CTAGONJune 1, 2010VOL. XXXIII, NO. 8

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Sacramento, CA

Permit No. 1668

Editorial

THEPoints

of Interest

Positions announced

Next year current sophomore Lyria Beck will be editor-in-chief of the Medallion yearbook. Junior Jackie Fischer will be assistant edi-tor. Sophomore Trevor Sutley will be photo editor. Juniors Nicole Antoine, Parul Guliani and Case Nichols will be the editors-in-chief of The Octagon print edition. Ju-nior Paul Kessler will be editor-in-chief of The Octagon’s Website.

No Newton Booth move

An August move to the Newton Booth campus is no longer pos-sible. Although the school has raised $1.2 million, $1.3 million is still needed for the move.

Drama awards

Basketball coach David Ancrum (in college at left) was inducted

into Utica College’s hall of fame in May.

Ancrum ranks seventh on the college’s career

scoring list with 1,084 points in 47 games during the two years he was at the New York college.

Art teacher injured

At the International Thespian So-ciety dinner on May 13, freshmen Leslie Rieger and Annie Bell were awarded “Most Improved.” Fresh-men Jackson Dulla and Natalie Polan were awarded “Best Actor” and “Best Actress,” respectively. Senior Angelica Gonzalez re-ceived the career achievement award.

Technology supplants college orientation(pp. 10-11)

Delete your (p. 8)

Alumni participate in

a cappella(p. 18)

Coach inducted into

college’s hall of fame

Art teacher Patricia Kelly fell off a stool, May 20, fracturing bones in her right foot.“I was photograph-ing art and trying to be like Tom Wroten [director of technology],” she said. Two days later Kelly had surgery and will be out for the rest of the school year. “At least I have a scooter!” she said.

Feature

Above are the seventh- and eighth-grade history portables in the present middle-school quad. Below is the quad in 2004 in preparation for the new portables. After the portables are removed on June 18, the quad

will have the same open area it had six years ago. New pathways, picnic tables and foliage will be added. (Top photo by Lily Kramlich-Taylor; bottom photo courtesy of Julie Nelson)

A 40-foot by 48-foot portable was dropped in the middle of the grassy hub of middle-school activity during the summer of 2004. The quad was

gone. But on Friday, June 18, the four classrooms—

which currently house seventh-and eighth-grade English and history classes—will be removed. A decline of almost 30 percent in middle-school enrollment since 2004 has rendered the extra portables unnecessary.

Headmaster Stephen Repsher estimates that middle-school enrollment will be around 100 next fall. It was 140 in 2003-04.

The reduced numbers mean that faculty will teach more than one grade level or subject. English teacher Lauren LaMay will teach both seventh and eighth grade next year—as will the new history teacher—eliminating the need for two classrooms.

Additionally, eighth-grade math teacher Kathy Russell-Fernandez will take on science as well, and computer lab space will be real-located to save space.

The removal of the portables will save the school $11,000 in rent each year and “enhance the quality of life of the middle schoolers,” Rep-sher said.

“Mr. Repsher came to me with the idea [of removing the portables] because [the middle school] looks pretty awful right now,” Sandy Lyon, head of middle school, said.

The landscaping will cost $30,000-50,000, Repsher said. The funds will come from bonds issued to the school in August 2007.

New pathways, trees, grass, gathering spaces and lunch tables will enhance the quad.

“Currently all we have is a napkin sketch. We want to tie it into the lower-school landscap-ing, but with a distinct middle-school identity,” Repsher said.

Raised grass “pools” such as those that sprin-kle the Edwards Plaza will “add relief to the quad,” he said.

And Lyon hopes that a gathering place for the middle school will be established.

“What we’d like would be a small amphithe-atre type area where students sit on terraced steps,” Lyon said.

Portables to come downBy Parul Guliani

Copy Editor

Board funds iPads for 6th graders

Next fall, Country Day will be the first middle school campus in California to implement the Apple iPad as a classroom tool.

The Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees approved funds to buy an iPad for each sixth grader at a board meeting, May 11.

Initially, the iPads will be tied to the classroom and will not go home with the students, but as the year progresses that may change, said Tom Wroten, head of the technology department.

An airport has been installed in the mid-dle school to provide wireless internet ac-cess for the iPads.

Headmaster Stephen Repsher said the school has been experimenting with tech-nology in the classroom for several years, so iPads seemed like a logical next step.

“There are literally hundreds of applica-tions [programs] designed for educational purposes for the iPad,” Repsher said.

“And, if each student has an iPad they can present their work to the class easily by hooking up to a projector so other students can comment. There’s all kinds of interac-

By Nicole AntoineDesign Editor

An advertisement for the sixth-grade iPad program features sixth graders Emily Berke, Bradford Petchauer, Aidan Galati, Dominic Quiggle, Kamau Carter, Evan Cross and Jenny Kerbs and teacher Ed Bolman. (Photo courtesy of Tom Wroten)See iPads, page 5

Sports2 June 1 , 2010 The Octagon

Sports Bar

Case Nichols

Whenever I need to catch up on the Pac-10 football standings or look up whether an NBA star has been fined for arguing with a referee, my

first instinct is to check ESPN. I’m not alone. For most sports enthusiasts, ESPN.com and Sports-

Center (ESPN’s television program) are the best way to check on professional and collegiate teams.

Although ESPN is the most informative and widespread sports news outlet, it’s also the most biased.

Last year, ESPN moved its SportsCenter studio from New York to downtown Los Angeles—the epicenter of our country’s media market.

Interestingly, Los Angeles also happens to be the hometown of ESPN’s two favorite franchises—the Lakers and the University of Southern California (USC).

Sure, my Northern California favoritism may play into my opinion a little bit—I’m a die-hard Kings fan and my dad, a UCLA graduate, taught me to root against USC at a young age. But a neutral onlooker can look at ESPN’s writing strategies and television programs and realize how much they favor the Lakers and USC.

The most recent example of this favoritism oc-curred in the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs, when the top-ranked Lakers faced the eighth-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder.

As the no. 1 seed, the Lakers were heavily favored going into the series; they won the first two games in the best-of-seven series. But the Thunder bounced back and took the next game.

During halftime of game four, ESPN anchors analyzed how the teams were playing and showed statistics from the game thus far. Thunder star Kevin Durant had an impressive 12 points and eight rebounds—almost a double double.

But instead of displaying these numbers, ESPN only showed that Durant had three turnovers—a negative statistic.

Rather than talking about how great the Thunder’s first half was, ESPN turned it around, dwelling on their flaws.

The Thunder proceeded to shock the Lakers, winning 110-89.

I was even more disgusted with the article on the front page of ESPNNBA.com the following morning. It read “Kobe’s Struggles a Strategy?”

It wasn’t a surprise to anyone that Kobe Bryant had not been playing like himself the first four games of the series. But playing poorly on purpose?

Bryant is arguably one of the greatest players in NBA history. A player of his caliber would never pur-posefully play poorly during the playoffs, knowing that he has to win the series to make it to the next round. To make such a claim is simply ludicrous.

Another example of ESPN’s favoritism was during last year’s college football season. The USC Trojans were projected to be the Pac-10 champions for the eighth straight season. But, unfortunately for them, they lost four games and finished fifth in the confer-ence standings.

My favorite parts about college football are the upsets and success stories of teams no one has heard of—last year was no exception. But ESPN responded to last year’s shakeup by writing an article about the USC football team entitled “Wish You Were Here” (referring to being ranked in the top 25).

There’s nothing wrong with expressing opinions about surprises. But smaller, more successful teams deserve coverage, too.

I think the biggest reason for ESPN’s biased re-porting is money. The Lakers and USC can pay for media coverage from their new hometown televi-sion partner.

Another reason for the favoritism might be the background of their writers.

J.A. Adande, in my opinion, is ESPN’s most biased writer. Where was he born? Los Angeles. What is his other job? A professor at USC’s graduate school of journalism.

As sports journalists, ESPN employees have a responsibility to present unbiased news. When reporting, they should go out of their way to hide biases, not flaunt them.

Pinson aims for Olympic Trials

Sophomore Adam Pinson poses while at the swimming facilities at the University of Minnesota. While there for the Minnesota

Grand Prix last November, he swam the 200 freestyle in 1:49. (Photo courtesy of Adam Pinson)

The golf season comes to an end this year with mixed results—but not without good reason.

Although last year the team was the league champion, this year it finished sixth of eight

teams.“I knew going into the season it would be a rebuild-

ing year, as we lost four of our seniors,” golf coach Matt Vargo said.

Although the team as a whole didn’t qualify for sec-tions, both freshman Cooper Jackman and junior Tom Lincoln qualified for the individual sections.

This was Lincoln’s third straight year of qualifying. He ended up scoring a 101 at Stevinson Ranch, May 10, the fourth best score from players representing our league, the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League.

The windy and cold weather plus the narrow fairways at Stevinson Ranch made it difficult for the players to perform during sections.

