerry Fu Krystal Gallegos Genesis Gonzalez Madison Harris-Weiner Lauren Hausman Richard Horn

Michelle Hung Sarah Kim Jennifer King Olivia Lowe Abby McGuire Monis Mohiuddin Isabella Mora Donia Olia Emma Ruck Ryan Simpson Brett Super Amani Tarsadia Peyton Webb Hannah Woodworth

FEATURES

The Bolt Sage Hill School December 2016

Quiet Voices Making Classrooms Their Own

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By: Christina Acevedo 17acevedoc.publications@gmail.com

Being an introvert in high school, someone who gets their energy by being alone, isn’t easy. Rather, it brings a unique set of challenges and makes tasks such as presentations, group projects and daily interactions with peers tiring and intimidating.

“I prefer being alone,” senior Andrea Flores said. “I like spending time with my friends, but as an introvert I need time and space to be on my own.”

As introverted students struggle to adapt to an exceptionally stimulative environment, they are simultaneously faced with regular criticism for their nature and a pressure to speak up because of a misunderstanding of their character.

“Societally we have this expectation that engagement looks a certain way,” science teacher Chris Irwin said.

As an introvert, Irwin admitted to occasionally falling subject to this expectation as well. Despite experiencing a sense of pleasure and affirmation when his extroverted students speak, he also makes sure not to interpret the lower engagement of his introverted students wrongly.

“When you have an extroverted student who’s constantly shooting their hand up and giving you the answer, you feel like ‘Wow, I’m getting through to somebody.’ We all get into this profession because you want to get adolescents excited about whatever it is that you’re teaching, and when you see it happening from an extrovert, that really hits [the pleasure centers] of the brain,” Irwin said.

In her book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain discusses the problem with our world’s idealization of extroversion, a character type believed to be more favorable and beneficial than introversion. This mindset creates difficulties for introverts, who must find a way to adjust to classroom settings designed against their interests.

According to Sarah Sparks’s article, “Studies Highlight Classroom Plight of Quiet Students,” introverts generally require more reflection time than extroverts. This

Lynn Fong

is because of their need to consider what they are going to say more carefully prior to speaking.

“Introverts are real thinkers. [They] tend to think about things more,” library coordinator Jessica Wahl said.

In classrooms that emphasize open discussion, this can hinder introverted students from participating. Consequently, not all ideas may be expressed, and those that are expressed may come largely from extroverts.

This may contribute to teachers’ having a more positive impression of extroverted students, something revealed through studies Cain has mentioned. In an interview with author Marti Olsen Laney in Hannah Trierweiler’s “The Hidden Gifts of Quiet Kids,” Laney said introverts can appear disconnected or indifferent in the classroom even when they are actively listening.

In our own community, this pattern of extroverts dominating open dialogue has been recognized by faculty. Some teachers have attempted to address the issue by using a variety of platforms for conversation such as blogs, written posts and anonymous online forums like TodaysMeet, all of which have generally proven valuable.

“If I have [my students]

all go home and think about something and write about it and share it with [their] peers, I find that the people who write the most thoughtful stuff aren’t the people who are saying the most thoughtful stuff in class,” Irwin said.

Another helpful technique author Cain has proposed is the use of pairs. Rather than expecting instant answers after asking a question, Cain recommends that teachers allow students a few moments to come up with a response to share with a neighboring classmate. Afterwards, the class can come together to discuss their thoughts as a whole.

English, history and world languages teacher Katherine Raths has found this method to be helpful in her classes. Identifying as an introvert, Raths has been influenced by her own experiences in school. Currently, she strives to be inclusive for all her students.

One way she has done so is by implementing small groups during discussions.

“I’ve found that oftentimes the student [who] doesn’t speak up in front of everyone [engages] in a very meaningful conversation with one or two other people,” Raths said.

While it’s good to help introverts develop the communication and presentation

skills that they’ll need for future careers, introversion should not be regarded as something that is disadvantageous or abnormal. Rather, introverted students’ needs should be met in a way that is empowering and promotes their growth.

“One thing we can do is ask introverted students, ‘What do you enjoy and what’s going to help push you to be able to speak your mind?’” Raths said.

Accommodating introverts’ needs in school can be as simple as making room for independent work and lectures in addition to activities more fitting for extroverts such as group projects and presentations. It also helps to have private spaces, such as the library and window nooks so introverts can have areas to unwind and recharge.

Raths takes advantage of lunch to allow herself this decompression.

“During the day, you’re always on. I found that my time when I recharge is during lunch. Sometimes I go to a classroom and I eat lunch by myself or I grade just because I need that time,” she said.

Furthermore, it’s important to remember that we have a need for introverts, and they perform an important role within the Sage community. According to Cain, around one third to half

of the American population is introverted. This makes introverts a significant part of our society.

Nevertheless, because of the false belief that all introverts are shy, some may go unnoticed.

“There are a lot of discrepancies over what it means to be an introvert, and I think many believe that introversion correlates with being socially awkward or extremely shy, but this is not the case at all,” senior Charlotte Lynskey said. “Many people think I’m extroverted by the way I act around others. While I may not always be quiet, I actually feel most at peace and energized when I am alone.”

Despite not always being distinguishable, the impact that introverts have is worth noting. Perhaps most remarkable, is how introverts and extroverts complement each other. In this sense, there is a kind of dependency.

“An extrovert may have 10 ideas that they throw out in class [that] they’re not particularly committed to.

They’re just brainstorming,” Irwin said. “It’s pretty common to have an introvert [then] latch onto one of those ideas and really explore it in an interesting way and bring that to class, which will give the extrovert a new set of ideas. There’s an interesting collaboration that happens.”

A 4

The Bolt Sage Hill School December 2016

ARTS ON

ness in choir this year, it is wrong to assume a tsunami of musically talented dudes washed up to Sage Hill Singers and Encore auditions separately.

is for the arts which continues its season tonight at 7 p.m. On this page is an overv in November--and a preview of the instrum

T

T

A POETIC PERFORMANCE

he Synergy dance group never fails to construct a creative show by incorporating other art forms. In this year’s fall performance, Humanity: Poetry in Motion directed by dance instructor Noelle Robinson, members of Dance Ensemble choreographed their own pieces inspired by acclaimed poems that evoked emotions such as jealousy, love, hope and gratitude.

Before each dance, a short video clip filmed by Juliet Farkas was presented to explain each choreographers’ interpretation of their chosen poem. Under a luminous spotlight, members of the poetry club recited each work of literature.

Rebecca Roque, a senior in Dance Ensemble, believes that reading the poems out loud “brought them to life and added to the emotion we wanted to portray in the show.”

Roque “felt that the dance successfully portrayed [her] emotion of jealousy while incorporating its theme in [her] poem and song, which is why [she] chose to use doors and roses as props.”

“The dancers killed it and gave me the emotion and performance quality that made the dance come alive,” she said.

“Also, they had the best door slam I could have ever wanted during Saturday’s show and it gave me chills.”

Roque is “happy that it was well received and that we left it all out on the stage” as the seniors’ celebrated their last fall performance. – Alessia Borthel

CHOIR

his fall’s choral concert, in the Black Box theater at 7pm concert will feature performanc choirs, as well as the Sage Hill S composed of Sage’s top voices. students in total, are conducted the arts department.

Paige Okey, President of work the Concert Choir has don keystone singers graduated last with a lot of first time singers, w quickly since school began in A “I have been pleasantly of commitment and passion the approaching the work… It is tru we have made,” she says.

As suggested in the title will predominantly feature sacr some secular pieces as well. Th range of styles, from baroque to more. Students will not just sin languages, including Italian, Sp “This choir concert will be a who you normally see in the sci whole new exciting light,” says

CAMPUS

The Bolt Sage Hill School December 2016

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in the Black Box Theater with a choral preformance view of the dance show‑‑Humanity: Poetry in Motion mental music concert next Friday at 7 p.m.

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SINGS TONIGHT

, Mostly Sacred, will be held on Friday December 2. The ces from the Treble and Concert Singers, an elite choir ensemble All choirs, composed of fifty d by Megan Eddy, the head of

f Concert Choir, is proud of the ne so far this year. After many t year, this year’s choir is filled who have learned remarkable August, says Okey. surprised by the amount ese new singers take when uly amazing the progress that

e, Mostly Sacred, the concert red music, though there will be he pieces express a very wide o contemporary, and much ng in English, but in a variety of panish, and Latin. an excellent time to see students iences or athletics shine in a Okey. – Michelle Hung

CONCERT NEXT FRIDAY

nticipation is in the air for the Fall Instrumental Concert, which takes place next Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:00 p.m..