“It was the worst weather conditions ever, and thus you couldn’t play well,” Lincoln said.

Considering it was Jackman’s first year on the team, he did a good job at the sections, shooting a 107.

Vargo said other newcomers also played well, such as sophomore Katheryn Contreras, who finished the season with two strong performances.

The teams that qualified for sections from the league were league champion Faith Christian, Buckingham Charter and Sacramento Adventist.

Lincoln and Jackman

compete in sectionals

Monday through Saturday, sophomore Adam Pinson starts his days at 4 a.m.

At 5 a.m., he jumps into the pool at Rio Del Oro Racquet Club for Spare Time Aquatics, Sacramento, and swims until 7 a.m.

“[Morning practices] are usually not as intense as [evening practices],” Pinson said.

Morning practices are for recovery.By the time school begins, he has been

up for over four hours.After school, Pinson jumps into the pool

from 4–6 p.m. and does dryland exercises for an hour after that.

“[Dryland is] an assortment of weights and abs and running,” Pinson said.

Pinson usually goes to bed at 11 p.m.,

so he gets five hours of sleep a night, the same number of hours that he normally swims per day.

“If you need to get something done, you just have to stay up and do it,” Pin-son said.

All this time will pay off if he achieves his two goals.

“I definitely think I’ll be able to get a Junior National, and if I push myself, I think I’ll be able to get an Olympic Trial. A lot of it’s mental,” Pinson said.

“I’d love to go to the Olympics, but my ultimate goal [which he believes is more realistic] is the Olympic Trials,” said Pinson.

“You have to be dedicated, determined, motivated. You have to have willpower.”

Pinson began swimming when he was two. He joined a recreational team at five and began swimming competitively at seven.

Pinson swims many events, but his best are 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1000

freestyle, and 200 butterfly.Pinson also swims for the school as one

of only two members on the team. (The other is freshman Jackson Dulla.)

Since Country Day’s league does not have swimming, Pinson and Dulla go to meets at Rio Americano High School.

Pinson made it to sections for SCDS, qualifying for the 500 freestyle (10. laps in an Olympic pool) with a time of 5:06:88, and for the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:06:78.

His accomplishments outside of school swimming include winning the 2005 Na-tional Top 16 award for the 800 freestyle in his age group, participating on the Sierra Nevada “All Star” teams twice, being con-sistently ranked in the top 200 for his age group, and obtaining qualifying times for the Speedo Grand Prix and Sectionals—two national meets.

Pinson attended the Long Beach Grand Prix in January, where he bumped into Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

By Ian CardleReporter

Spring sports

highlights

GolfJunior Tom Lincoln and freshman Cooper Jackman qualified for sectionals, where they finished in the middle of the pack.

SoccerAt their inaugural “Under the Lights” game at school, the girls improved their record to 10-4, beating Global Youth Charter School, 7-0.

TennisJuniors Damien Blake and Dylan Dahlquist qualified for quarterfi-nals at the league championship at the Laguna Creek Racquet Club in Elk Grove.

By Case Nichols and Christina PetlowanyPage Editor, Reporter

What’s it like playing sports with your sibling?

—Chris Stamatis,Senior

“I’d rather lose to my brother than anyone else, but when he beats me, I train harder to beat him the next time.” —Cooper Jackman,

Freshman

“I do three sports a year with my brother, and it wouldn’t be as much fun without him.”

—Bryan Nakagaki,Sophomore

QUICK MINUTE WITH THE CAVS

“We’re much more competitive, and sometimes we may get a little nega-tive; in the end we both reconcile, usually by forgetting the game. ”

Sportscast

PaulKessler

The energy in Arco Arena’s press room on April 29 was electric.

Reporters and television crews filed into

the security entrance underneath the arena to set up for a press conference. I presented my Octagon press pass to the security guard and he let me in, no questions asked.

I had been to Arco only a month earlier for a Junior NBA coaches and staff members’ game, and I had seen the press room. It was decorated with Kings, Comcast and Maloof Sports and Entertainment logos.

Today, however, the backdrop featured T-Mobile and NBA logos because today Kings’ guard Tyreke Evans would receive his long-anticipated Rookie of the Year award.

Chatting with cameramen and talking playoff bas-ketball with reporters, I waited for 20 minutes while NBA TV crews did microphone checks and cameras clicked and flashed.

Finally, at 12:28 p.m., Grant Napier, Kings’ color commentator, took his place at the podium.

On the left, six seats were filled by Alyssa Arnor,

marketing director for T-Mobile; Joe and Gavin Maloof, Kings’ owners; Geoff Petrie, the Kings’ president of basketball operations; Paul Westphal, head coach; and Evans, the guest of honor.

At 12:30 p.m. on the dot, Napier started by introduc-ing each of the members on the panel. Then he turned it over to Petrie, a former Rookie of the Year (when he played for the Portland Trail Blazers).

Petrie gave a quick congratulatory speech and retook his seat, leaving the podium for Westphal.

The coach was very happy to talk about Evans’s consistency and his leadership skills, citing his ex-ceptional work ethic and command for respect within the team.

Gavin Maloof was given the mic next. To the surprise of the audience, he thanked President Obama for telling him to pick Evans.

I’m glad they took his advice!Evans led rookies in scoring with 20.5 points and

added 5.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game, becom-ing the fourth rookie ever to achieve those results (after Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Oscar Robertson).

That’s some pretty good company.Evans earned 67 first-place votes from sportswriters

around the country, more than any other rookie. He was awarded for his consistency throughout the

season and his emergence as an instant superstar. So let me silence all the doubters. With Evans, the

Kings won eight more games and appeared on national television for the first time since 2007.

Evans also has tons of upside that can’t be said about his main rival, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

Curry is already an outstanding scorer and can cut to the hoop well, but it’s hard to tell how much his game will improve over the course of his career.

However, Evans’s jump shot is still quite untapped. He effectively uses his gigantic 6-foot-6, 220-pound frame to get to the hoop, but defenders leave him open enough to get off a jumper.

If Evans can tap into his jump shot, he will be un-stoppable.

If players overplay him on the perimeter, he can blow by them and get to the rim. And if they give him space, in order to prevent the dribble penetration, he’ll be able to step back and knock down his jumper.

While he understands his accomplishment in being the Rookie of the Year, Evans is quite humble.

When he took the stage, he first thanked his mom for

her support. He followed that by thanking his broth-ers, the Maloofs, Petrie and Westphal for giving him a shot to excel.

Finally, he addressed the crowd in a slight mumble, confessing that winning the Rookie of the Year was one of his expectations and a lifelong goal.

But he said that though he won an award, he wouldn’t let his abilities or work ethic slow down.

He expressed his desire to improve his game and even announced that he will be training with the U. S. Olympic team this summer.

Evans’s humble but intense desire to improve himself is what will make him a champion.

But while we wait for his metamorphosis, let me join in the chorus of Kings’ fans chanting “Oh thank heavens for Tyreke Evans.”

Baseball finishes strong,

crushes Lutheran, 17-3

Personal recordsMarco Siragusa 2 Miles—10:42

Damien Blake 800 Meters—2:13

Sarah Mancina 800 Meters—2:39

Sarah Fleming 200 Meters—34.04

Senior Matt Akins slides into home....and he’s safe! After being blown out in each of their first 10 games, the Cavs won two of their last three against Lutheran by a combined score of 22-6. Freshman Morgan Bennett-Smith, junior Case Nichols, and seniors Aaron Suits and Akins batted .423, .318, .308,

and .300 respectively to lead the team. At the Cavs’ “Under the Lights” game, Suits pitched all five innings, and junior Michael Male belted out an inside-the-park home run as the Cavs raked in 17 runs against the Panthers in their final game. (Photo courtesy of Don Suits)

SoftballThe Cavs won two games this season and were delighted when freshman Kamirah Carter hit a home run against Faith Chris-tian.

TrackSenior Marco Siragusa and junior Sarah Mancina qualified for the section champi-onships. Siragusa ran and set his personal best, 2-mile time of 10:42.

Leading BattersNora Miller .350

Madison Galati .325

Sam Messina .300

Sadie Brown .300

Spring Sports Highlights

June 1, 2010

Community4 June 1, 2010 The Octagon

Science department turns over again

By Case NicholsPage Editor

By Caitlin McNallyEditor-in-Chief

By Madeleine WrightReporter

After four years of chemistry experiments, teacher Matt Peck’s days in a high-school classroom are coming to an end.

Peck’s wife, Laura Bartley, is a scientist who studies the uses of plants and how they can create biofuels.

The two have moved around the country since 2002, going wherever Bartley’s career takes her.

“I totally support how my wife moves across the coun-try. In fact, I could move every five years if I wanted to.

There is always something new and exciting to see, and there seem to always be nice people there,” Peck said.

Bartley has worked for the government and has been a researcher in many labs in many parts of the country.

As a family, they have lived in Philadelphia, Washing-ton D.C. and Palo Alto.

And now Davis, where Bartley has just completed a post-doctoral fellowship at UC Davis, will be added to the list of former residences.

Their next home will be in Norman, Oklahoma, where Peck will be a research scientist in Bartley’s lab at the University of Oklahoma, studying biofuel production and cell biology. Bartley, who (like Peck) has a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford, will be a professor there.

Peck is looking forward to sharing a lab experience with Bartley again.

“We’ve worked together before as graduate students, and I’m looking forward to working with her now,“ Peck said.

“We’ve always talked about what we’re working on and what we’re doing in our careers at the moment, and now that we will be together, it will be easier to talk to her about it. It will be more fruitful for both of us.”

Although Peck’s new life as a researcher will bring in-teresting challenges, such as collecting data for bioen-ergy research, he said he will miss SCDS.

“Everyone here is so close—we all know each other and are friends. I’ll miss both the students and teachers very much,” Peck said.

Junior Sarah Mancina, who had Peck for both physics and chemistry, is sad to see him go.

“[Peck] was one of my favorite teachers—I had him longer than usual, and I had a lot of fun with him. He’s nice, engaging, and cares about his students a lot. I also like his lame jokes,” Mancina said.

Although Peck’s next job does not involve teaching in a classroom, it does involve tutoring for the gradu-ate students in the lab when they need help with their research.

Part-time lab work will be more suited to his lifestyle, he said, because he can help his children Sasha, 5, and Quinn, 10 months, settle into their new life in Oklahoma better, as his hours will be more flexible for the first few

months. Since he is working in the same lab as his wife, it will

be easier for him to pick his own hours as well.Afterwards, however, he may begin lecturing, which is

a bigger time commitment, he said. Peck’s family, which is moving to Norman in mid-July,

visited their new home over Spring Break and found it was the “Davis of Oklahoma,” since it is also a college town.

Peck, a research scientist before coming to SCDS, re-gards this as a new step in his already fast-moving life.

“It’s a return to my research roots. I’m really looking forward to it,” Peck said.

After teaching two grade levels, five academic

courses, and two different electives, as well as laying the groundwork for the Country Day computer network and garden, teacher

Doug Wallis is calling it quits. Despite his 18-year tenure, Wallis had no intention of

becoming a teacher.“Because my grandmother and father were both

teachers, I knew at a young age that I didn’t want to go into their profession,” said Wallis.

But after graduating from Sacramento State University in 1970 with a BA in international relations and a minor in economics, Wallis began to have second thoughts.

“After my senior year in college, I briefly had a yard

duty job at Sierra Oaks [school]. It was fun to work with children, so I began to rethink things—I didn’t want to have a boring job, so I got my teaching credential,” he said.

Wallis’s mother, Jeanne, on the other hand, thought that her son might end up as a teacher when he was young.

“[He] showed signs of trying to find solutions to

problems and presenting fair, unbiased facts,” she said.When Wallis started at Country Day, he taught sixth-

grade history, science and math. He then moved on to eighth-grade physical science

—a class for which he created the curriculum—and eventually earth science.

“[He] gave us a lot of freedom to learn in the classroom. It was pretty cool how he did it,” junior Brian Crush said.

“At first, it was hard to tweak classes to make them

work well. I’ve found that it takes about three years to make them good,” Wallis said.

In 1994, the school started its first computer network

with the help of Wallis. By 1995, every classroom had one computer. In that same year, Wallis became the school’s network administrator for three years until he returned to eighth-grade science.

Although Wallis rotated between academic and computer courses, there was a reason behind it.

“I get bored very easily. I’ve found that I need to change my focus every five years,” he said.

When all-school computer teacher Evelyn Dale left in June 2007, Wallis turned his focus back to computers. He took over the middle- and high-school computer classes and electives. With the help of his students in his “cyber naughts” elective, Wallis created the school’s first Website.

Tom Wroten, tech department head, helped Wallis with his classes and technical support, allowing him to also take on the responsibility of managing the school garden with the late Charls Whelan.

Wallis incorporated managing the garden into the middle-school curriculum. He currently fulfills the roles

of garden instructor and technology assistant. Next year, Wallis looks forward to taking frequent

trips with his trailer to San Diego to visit his 10-month-old grandson, daughter, and son-in-law.

“We’re planning on living down there during the winter months,” he said.

Wallis will also continue to work in his own garden and brew beer, a hobby that he’s enjoyed for years.

“I make 50 bottles of beer at a time with my recipe,” said Wallis.

“My beer is significantly better than any Corona or

anything like that.”

Robin Altman’s job was never permanent, but in just seven months she’s managed to find her

place in the high-school community. Altman taught biology and physiology

classes while teacher Kellie Whited was on maternity leave.

Before Altman made her debut at Country Day, she was finishing her Ph.D. in molecular, cellular and integra-tive physiology at the UC Davis, and was working as an instructor for the Advanced Systematic Physiology Lab class at UCD.

“I wasn’t sure that I wanted to work at Country Day until after I met with (science teacher Kellie) Whited and (Sue) Nellis, (head of high school), last summer,” Altman said.

Altman, being a self-proclaimed physiology and biology “dork,” decided to accept the position.

“I felt pretty comfortable with the subjects I would be teaching, so I wasn’t too worried about the academics,” Altman said.

“However, I had never worked at a high school before, so I didn’t know what to expect from the students.”

Because Altman taught college freshmen when she was a teacher’s assistant at UCD, she assumed they would be much like the juniors and seniors in Whited’s classes.

“In terms of dedication to their studies and intellectual abilities, the Country Day students are right up there with beginning college freshmen,” Altman said.

“Sometimes the maturity level droops a bit, compared to young college students, but I actually had fun with that.”

She was also slightly nervous about being the “newbie” in a small, close community.

“My experiences at Country Day have far surpassed my expectations,” Altman said.

“The students have been just awesome, bringing both their smarts and enthusiasm to the classroom,” she said.

“I love that we can get down to business and cover tough concepts, and then can also joke around and ex-plore the lighter side of science.”

Although Altman said she didn’t always enjoy dealing with progress reports and grades, her favorite part of the job was “hands down, the students.”

And Altman’s students thought just as highly of her. “I think it’s a shame Country Day’s not keeping her on,”

senior Jamie Johnson, an AP biology student, said. “She really knew what she was talking about, so she

could do analogies that made sense and describe things well. She was also just really nice.”

Physiology student senior Angelica Gonzalez agreed that Altman was special.

“If there was a quiz coming up, she would take time away from her free period or her lunch to help review,” she said.

“She broke things down to an easily understandable level, allowing me to learn and enjoy biology,” junior Richard Walter said.

When the school year is over, Altman will be working on a research project in the department of biochemistry and molecular medicine at UCD.

However, she said she is interested in teaching again in the future, and would even enjoy subbing at the school.

Surprisingly, Altman said she will really miss the schedule.

“I love order and routine, and I’ve come to appreciate how the high-school schedule brings both consistency and a bit of freshness on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

News5June 1, 2010

The high-school piano trio and mixed

quintet chamber groups competed

in the All-State Music Festival, May

8. Despite a series of crazy mix-ups

for the piano trio, both groups secured Gold

awards, the second highest possible, for their

performances.

The mixed quintet—composed of junior

cellists Sarah Mancina and Damien Blake,

sophomore trumpeter Richard Whitney and

junior violinists Alex Graves and Sarah Flem-

ing—went on first, and played “really well,”

according to Whitney and music director

Dan Ahlstrom.

The group performed select movements

from Igor Stravinsky’s “Five Fingers.”

The performance’s only hitch was a mix-

up related to printing the group’s awards. Be-

cause they played in the time slot originally

intended for the school’s brass quintet, the

award bears the brass quintet’s name.

The piano trio—Mancina on cello, Flem-

ing on violin and Whitney on piano—en-

dured considerably more stress during their

performance.

“When we were warming up for our per-

formance with the trio, Sarah [Mancina] hit

the cello against a wooden box, and the A

string came unwound,” Fleming said.

Because Mancina was too afraid of the

string breaking to tune it, the task was left

to the equally inexperienced Fleming, who

fearfully but successfully returned the string

to tune.

However, the trio’s tribulations were not

over.

“We ran through our music, and Richard

looked at his phone and realized that we

were supposed to be playing then,” Fleming

said.

They rushed to the performance room,

only to realize that they had left the packet

for the adjucators in the practice room.

“I had to sprint up two flights of stairs in

my heels,” Fleming said. “When I got back,

we only had nine minutes of our 15-minute

slot.”

To make matters worse, Mancina had for-

gotten her rockstop, the small rubber disc

that holds the cello’s endpin in place on the

floor. Because it was missing, her instrument

slipped across the floor and prevented her

from playing for much of the first song.

“I almost cried,” she said. “I really think we

could’ve gotten a Command performance if

we’d had all our stuff.”