The Instrumental Dept., which consists of String Ensemble, Wind Ensemble and Guitar Ensemble, will show the result of their hard work since the beginning of the year. The concert will focus on masterworks of great classical composers.

“For this Fall concert, we are trying to look at great works of art from the past,” said instrumental music teacher Brent Dodson, “The String and Wind Ensembles are playing two standard repertoires, and the guitarists are also looking forward to playing pieces from substantive composers like Johann Sebastian Bach. Even our Christmas-themed encore piece, Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson, is standard repertoire as well.”

During the concert, the audience will notice the lifted energy from each of the ensembles where musicians are eager and excited to show off their enthusiasm for music.

“All of the ensembles have really come together in a way that I’m really happy to see,” Dodson said. “From my point of view, all of the ensembles are a lot more lively with each other now. I think students are more overtly expressing their opinions and enthusiasm through music. The culture of the ensembles has changed into one that is more inclusive and gives all students an opportunity to have a voice in the repertoire. Their energy will reflect to the audience in the coming concert.”

Dodson is confident that the audience will be satisfied and pleasantly surprised at the ability of the ensembles—he calls out to the Sage Hill community to come to the Fall Instrumental Concert their peers.

“Reasons why people should come: one, music is awesome; two, the students are doing a great job,” Dodson added.

“There are always surprises and fun energy in the concerts, and I think would be great for students to see their peers, come and do something creative and different outside from the standard classroom environment.

“One thing that music does really well is that it brings people together and creates a culture of community that nothing else can do, Dodson said. “People who come will see a lot of variety—there is going to be something for everyone. Our music department has a tradition of doing that—impressing people and giving them something unexpected in performances. Most importantly, the student musicians are ready.

They are as ready as they have ever been.” – Sarah Kim

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The Bolt Sage Hill School December 2016

STUDENT LIFE

By Hannah Woodworth 19woodworthh.publications@gmail.com

Go

Lauren Hausman

LIGHTNING

Go Lightning! The Sage mascot, the lightning bolt, was selected at the school’s founding.

Founding member Vicki Booth was very involved in the selection process. “The selection of the Sage Hill mascot was a very inclusive and Sage-like process,” she said.

She continued, “The founding board, founding Administrators, volunteers and supporters worked together to find the mascot that we believed would do justice for the school that we all imagined and were committed to creating.

All of the people involved broke into small working groups to brainstorm and then we came together to go through all of the suggestions. It was a multi-day process. Dozens of creative ideas were discussed.”

In discussing other possibilities that were suggested to be the mascot at the school’s opening, she stated “A mascot should represent both your school and your

students. We wanted something that was strong for our athletic teams.

We considered many of the native animals in our area such as hawks, coyotes and mountain lions. None of them seemed to be exactly right. When Lightning was suggested - it resonated with everyone. The brightness and energy in lightning mirrored the qualities that we were seeking in our students.”

Booth further discussed how lightning is still a positive representation of the Sage community.

“Still today, on our website we say that Sage Hill looks for bright and motivated students. The strength and power of a lightning bolt appealed as a symbol of the strength of our athletes and teams.

There is not a natural predator of lightning. It can’t be stopped. Lightning’s power creates change and can also be equated with the power of a great education and how that can change and transform the lives of its students. It felt like a great fit for Sage Hill then and continues to today.”

The Hills are Alive With Wilderness Critters

By Isabella Mora

20morai.publications@gmail.com

Wilderness is alive at Sage!

Students have found baby owls, rattlesnakes and gopher snakes on campus in the last year.

The school’s animal diversity stems from the Wildlife Corridor behind the school grounds to the south.

We are adjacent to the Coyote Canyon area, the nation’s first native habitat implemented

within a closed landfill.

You may be able to view the corridor outline fencing by looking up at the toll-road and overpass just south of Sage Hill.

It begins on the Southwest of the campus and wraps around the east side and continues under the road.

Students do not have access, as it is a fenced off ecological center. This connection serves as a wildlife corridor/underpass from the other side of the toll-road to “our” side of it.