A Command performance award, the

highest possible, requires top marks in all

categories from each of two judges; the trio

received the highest marks in most catego-

ries, with a few second-highest marks.

Fleming said that the group’s luck took a

turn for the better as their set progressed.

“Our second piece went surprisingly

well,” she said. “We hit all the notes we

don’t usually hit.”

The performance at All-State was the last

major chamber music event of a year that

saw significant progress in the school’s

chamber music program.

Ahlstrom said he was very happy with the

results of both the All-State and the year as

a whole.

“This has been a stellar year,” he said. “We

had five groups go to the [California Musical

Educators’ Association] festival, and five of

them got into All-State.”

Although the future of the chamber mu-

sic program is uncertain because Ahlstrom

is leaving after this year, passion and excite-

ment among the players remains high.

“If they’re offering it again, I’d love to take

[the chamber program],” Whitney said. “Cer-

tainly, I’d like to stay in the groups I’m in.”

Chamber groups

win Gold awards at

All-State festival

By Chris ThompsonPage Editor

Death threat frightens SFHS

Four St. Francis High School sopho-

mores received a death threat in a

Formspring post last week.

Formspring is a social networking

Website that allows users to “ask questions,

give answers and learn more about (their)

friends.”

The post claimed that the attack would

be carried out May 26. A police investiga-

tion followed.

“We want to do everything we can to find

out who actually sent this,” Sacramento po-

lice sergeant Norm Leong said in an article

on the News 10 Website.

Ingrid Niles, a St. Francis spokesperson,

said in a San Francisco Examiner article that

the administration suspects the person is a

St. Francis student.

St. Francis has recommended that all stu-

dents delete their Formspring accounts and

disconnect any Formspring links on Face-

book.com.

“There are so many rumors going around

the school. Everyone was freaked out. The

gates were closed, and you had to check in

at the front desk,” a St. Francis sophomore

said.

Another sophomore said many of her

friends didn’t come to school on May 26.

“Almost everyone took the threat serious-

ly, and many girls are deleting their Form-

spring and Facebook accounts. Police have

been on campus since (May 26), and they

will be here until school gets out for sum-

mer,” she said.

Since its launch in November, Form-

spring has generated controversy. A New

York Times reporter dubbed it, “the online

version of the bathroom wall in school, the

place to scrawl raw, anonymous gossip.”

“In seventh grade, especially, it’s a lot of

‘Everyone knows you’re a slut,’ or ‘You’re

ugly,’” said middle-school counselor Chris-

tine Ruth of Linwood, N.J., in a New York

Times article, May 6.

“It seems like even when it’s inappropri-

ate and vicious, the kids want the attention,

so they post it. And who knows what they’re

getting that’s so devastating that they don’t

post it?”

By Parul GulianiCopy Editor

During his April 22 visit

at the school, Alan

Beamer was teaching

a sample lesson to

the sophomore chemistry class

when he set a gummi bear on fire

during a lesson about how sugar

is used in the human body.

“There was a test tube in a ring

stand and some solution was in

the test tube,” said sophomore

Anna Young. “We dimmed the

lights and he dropped the gummi

bear in the test tube. There was

a big plume of smoke that went

up into the air.”

The school then had an un-

planned all-school fire drill.

This wasn’t the first time

Beamer had encountered fire on

the job. When he was working at

a detergent enzymes corporation

called Gist-Brocades, he acci-

dently set a small fire when the

company’s CEO was visiting.

“My boss and co-workers

thought it was hysterical. Regard-

less, those were three of the best

years of my life. I’m hoping that

the little ‘incident’ during the

sample lecture bodes similarly,”

Beamer said.

From a degree in opera per-

formance to a B.A. in chemistry

with a M.A. in organic chemistry,

Beamer has a wide range of skills

and knowledge.

He received his B.A. from

Guilford College in Greensboro,

NC, and his master’s degree

from UC Santa Barbara. He also

received a minor from Guilford

in music, with his instrument as

the classical piano.

Beamer will replace Matt

Peck, teaching chemistry and

AP chemistry. For the last two

years, he has taught at The Bent-

ley School, a private school in

Lafayette, from which he was laid

off due to budget cuts.

Before his teaching career be-

gan at San Marcos High School,

Beamer worked at a bank in

loan services, entered data for a

mortgage company, accompa-

nied voice majors at UC Santa

Barbara and worked for a high-

school tutoring service.

“I fell into a long-term sub-

stitute teaching position at San

Marcos High School, a public

high school in Goleta. I found

out that I had talent with teach-

ing—something my friends and

family have told me for years.”

Beamer then found a job

teaching chemistry at Laguna

Blanca, where the headmaster

was current headmaster Stephen

Repsher. When Beamer found

out that Repsher was the SCDS

headmaster, he was “pleasantly

surprised” at the odds of once

again being hired by him.

Aside from the fire, Beamer

enjoyed his April 22 visit.

“In the class in which I gave

a sample lesson, the students

weren’t afraid to ask me some

challenging questions; I’m one

of those teachers who appreciate

that level of interest and enthusi-

asm,” Beamer said.

Outside of the classroom,

Beamer has a variety of pas-

times.

“I always try to find a lo-

cal chorus to join. I’m an avid

Dungeons and Dragons player,

‘funny dice’ and all. I’m [also]

a cardio junkie: StairMaster, el-

liptical machine, jumping rope,

treadmill, stationary bike, etc.,”

he said.

Opera, fire and Dungeons and Dragons

Beamer joins high-school staff as new chemistry teacher

tive work.”

A password will be necessary

to buy and upload any apps,

preventing students from down-

loading games.

In addition to the password,

the iPads will operate under the

same Internet filter as the rest of

the school.

The iPads are a sizable invest-

ment at $600 a pop, though the

school receives a $200 discount

per set of 10. According to

Wroten, the school will not be

purchasing AppleCare (Apple

insurance for the iPads).

AppleCare for all the ma-

chines would cost about $3000,

while replacing one iPad would

cost only $600. In addition, the

school can provide all neces-

sary tech support.

“Insurance is a gamble, and

in this case we’ll take the odds,”

Wroten said.

The iPads are a pilot program,

Repsher said. Depending on

how successful they are, they

may be expanded to the seventh

and eighth grades. Eventually,

laptops for the high school may

be considered.

The concept of iPads in the

classroom was introduced by

sixth-grade teacher Ed Bolman.

Bolman has already purchased

a personal iPad and used it in

class for almost a month.

“I already have students like

Aidan Galati using her own iPad

to turn in work, take notes, and

make flashcards to study from. I

also have about six students or

so doing work from their own

iPads at home now, plus all of

my students in class have used

mine,” Bolman said.

Bolman said that as a col-

lege prep school, Country Day

should be responsible for pre-

paring its students for the tech-

nology -ing.

“I proposed to jump into the

21st century,” Bolman said,

“and begin to further prepare

our students for the tools of

life, college, and business. This

is just the tip of the iceberg

technology-wise for the coming

years.”

Along with Bolman, Aleitha

Burns, middle-school science

teacher will be utilizing the i-

Pads. Additional iPads will be

available for other teachers.

Repsher related some of the

possibilities for the new iPads

with enthusiasm.

“Instead of having a 2-D map

on the wall, students can have

a map on their iPad. They can

click and enlarge it, or down-

load information from a partic-

ular place like population den-

sity, who the president is, what

the geography is like.

“Learning becomes interac-

tive, and the possibilities are

endless.”

By Mary-Clare BoscoReporter

IPads: school

integrates

technology

(Continued from page 1)

After simplifying teachers’ day-to-

day tasks for two years, Stephanie

Smith, high-school administrative

assistant, has accepted a paid in-

ternship with the Federal Deposit Insurance

Corporation (FDIC).

Beginning June 21, Smith will be a stu-

dent examiner, traveling around California

with a team of FDIC employees to assess

banks.

Smith, who is getting her master’s degree

in accounting at Sacramento State Univer-

sity, looks forward to her new opportunity.

“They will train me like a full-time em-

ployee,” she said. She hopes to work for the

FDIC when she graduates in June 2011.

“At that point, my field agent will offer

me a position as either a risk assessor or

bank examiner, depending on my strengths

and position openings,” Smith said.

But faculty at Country Day will have to

take on some of their old responsibilities

with Smith’s departure.

“Stephanie has done so much to shape

the job,” Nellis said.

“She has taken on lots of new projects

and is willing to work hard to get things or-

ganized.”

For example, Smith has created spread-

sheets to make information more easily ac-

cessible.

“This way, I can easily communicate with

advisers about which graduation require-

ments students are missing,” Smith said.

She is also in charge of taking daily at-

tendance, which is something that Brooke

Wells, assistant head of the high school,

used to do.

Wells will miss Smith’s creativity and dili-

Principal’s assistant lands paid internship with FDIC

By Julia KerbsReporter

See Smith, page 16

I was in fifth grade when I first met Mr. Ahlstrom. I found him intimidating.

In fifth grade, everyone was required to play an instru-

ment. Mr. Ahlstrom and Mr. Ratcliff demonstrated how to play various instruments, and we were to write down our top three choices.

I thought the violin sounded nice, and the cello was essen-

tially the same thing—but bigger. So I signed up for both.Mr. Ahlstrom told us that

everyone who played the vio-

lin would end up playing the viola too—and vice versa. So I checked off viola as option three. I never meant to play it.

Of course I got stuck with it. And once we started rehears-

ing, I knew I was going to quit as soon as we were allowed to. My family told me I sound-

ed like a cat shrieking. They weren’t exaggerating. I hated how I sounded. I hated practic-

ing. I hated the viola. I don’t even remember now

why I signed up for orchestra in sixth grade. Maybe it was the exhilaration I felt every time the fifth grade orchestra hit all the notes in the Orpheus in the Un-derworld “Can Can” melody. Maybe it was because someone told me playing the viola would get me into Stanford.

I didn’t improve much, and I almost quit again at the end of sixth grade. But this time some-

thing else held me back. The thing is, orchestra was fun. Mr. Ahlstrom introduced us

to musician jokes (“What’s the difference between a conduc-tor and a bucket of crap? The bucket!“ or “How do you get a

violin from getting stolen? Put it in a viola case.”)

He took the band and orchestra to Six Flags Marine World each year for the Music in the Parks Festival. We’d compete in the morning, brave Medusa and Kong in the afternoon and cheer as we collected trophies during the awards ceremony. It didn’t matter that the adjudicators always announced us as “Sacramento County Day School.” It didn’t matter that we were always a few points short of the elusive Superior rating—until recently at least.

I still remember when we performed “Louie Louie,” “Iron Man” and “Hang on, Sloopy” alongside the band during the middle-school Hal-

loween festival. We sounded amazing, but the highlight of the performance was Mr. Ahlstrom’s Halloween cos-tume: a sumo-wrestling ballerina.

Whenever rehearsal became a little too grueling, Mr. Ahlstrom would give our fingers a break and recount some funny incident from his childhood or musical career. The stories always had a moral attached, and from what I re-

member, the moral was usually “prac-

tice!” He was fond of the words “subdi-

vide” and “essentially.” He still is. Mr. Ahlstrom didn’t let me quit the viola. He wouldn’t

let anyone quit. He encouraged us all to take lessons and

to experiment with chamber music, jazz band, and solos. In seventh grade, current juniors Damien Blake, Sarah Fleming, Alex Graves and I became the Middle School String Quartet.

We laughed and we argued and we outright screamed at each other during zero period and after-school quartet re-

hearsals. But Mr. Ahlstrom kept us motivated. He secured us gigs at the convention center, Fairytale Town and school events.

He even invited us to his house once for a mega-rehearsal. We played Vivaldi and Handel. And then the five of us went to a movie.

It wasn’t until eighth grade, though, that I really became interested in the viola. Having been pestered for three years to sign up for private lessons, I finally acquiesced. I came to orchestra that fall with a new resonant viola—and a new diligence.

I improved more in those first couple months with my dauntingly stern teach-

er than I ever had or will, and Mr. Ahl-strom lauded my progress by assigning me my first solo.

I haven’t looked at it since I last per-formed it at the Spring Concert in eighth grade. Nor have I heard it. Yet if you asked me right now to hum that solo in “Fantasia” (at least, I think the piece was

called “Fantasia”), I could.Mr. Ahlstrom offered opportunities like that to all of us.

He’d even transpose parts using the Finale Notepad software just to make the music more playable for a specific part.

I performed that solo for the first time at Disneyland. In-

stead of the usual Six Flags or Great America day-trip, the orchestra traveled to Anaheim that year to participate in the Disney Magic Music Days Festival.

The trip itself was incredibly fun—it was Disneyland—as was the performance. But what I remember most clearly from that trip is the walk back to the hotel after dinner the first night.

It was dark, and a man was playing an electric violin, but he sounded as though he were playing five or 10 or a full

Opinion6 June 1, 2010 The OctagonEd

itors

reme

mber

why

Coun

try D

ay is

spec

ial

Jillian DePoyLily Kramlich-TaylorCaitlin McNally

Thirteen years ago, I had my first day of kindergarten and I remember it as if it were yesterday. After plenty of en-

couragement and anticipation during the summer, the day had come. I was a big girl.

I jumped out of the car line with my brightly colored backpack and plastic red-and-black Betty Boop lunch box without hesitation, as if I was being sucked into a cyclone.

From that day on, I learned the life lessons that have shaped me as a woman.

These lessons started out small. In kindergarten, I realized the importance

of going to the bathroom before an assembly. On Civil War Day in fifth grade, I took Rob-

ert Frost’s advice and chose the road less trav-

eled. While most of my girl friends decided to be nurses and tend to the injured men, I decided to represent the women on the bat-tlefield.

Dressed in a grey suit with gold sashes, I reenacted the battle with pride and confi-

dence. In eighth grade I realized the importance of

being honest with myself. The appeal of following all my friends to

Loretto High School got the best of me for one day. The moment I stepped foot on that new and strange campus, I knew I wouldn’t last. The heinous green-and-blue plaid was like chains wrapped around my body.

When I came back to Country Day, I found my freedom again.

The high-school campus was a gateway into diversity. As we bridged the gap between the quads, we shed our middle-school dress code and our closed minds.

Through boyfriends, friend fights and aca-

demic pressure, I’ve witnessed first-hand the effects of true love, betrayal, hate and out-standing achievement.

Because of my experiences, I’ve become a super chameleon.

No matter where I go in the world, I have the ability to cope with my surroundings, good or bad. And I have Country Day to thank.

I nervously walked through the corridor with my bright multicolored rolling backpack as I tried not to notice all the stares.

As I entered the classroom to meet my new third-grade teacher, Char Neff, students stood on their tiptoes, struggling to peek at me through the window. One girl even held another up to see me. I remember my very first day at Country Day as if it were yesterday. I was the transfer student coming halfway through the year. I was an outcast in the beginning, but while I struggled with friends, even through middle school, one thing remained consistent: the teachers. From fourth-grade teacher Helen Deiphenbrook and her Sutter’s Fort to eighth-grade teacher Lauren LaMay and her “Of Mice and Men” voices. From history teacher Daniel Neukom and his teasing about students’ food or relationship choices to English teacher Patricia Fels and her yellow pen. The teachers and faculty are what makes and defines Country Day’s special community. At what other school could I have become close enough with Patricia Jacobsen, my math teacher, to spend my lunches with her, go out to eat with her and babysit her daughter? Where else could I find a headmaster who takes the time to talk with students about their lives? Would the teachers at Rio Americano make fools out of themselves at the Lipsync or find the time to write thoughtful report card comments or come up with graduation skits for each senior? Teachers at Country Day open not only their minds to students but also their hearts. And no matter how many best friends or boyfriends you could find at Rio, you aren’t going to find teachers who view you as more than just a daily presence filling a chair. When choosing a college, I made sure the school had the same sense of community so the students can have the same kind of relationship with teachers.

How do you say goodbye to a place that has been your home for the past 14 years?

Over the weeks that I’ve stopped coming to school to focus on my senior proj-ect, I’ve come to a realization.

It isn’t the beauty of the new lower-school building that I miss. Or the comfortingly mod-

est high-school quad. I haven’t yet felt the long-

ing to take another ride in the Unibus, and I certainly don’t miss those high-school bath-

rooms. As a matter of fact, these have not even been

on my radar. Interestingly, these were all things that my friends and I would stress over during the year, like the majority of the Country Day community.

However, I have now realized that worry-

ing about these things was simply a waste of energy. What I should have been focusing my time on are the people on campus.

People like receptionist Erica Wilson, who will walk all the way out from behind the front desk to come outside for a hug and a “hello” if she sees you through the window.

Or Unibus driver Bill Clement, who always starts your day off with a “good morning.” Maintenance staffer Daniel Serrano never fails to stop whatever he is doing just for a simple wave. Jennifer Porteous Adams, food services director, even cooks the entire school a Thanks-giving lunch!

Wendy Ross, director of institutional rela-

tions, is like the campus mother. There was never a person that cared more about each and every student.

Then, there are the teachers—the ones that educate students in more ways than just aca-

demics. From Barbara Fackenthall’s “100th Day of

School” parade, Lauren LaMay’s squirt gun, Sandy Lyon’s spring break trips and Michelle Myers’s boundless affection for her students, Country Day was the best place to grow up.

This fun, yet scholastic, environment contin-

Music program built from Ahlstrom’s dedicationBy Parul Guliani

Copy Editor

See Ahlstrom , page 16

See Reflective, page 16

He even invited us to

his house once for a mega-

rehearsal. We played Vivaldi

and Handel. And then the five

of us went to a movie.