This ecological zone is home to native coyotes, rabbits and occasional bobcats. There are plenty of smaller creatures too, such as gophers and snakes.

“None of them are considered an immediate danger to students or staff as a vast majority stay away from the bustle of our campus” Kyle Pheasant, facility engineer said.

However, being that the immediate surrounding area is undeveloped, the native animals live very close by and inevitably

Sahar Emtiaz

come onto campus.

Pheasant’s most recent catch of a California King Snake (Lampropeltis getula californiae) gave the Science Dept. much to talk about for the month that the snake was retained.

“We fed the snake mice caught in the garden three times.

On one occasion, students and myself were able to view the snake capturing, suffocating, and swallowing the prey whole” biology teacher Zarubin said.

Zarubin knew the snake not to be dangerous to staff because “the characteristic black and white bands on it allow for ease of identification as there are no other species of snakes in the area that have similar banding patterns,” he said.

The area around the chicken coops seems to be the usual spot where members of the community have encountered foreign wildlife.

Any animals caught on campus have been released back into the area surrounding the garden where they are typically found.

Found in the Grass. Science instructor Dan Thomassen shows off a wild California King snake found near the garden area behind the Lisa Agryos and Family Science Center. The snake is only one of many “critters” found on campus whose location is in the middle of a wildlife corridor. In the past year owls have migrated to campus and produced offspring and Kyle Pheasant, facility engineer, has been kept busy designing a trap to capture at least one raccoon spotted on campus.

BRETT’S BOX

Lord Of the Flies

Ronald Fisher, a statistician with a keen interest for the Theory of Natural Selection, once said, “Natural selection is a mechanism for generating an exceedingly high degree of improbability.”On Oct. 17, the Humanities Building was fumigated in attempt to kill a recent spike in the fly population that colonized the Humanities Building. The Humanities Building became a chemical war zone—killing most of the flies that came in contact with the gas.

Edmund Leach is credited with saying “If we are going to play God we may as well be good at it.” We are bad at it. Several flies survived the carnage.

In our attempt at erasing the problem, we only made it bigger. By killing off all the weak flies, we left the strong ones to thrive in a resource rich environment with all competition practically erased. Nothing will stop those flies with the immunity gene to reproduce to the same population as the flies before the weak ones were weeded out.

Seeing that the flies are no longer with us, we dodged an armageddon.

But the most likely explanation for the survival of the flies is far less exciting. Most likely, the poisonous gas used to kill the flies did not completely fill the Humanities Building, and therefore, not all the flies were exposed to it.

Either way, by not killing all the flies, we essentially accomplished nothing. They will repopulate to the same number.

Again, we are bad at playing God. If there is one thing Sage has taught me, it is this. When it comes to extinction, go all in or else you might create an invincible beast from a measly fly.

NEWS

The Bolt Sage Hill School December 2016

7

Jordan Gives Name to Tennis Center

Jenny King

By Michelle Hung

19hungm.publications@gmail.com

The new tennis center, which opened after a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the spring, was recently named the Brett Connor Jordan & Family Tennis Center at Sage Hill honoring a considerable donation by the Jordan family in support of the facility.

Brett Jordan and his parents, Kent and Karen Jordan, chose to name the Brett Jordan & Family Girls’ Locker Room as well.

“Anytime we do any kind of campaign, we have naming opportunities,” explained President Gordon McNeill. “Depending on the size of a gift, the family has the ability, if they choose, to name certain components of the school.”

Buildings that have been named in the past include the Lisa Argyros and Family Science Center, the D. Diane Anderson

Humanities Building and the Johnson Family Library.

Other components, such the Black Box theater, the aquatics center, the scoreboard, the seating area for the pool, most of the tennis courts and many classrooms have yet to be named and could be claimed by a future donor.

The Brett Jordan & Family Tennis Center fits in with Sage’s mission regarding student athletics, says McNeill.

“Sports is one area where any individual can grow a passion that can stay with them throughout their life. That’s what the tennis center is all about: giving students an opportunity to engage in what they love to do.”

For Karen Jordan, her support of the tennis center is a way to give back to a school that has given so much to her family.

Though her son Brett is not a tennis player himself, he did

play on Sage’s football team for multiple years. With her donation to the tennis center, Jordan hopes to show her support of student athletics as a whole.