“”

Music teacher Dan Ahlstrom conducts the high-school orchestra during his elective. (Photo by KJ Park)

Opinion7June 1, 2010The Octagon

iPads?yes no

In April, Apple released the

iPad to the world and it be-

came the hot new gadget.

Now Country Day will be

releasing 36 iPads to 11 and

12-year-olds.

The iPad experiment is a way

to integrate technology into the

classroom, according to head-

master Stephen Repsher. But the

middle schoolers already have

computers. Do they need a hand-

held device that does the same

thin?

I see the iPad experiment as a

form of bribery. Enrollment in

the sixth grade is down, and the

school needs something that will

set SCDS apart from other middle

schools.

Country Day already has some-

thing that sets the school apart—

great teachers that give students

an amazing education.

It will cost the school $15,000

to buy enough iPads for the sixth

grade.

But will a parent or student re-

ally pick a middle school based

on whether they will be getting a

free iPad or not?

That $15,000 could go towards

something the school needs instead of

something that a middle schooler might want because it’s cool.

Repsher said there are hundreds of educational applications de-

signed for the iPad that students can use.

But isn’t that why we have teachers?

Yes, sixth-grade teacher Ed Bolman’s students will be able to view a

map on their iPads now instead of a 2D map and download informa-

tion on it. But couldn’t we save the $15,000 and use an encyclopedia

that the library already has instead?

The way I see it, the iPad experiment promotes laziness.

Repsher said that learning will become interactive. But learning at

Country Day already is interactive with all the field trips and activities. And in classrooms, students interact with teachers.

Repsher also said that students could present their work by hooking

up their iPads to their projectors.

But haven’t we already been doing that by using Powerpoint and a

computer?

Another application will write down what the teacher is saying so

students will no longer have to take notes.

So essentially students can now goof off during class while their

iPads do all the work. The advantage of taking notes is not only to

know what you learned in class, but to force you to pay attention.

At left, Lauren Taylor says that teachers don’t allow students to mess

around and iPads won’t change that.

But I have seen how distracting cellphones and computers are when

students have access to them during class. Whether they’re permitted

or not, students still use them if they’re in front of them.

Giving a sixth grader an iPad is a waste of money. While the iPad is

really cool, it is pretty much a giant iPhone with features of a laptop.

Most sixth graders probably have cellphones and all of them have

access to computers. They don’t need iPads.

SCDS should save its money

By Lauren TaylorReporter

By Lily Kramlich-TaylorEditor-in-Chief

Next school year, every sixth grader will be given an iPad in an experiment to integrate technology into the classroom.

Integrating the iPad into sixth-

grade classrooms will make

Country Day the most innovative

and forward-thinking school in

California. (See “Board funds iPads for 6th graders” on page 1).

The use of iPads in the classroom

will launch the students into the 21st

century and provide them with the

opportunity to become more techno-

logically savvy, an important skill in

today’s world.

With the iPads, students will have

scientific calculators, dictionaries, world atlases, and an endless supply

of flashcards, pens and paper built right in.

No longer will students come un-

prepared to class by forgetting pens

or paper.

No longer will teachers and stu-

dents waste paper for scratch work in

math and history notes.

The school will have to spend

$15,000 to purchase all of the iPads,

according to headmaster Stephen

Repsher. Some feel this is an inor-

dinate amount of money to spend on

something the school doesn’t really

need.

But what does SCDS need?

We didn’t need new lower-school

buildings. We don’t need a new high-

school campus. The school wants these

things to improve the school and possibly

expand it.

SCDS doesn’t need the iPads. The school wants them to further im-

prove the school’s excellent educational value.

And if one student comes to Country Day because they think the

iPad sets the school apart from other middle schools, the tuition of that

one student will cover the $15,000.

At right, Lily Kramlich-Taylor asks, “Will a parent or student really

pick a middle school based on whether they will be getting a free iPad

or not?”

Probably not.

But people will choose Country Day for its excellent educational

value and its dedication to its students—something the iPads will only

improve.

According to Repsher, there are hundreds of educational applica-

tions that can be downloaded.

Kramlich-Taylor maintains that because there are so many of these

applications, they will essentially do the teacher’s job.

But the iPad will be integrated into lesson plans, not replace them.

“I still have to type up all of my tests, teach all of my lessons, and

explain all of the concepts. If you think you can hand a student an iPad

and say ‘Okay, teach yourself,’ that’s ridiculous,” Ed Bolman, sixth-

grade math and history teacher, said.

“The only thing that’s going to change [in my classroom] is how

much paper is used.”

Kramlich-Taylor also claims that the applications, specifically the voice-recording application, will promote laziness, as students will

“goof off during class while their iPad does all the work.”

She’s forgetting one thing: there will still be a teacher in the room.

Teachers don’t allow students to goof off now, and iPads in the class-

room won’t change that.

And since the teachers will control what goes on the iPads, there will

be no game applications to distract students.

SCDS already has the best middle school in Sacramento. IPads will

make it even better.

is published eight times a year by high-school jour-

nalism students of Sacramento Country Day School,

2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, Calif. 95864. Phone:

(916) 481-8811, ext. 347. E-mail: octagon@saccds.org,

Web address: http://www.scdsoctagon.org.

The Octagon endeavors to provide a reliable source

of information on events concerning the high school

and to focus on topics of importance to educate

and entertain the community.

The Octagon will publish all timely and relevant

news, excluding obscene, slanderous, or libelous

material, or material deemed contrary to the best

interest of the school community by the staff.

Editorials shall be agreed upon by the editorial

board. Columns and commentaries shall be clearly

labeled as such and represent the opinion of the

author only.

Signed letters to the editor shall be published,

space permitting, unless otherwise requested by the

author, or if they violate the above restrictions. The

editors reserve the right to edit letters to fit space

constraints. E-mail letters to octagon@saccds.org.

Editorial8 June 1 , 2010 The Octagon

Editors-in-Chief

Jillian DePoyLily Kramlich-Taylor

Caitlin McNally

Copy Editor

Parul Guliani

Design Editor

Nicole Antoine

Sports Editors

Case NicholsPaul Kessler

Feature Editors

Parker MurrayBrianna Makishima

Editorial Editor

Reporters

Mollie BergMary-Clare Bosco

Ian CardleJeffrey CavesDaniel Edgren

Julia KerbsChristina Petlowany

Lauren TaylorMadeleine Wright

Anna Young

Community Editor

Caitlin McNally

News Editor

Jillian DePoy

Opinion Editor

Lily Kramlich-Taylor

Centerpoint

Nicole Antoine

Adviser

Patricia Fels

Chris Thompson

Cartoonist

Nora Miller

Formspring enables bullying, imperils users

Every time I go to the airport the guard asks me for my ID. So I pull out my Country Day ID and show it to the guard, only to receive a look

like “Are you serious?”This is because my school ID looks fake. “They look like something I could type up on

my computer, print out, and laminate,” senior Max Xie said.

While other high schools in the area have valid-looking student ID cards, ours look cartoon-like and homemade, and, consequently, illegitimate.

On the Rio Americano card there are a scan-ning area and a student ID number. Also on the Rio card, the date, school name and school slogan are all in the same font and colors, making it more professional.

If we turn our cards around and hold them in the air, we can even see through them. Our cards are flimsy. Imagine how much more legitimate our student ID cards would look if they were plastic instead of paper.

Our school ID should be something we are proud of, something to pull out and say, “I go to Sacramento Country Day School,” not something we feel we have to hide in the back of our wallets because it might be questioned.

Junior Jackie Fischer was at Forever 21 buying clothes with her credit card when she was asked for an ID.

“They said they didn’t want to be liable for fraud,” Fischer said.

Forever 21 would not accept Fischer’s card be-cause of her school ID, and, therefore, Fischer’s mom had to pay for her. “It was quite embarrass-ing,” she said.

Sophomore David Coffill was held up at the Portland airport because of his ID. The security guard initially questioned him because he looked over 18.

“The guards had to inspect my ID multiple times because it looked so amateurishly made,” Coffill said.

After the incident, Coffill spent $23 on a California State Identification Card.

But Country Day students shouldn’t have to buy an additional ID.

Swentowsky Photography, the company who takes our school pictures, makes the IDs, administra-tive assistant Erica Wilson said. The school receives a disk of cards, so if a student ever loses a card, another one can easily be made for free.

Rio Americano High School students get their pictures and IDs from the company Lifetouch. The IDs do not cost the school anything, and the company loans the school the card machine dur-ing the year.

According to Donna Lauppe, Studio Director at Swentowsky, the machine that Lifetouch uses costs $5,000, and to make a profit of off this, the prices of packages would have to be raised about $20.

Also, if they used a machine to make the ID cards, Swentowsky would have to be at SCDS taking pic-tures for a third day—which would make teachers unhappy, she said.

Therefore, the cards cannot be the hard plastic material, but there are other ways they could look more realistic.

Lauppe says that the school could work with Swentowsky to redesign our cards, and because Country Day students are creative, it could be a project to incorporate our school logo into a card.

It is the school’s choice about the design.Our IDs should be taken seriously, not mistaken for a joke.

Reporter

Mollie Berg Onions

Orchids&O

rchids to...Student

Council for the extra

hour for juniors and seniors

and their dates at Prom. The

reduced congestion made

the dance more intimate and

meaningful. This is a tradi-

tion worth keeping.

Onions to. . .teachers

who spend the class-

es right before finals teach-

ing new material. Students

shouldn’t have to learn new

things while they’re trying

to study for finals. In-class

review is infinitely better.

Onions to. . .students

who made noise in

the quad during APs. Show

some courtesy to students

tackling some extremely

arduous tests. You’ll want

the same respect when you

take your tests.

Students deserve real ID cards

The Octagon

Orchids to... Walsworth

Publishing Company

for honoring the Medallion

as one of its outstanding

yearbooks. The staff’s tire-

less pursuit of excellence

has culminated in this award

from their publisher.`

Past NSPA Pacemaker and

Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Gold Medalist

Bloggers call it “the easier form of cyber-bullying,” “the online version of a bathroom wall in a

school; a place to scrawl raw anony-mous gossip” and “Facebook’s mean-spirited older sister.”

Formspring is the new and contro-versial social networking site that has become popular nationwide in less than a year.

The site, on which anyone can post anonymous questions or comments, is a veritable playground for cyberbul-lying.

Here are a few shortened, relatively clean examples of these comments: “You’re ugly.” “You’re a slut.” “You have a bad body.” “You’re a bitch.”

A death threat can now be added to the list.

Last week, a sophomore at St. Francis

High School received a comment from someone stating that he or she would come to school and shoot the girl and her three friends on May 26 (see story on page 1).

This is the inevitable result of Form-spring.

When questioners can hide behind the mask of anonymity, there are no limits to what they will say. Whether this was a serious threat or merely a joke remains unknown. But without any way of knowing who made the threat, students and faculty must as-sume it is serious.

Moreover, the anonymity of Form-spring makes it dangerous, even when users aren’t being directly threatened. One never knows who’s asking the questions. Users privately see these questions and they choose to respond,

making both the question and response public.

But “public” with Formspring does not mean “public” only to friends as with Facebook—it means public to the whole world.

Users are giving away their names, pictures and personal details at the top of Formspring pages. Their answers re-veal details about their schools, friends, boyfriends, etc.

Formspring users make themselves vulnerable to not only demeaning comments, but real potential danger.

Formspring has taken bullying to a new level and we hope that users at Country Day learn from what hap-pened at St. Francis. We recommend that students think twice about creating a new Formspring or continuing to use their existing one.

Feature9June 1, 2010The Octagon

Kris Allen*Lil Bow WowJohn Legend

Mickey ThomasThe Game

Rio Am. Jazz BandNe-Yo

Tower of PowerSlim of 112Rick Ro$$

Bobby ValentinoDevon BaldwinMicky Dolenz

*American Idol Winner- 2009

Record an Audition CD

or DVD for School

Admissions

Arrange a Fantasy

Recording Session

with a real Rock Star

Surprise Party or

Special Event

A Perfect Gift For That Hard To Please Parent Or

Teenager!

Call or Email Us TodayChuck Hansen

The Track Shack Studios

1745 Markston Road

Sacramento, CA 95825

Tel: 916-779-0660

Email:

chuck@thetrackshack.com

Check Out Our Youtube Page

www.YouTube.com/TheTrackShackStudios

Recent Clients

Basketball, holidays and R-rated movies

At the recent high-school journalism convention in Portland, Ore., high-school students shopped, played in “hurricane simulators,” ice skated

and explored the city during their precious free time.

But junior Chris Thompson took time out to visit his childhood nanny.

Thompson is not alone in having a nanny

who impacted his life. In an Octagon poll, 26 percent of high-school students report-ed having had a nanny. And many said they considered their nannies a part of the family.

Chris ThompsonThompson’s nanny experience

started and ended much younger than most. Thompson was only a year old when his family hired Cheryle Connelly-Worcel to take

care of Thompson and his eight-year-old sister because both

parents worked. “I think my earliest

memories relate to her. I was closer to her than I was to my mother,” Thompson said.

Connelly-Worcel’s ef-fect on Thompson was vis-

ible in more tangible ways as well. Ac-cording to Thompson, she was an avid

sports fan, who loved Michael Jordan.“I’m not entirely sure how,” Thompson

said, “but someone I got really into that and I became fairly obsessed with Michael Jordan and not so much the Bulls, but the UNC Tar Heels. I had a Tar Heels bedspread.”

Thompson reflected Connelly-Worcel’s nurturing in less obvious ways too. Con-nelly-Worcel was African American, and for much of his early childhood, pale, red-haired Thompson said he fervently wished he were also black.

Despite staying with Thompson only until he was four, Connelly-Worcel never really left his life.

“I must have been upset when she left,”

Thompson said, “but I don’t remember be-ing so.

“I guess because she’s never really left my life. She’s still in my top 10 most important people and I still see her on a regular basis, if not often.”

In Portland, Connelly-Worcel extended an open invitation for Thompson to visit her any time.

William and Madeleine Wright The title of “Grandma” better describes

Joyce Towne—caretaker for freshman twins William and Madeleine Wright—than does “nanny.”

Towne cared for the twins from the time they were six months old to age 13.

“She basically took on the role of my par-ents when they were gone,” Mad-eleine said.

“ T h a t means she cooked for me, made my lunch, drove me ev-erywhere I needed to go, and took care of me in gen-eral.”

Towne kept the twins in line and shep-herded them from house to house, since their parents

were divorced. “If I was misbehaving towards Madeleine,

she would reprimand me, but usually she would arbitrate between Madeleine and me,” William said.

Letting go of their nanny was hard for the twins. Towne was such an integral part of their family that she even celebrated holidays with them.

“There was a debate going on for a year on when to let her go. So they kept her on until the end of 8th grade but not nearly as full time,” William said.

Jillian DePoySenior Jillian DePoy had a much different

By Nicole AntoineDesign Editor

Students remember being raised by nannies

See Nannies, page 16

At left, junior Chris Thompson with his nanny Cheryle Connelly-Worcel at a pumpkin patch when he was three years old. At right, freshmen

Madeleine and Will Wright with their caretaker, Joyce Towne, when they were in third grade. (Photos courtesy of Thompson and Towne)

Robby CookUniversity of

Oregon

When my mom, Diane Wallace, started her freshman year at Califor-nia State University, Sacramento, in 1978, the school “didn’t have very

much orienting.”“The first night we got there, we had dorm

meetings with our RA’s. That was it,” my mom said.

Since then, CSU Sacramento has made some improvements.

Orientation is now a mandatory two-day event at which freshmen and their parents participate in campus-life activities, schedule planning, campus tours and a luncheon.

There are also several “F.R.O.S.H. Nights”

scheduled throughout the summer for new freshmen, ranging from kayaking at the Aquatic Center to navigating a ropes course to salsa dancing.

University of California, Berkeley, has a similar two-day orientation. Every freshman gets personal academic advising, information sessions on every aspect of campus, luncheons and late-night activities.

Andy Furillo, ’09, remembers his July orientation weekend at Berkeley.

“We did a lot of ice-breaker type games. There were also info sessions and instructions about signing up for classes. I didn’t become long-term friends with any of the people I met there, but I felt a lot more comfortable,” Furillo said.

CSU Sacramento and Berkeley aren’t the only universities spicing up the orientation process.

Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, has a mandatory “Wildcat Welcome” week-long

program this year, including performances by the Northwestern University drumline, spelling bees, dance parties until 1 a.m., free gifts, and a lecture by Harry Potter expert Melissa Anelli, among other events.

Ironically, as orientations become longer and more complex, the need for them decreases because of social media.

Some seniors are assembling their future college friend group before high-school graduation.

With Websites like Facebook, this is entirely possible.

Almost every university has a Facebook page for each incoming class.

Senior Zach Eltorai has used Facebook to communicate with his future roommate at Washington University in St. Louis.

“We ask each other the basic questions like when we go to bed to see if we’re compatible,” he said.

Senior Alyx Vernon started Facebooking her Vanderbilt roommate Michelle Williamson in January.

“The swim coach set us up. We’ve become pretty close. I feel like I know her now,” Vernon said.

Senior Brianna Makishima also chats frequently with her future UC Irvine classmates, especially her roommate Michelle Nguyen, whom she selected through Facebook.

After filling out the roommate survey on the UC Irvine class of 2014 Facebook page, Nguyen contacted Makishima.

“We started talking and we found out we had a lot in common. Then we became really good friends,” Makishima said.

Makishima and Nguyen communicate by texting, Skyping or Facebooking every day.

“I think I might fly down to Long Beach this summer and stay with her,” Makishima said.