“Having to play a sport that you love off-campus is a big disadvantage because you don’t have other students cheering you on. You miss out on that sense of comradery,” Jordan said. “The tennis center will hopefully give our tennis players the feeling of community and pride that all athletes should have the chance to experience.”

Jordan, who was part of Sage’s Development Committee for three years, is heavily involved in supporting many of the programs Sage offers.

The role of the Development Committee, which no longer exists, was to ensure dynamic communication between the school and the parents and help facilitate the annual fund.

Apart from contributing to athletics, the Jordan family has donated to a variety of Sage programs, including scholarships to promote diversity, compensation for teachers and the annual fund.

Now that both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams have had a chance to practice and play matches at the new tennis center, Jordan is happy with the results.

“I’m super proud of the com-

mittee that designed the tennis center. They did an amazing job in helping the center integrate well with the school,” Jordan said.

As for the Brett Jordan & Family Girls’ Locker Room, the family didn’t really have a specific goal in mind. In fact, it was Brett’s idea.

“That was just for fun,” she said with a laugh.

Lauren Hausman

Winter Sports Look to Winning Seasons Boys’ Basketball

As coach of the boys’ varsity basketball team, Billy Conlon believes it is important for him to support all the members’ efforts and trust in them as the winter season gets underway.

“Continually encourage players to do their best on both ends of the floor—regardless of the score,” he said. “Always exude confidence in your players’ abilities. When correcting errors, use words that inspire confidence and reinforce positive thoughts.”

Regarding qualities in his players, there are some that Conlon values more deeply than others because he thinks they will serve his team well.

“Character, passion, coachability, enthusiasm, commitment and perseverance are the main qualities players should keep,” he said. “I am looking forward to watching my players compete and get better every single day.

We have a lot of experience on this team, and I’m excited to see how it all comes together. Because if it does, we have a chance to have a very special season.”

Overall, Conlon’s main hope is for his players to give their best effort, better their skills and have a good time.

-- Yuna Baek

Girls’ Basketball

With new coaches, players and practices, the girls’ varsity basketball team is looking for-

ward to an exciting start to this season. They finished last year having made it to the second round of CIF with a three-pointer buzzer beater by Heather Park in the first round game allowing Sage Hill to win by one point.

“This season I am expecting our team to be dominant in our league and take league title.

I’m also expecting to go farther in CIF playoffs,” Park said. The team is looking to redeem themselves this year.

“This season, we have new coaches and an even stronger desire to win league,” sophomore Nadia Akabari said. “I think we’ve been putting in an immense amount of effort and that will translate into our season.”

Akbari is optimistic that with the help of the new coaches, captains and the improving team, they can get even farther than they did last season with a great record. The biggest games to look out for are the ones against St. Margaret’s, Sage’s rival, and Oxford Academy, who the team lost to in CIF Round 2 last year.

-- Claire Jang

Equestrian

This year’s equestrian team is living proof that size does not dictate success. Despite being a team of only two people, senior captain Catharine Malzahn and sophomore Charlotte Zovighian are excited for the coming season.

“My favorite part of being on the equestrian team is the team spirit. Even though we’re a tiny team of two this year, Charlotte and I have a great time and have fun with our horses,” Malzahn said.

Malzahn has another reason to look forward to the coming winter athletic season: it will be her last of four as a member of the team.

“I’m most excited to have a great final season and compete against some other riders who I’ve been riding with for the past four years. The last four years have gone by so quickly and I can’t wait to see what the rest of this season brings!” Malzahn said.

Although the reappearance of the Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) has postponed their season, Malzahn and Zovighian are looking forward to their second show on Jan. 7-8 at Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano. Their first was Oct.29-30 before the virus had spread.

EHV-1 has been known to cause abortion, respiratory disease and occasionally neonatal mortality in horses. Because it is easily transmissible, the Interscholastic Equestrian League canceled the two shows planned for November and December.

The shows have been rescheduled to January and Febru-

ary, and Malzahn and Zovighian are hopeful for a season just as successful as their last!

-- Lauren Fishman

Girls’ Soccer

The girls’ varsity soccer team is anticipating an exciting but challenging season. After the graduation of seven starting seniors last year, the team will have to train hard to prepare for tough league matches against St. Margaret’s and Crean Lutheran in order to achieve their goal of winning league.

“The main challenge that we as a team face this year is filling the crucial positions which were left by the seniors graduating,” junior Taylor Magliarditi said.

Despite losing those seniors, as well as a transfer, the team faces no shortage of promising talent—30 girls came out for the varsity team on the first day of tryouts and some joined the squad later after completing their fall sports season.

With only six returning seniors and two returning juniors, this year’s team is composed of primarily underclassmen. Hopefully, says Magliarditi, the loss of senior starters will “allow the underclassmen to really shine.”

In addition to the incoming talent, senior Maya Roston may prove to be one of the team’s key players this season. Roston was on the team her freshman and

sophomore years but did not play last season due to an ACL injury.

-- Michelle Hung

Boys’ Soccer

The captains of the boys’ varsity soccer team, Nelson Kim, Chase Munger and Chase Rebeil, have high expectations for the upcoming season. Two years ago, they made it to the CIF semi finals, and with this year’s lineup for the varsity team, they believe they can get even farther.

“We are expecting to win league this year because although we may have lost to the advantage of size, the returning team with the help of a few new players have improved the skill level of the team as a whole,” senior captain Kim said.

“It’s only a matter of time when the chemistry between players connect and we will begin to play even better.”

“This season is different compared to last season because we are coming off of a season that was not as successful as the year before,” junior captain Rebeil said.

All three captains are looking forward to a comeback from this year’s new team. The captains of the boys’ varsity soccer team have extreme confidence that they will play better this season They have their first game at 5 p.m Nov. 29 at Woodbridge High School. - Karli Davis

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The Bolt Sage Hill School December 2016

BACKPAGE

Trigger Warning: We’re going to talk about trigger warnings

Lynn Fong

ness’ holds the implication that students who support 17dupuisj.publications@gmail.com trigger warnings and safe Last August, the Unispaces on campus are overversity of Chicago set off sensitive, close minded and widespread controversy opposed to open dialogue. with the letter it addressed It suggests a fundamental to their incoming freshman misunderstanding of what class: don’t expect any trig- trigger warnings and safe ger warnings or safe spaces spaces actually are. here. Jay Ellison, the dean A trigger warning is of undergraduate students, little more than a content said that the university was warning. It means that a committed to free expresprofessor might mention in sion and wouldn’t shield class if the syllabus constudents from ideas that tains a reading or film that offended them or that they contains sensitive matedisagreed with. rial that could be difficult This comes as a refor students. For example, sponse to a recent political a graphic description of shift—where institutions sexual assault. These kinds are now forced to publically of content warnings are and often painfully deal vital for people with PTSD with issues of free speech, who are trying to avoid LGBT rights, race and sexu- content that may trigger an al assault on campus. But episode. It is a university’s ignoring ‘political correctjob to create an accessible

By Julia Dupuis

learning environment for students with disabilities, and trigger warnings for major content concerns fall under that category.

Even beyond disabilities like PTSD, having a professor give the class warning before discussing sensitive content can help students engage with topics that may be complex and uncomfortable. In recent times, political and social dialogue has more weight in students’ lives than ever, and a content warning allows students to create a space for discussion that is civil and sympathetic.

A safe space is an area on campus where students can feel comfortable talking about their identities and experiences. This includes, but is not limited to, students who feel marginal-

ized or have been through trauma. “Safe spaces are great ways to cultivate new opinions in a respectful manner and to speak truthfully from your own perspective,” says junior Capri Campeau. It isn’t about being shielded from ideas that students don’t want to engage with, but rather a place of support and community where marginalized students can express themselves.

Safe spaces are critical to allowing students control over when they decide to receive information and how to receive it. It’s a place for students to heal—to reclaim power and control they may not have in their daily lives and share that empowerment with others in a positive way.

Policies against trigger

warnings and safe spaces do the opposite of what they’re supposed to do. Instead of fostering free speech and academic freedom, it creates a deep mistrust in marginalized students, especially abuse survivors and people of color, against the institution itself.

“It’s about respect,” says senior Andrea Flores. “Safe spaces give people at a social or political disadvantage the chance to excel in an institution that doesn’t always accept us.”

With troubled political times and a growing backlash to social progress comes a responsibility to protect the educational experience of all students.

Colleges and universities should be demonstrating the way forward—not backward.