Carnegie Mellon University not only has a Class of 2014 Facebook page, but also additional pages for each undergraduate and graduate school, and a page dedicated to students from California.

Within the pages are discussion threads where students ask questions about how to decorate a dorm, or how to balance a heavy schedule with a social life.

There are even forums where students post a description of their personality, bad habits, and pet peeves, followed by their contact information for people who are roommate shopping.

If a college doesn’t have a Facebook forum for finding roommates, there’s always Uroomsurf.com, a Website dedicated to finding the perfect college roommate, even though this Website is not endorsed by or affiliated with any universities.

The user inputs all the necessary information—the university, the intended year, name and birthday, followed by a 17-question survey,

including questions like, “How often do you shower?” and “How likely are you to have overnight guests?” Then the user indicates how they’d like their potential roommate to answer the same questions and how important these answers are.

After completing the survey and adding personal touches to the “self description” and “interests” section, the user can view their matches.

After completing my profile information, I found that I had three 100 percent matches at Carnegie Mellon—girls from Hong Kong, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Now we can chat and decide whether or not to become roommates.

Senior Whitney Hillis used a similar roommate-finding Website affiliated with Tulane University to pair up with her future roommate, Kelly Bertenthal, who lives in Marin County.

“We plan to hang out in Berkeley together sometime soon,” Hillis said.

And the Internet isn’t only for socializing. Now there are many iPhone applications seniors download to help them navigate new schools.

University of San Diego’s iPhone application covers almost everything. There is a map section a user can access to find specific academic buildings. The directory allows any user to look up a student or teacher’s name to find their complete contact information. There is also an athletics section that gives immediate updates on all varsity sports. In addition, there’s a built-in event calendar, course catalog and tram schedule.

“With my Facebook and iPhone application, I already feel so comfortable, I don’t even feel the need [for USD’s] orientation,” senior Caitlin McNally said.

Things haven’t always been this easy. “I got around just fine with a map,” my mom

said.Boy, have things changed.

Aisha PierHaverford

College

Alecia TungUC

Riverside

Soya SungNew York University

Jillian DePoyCarnegie Mellon

University

Pressia LaoSacramento

State University

Alyx VernonVanderbilt University

Mackenzie Mason

Rensselaer Polytechnic

Institute

Bill EndicottUniversity of Arizona

Charlie MartinUniversity

of Colorado, Colorado Springs

Sadie BrownUC

Merced

Patrice CarpenterCSU East

Bay

Gabriella VasquezSeattle

University

Max XieOccidental

College

Chris StamatisUniversity of San Francisco

Alex PetlowanyCSU Channel

Islands

Austin KarpLinfield College

Brigit CvetichLake Forest

College

Lily Kramlich-Taylor

Colby College

Lynsey Chediak

Claremont McKenna College

Caitlin McNally

University of San Diego

Zach EltoraiWashington University in

St. Louis

Jamie Johnson

UC Berkeley

William Banks Washington

and Lee University

Marco Siragusa

St. Mary’s College

Robbie LemonsStanford

University

Parker Murray

Swarthmore College

Matt AkinsWhitman College

Aaron SuitsUniversity

of Colorado, Boulder

Case DemmonSt. Michael’s

College

Whitney HillisTulane

University

Angelica Gonzalez

Louisiana State University

Anne FendickOccidental

College

Brianna Makishima UC Irvine

Molly TashCSU

Humboldt

June 1, 2010

Eva RickertSacramento

State University

Alison LevinColorado College

Who needs orientation anyway? Not the class of 2010!By Jillian DePoyEditor-in-Chief

Magpie Caterers, a bistro style restaurant that re-cently opened in midtown, (1409 R St.), is everything

one could want in a laid-back eatery.From the butcher counter stocked

with artisan salamis and cheeses, to the fantastic, simple yet elegant food, Mag-pie is a fun dining experience.

The ambiance is rustic yet sophisticat-ed, highlighting the restaurant’s dedica-tion to the food it serves.

The setting is simple with photographs of reeds in the Cosumnes River Preserve as the only artwork.

There is ample outdoor seating as well.

As for the food, it is excellent overall with simple flavors and techniques us-ing local, fresh ingredients.

The menu also changes daily and fo-cuses on seasonal ingredients.

At dinner appetizers range from $4-10 and entree start at around $10.

The appetizer of shitake, oyster and trumpet mushrooms with white bean puree is excellent.

For entrees the gnocchi with duck ($18), a juicy duck leg over Italian pota-to dumplings, is very good, with subtle flavors and interesting textures.

Steelhead trout ($17.50) with purple potato, bacon and kale is also wonder-

ful and probably the best entree of all.The succulent piece of well-cooked

trout is served over a bed of roasted purple potatoes with smoky bacon, and balanced perfectly with a wine reduc-tion.

However, a few of the main courses, including the gnocchi and a penne with prosciutto and asparagus, are unpleas-antly oily, though they did have good flavor.

The desserts ($6.50) are definitely the highlight.

The chocolate and avocado mousse with cinnamon and Indian chili is ab-solutely delicious. The hint of avocado adds depth to the creamy and rich choc-olate mousse, which is balanced by the heat of the chili.

The grapefruit semifreddo, a half-frozen custard, is also wonderful with slices of intense candied lemon.

As for beverages, try their house-made honey-sweetened lemonade, which has just the right sweetness and a touch of mint.

Throughout the meal the waiters were friendly and efficient and conveyed the restaurant’s laid-back air without com-promising speed.

Magpie Caterers is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Sat-urday, 7:30 a.m.- 9 p.m.

Magpie rarely disappoints and is defi-nitely worth the trip.

Review12 June 1, 2010 The Octagon

After winning two Academy Awards, the intense dra-ma “Precious” has made its way onto the “Most

Rented” shelves of Blockbuster. The movie, based on the book

“Push” by Sapphire, was pub-lished in November. It is the story of Claireece Precious Jones—an obese African American, pregnant with her own father’s second child and abused by her angry mother.

Precious is kicked out of her regular school. In order to become literate, she attends an alternative school for students who no longer fit in or are no longer allowed in their original schools.

In the book, the reader reads from Precious’s point of view, and really notices Precious’s misspelling of words and eliminating of necessary words.

It feels as though the reader is witnessing the transformation of Pre-cious from an illiterate student kicked out of school to a dedicated student at the alternative school,“Each One Teach One.”

Even though viewers don’t get the same experience from the movie, director Lee Daniels did a fantastic job of adapting such an emotional book into a motion pic-ture. The movie was almost exactly like the book, with only one im-

portant scene missing: the one in which Precious attends an incest survivor meeting.

The scene’s absence was disap-pointing, as it is then that the reader sees Precious truly feeling loved for the first time.

However, there was much that was added to the movie that im-proved it.

For example, there were many times when Precious fell down, fell into a trance and imagined herself

to be a famous star, dancing and blowing kisses to her fans.

Also, the movie was cast extremely well. Gabourey Sidibe, the actress who played Pre-cious, was nomi-nated for an Oscar (Actress in a Lead-

ing Role) for her brilliant perfor-mance.

Mo’Nique plays Precious’s moth-er Mary Jones, and, in addition to winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, was rec-

ognized for being the fifth African American actress to win an Acad-emy Award.

Mo’Nique did an excellent job at playing the angry mother. When recalling how Precious’s abuse first began, Mo’Nique’s raspy voice and tears moved the audience to tears, while the look on her face as she chased Precious out of the house made the audience want to duck in their seats.

Geoffrey Fletcher won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay—the first African American screenwriter to win the award.

“Precious” is guaranteed to keep one’s attention throughout the whole movie. It’s full of surprises and twists, which keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

By Mollie BergReporter

Talented cast, trances make ‘Precious’ a must-rent

By Jeffrey CavesReporter

New restaurant, new flavors

Top right: Magpie offers fun twists on tradi-tional food items like a rosemary and lemon ice cream sandwich. Bottom: the side order of black rice, the carrot cake ice cream sandwich and honey lemonade. (Photos by Parker Murray)

Chocolate and avocado mousse just one intriguing dish

Director Lee Daniels did a fantastic job of adapting

such an emotional book into a motion picture. “

”

Exciting, moving film lives up to book’s high standards

Making a truly compelling instrumental rock record is hard. Even with great melodies and progressions, something’s usually missing with-out a human voice.

So it’s no surprise that Emotion & Commotion, the latest release from renowned virtuoso guitarist Jeff Beck, doesn’t have all the catchiness or immediate appeal of, say, an Usher record. What it does have is an honest look at one of the finest instrumentalists of his generation in jaw-dropping form.

On the album, Beck is backed variously by a 64-piece string orchestra, his touring band and studio musicians, which add up to some interesting sounds.

In some songs, such as “Corpus Christi Carol” and “Elegy for Dunkirk,” the orchestra creates a gorgeous accompani-ment to Beck’s single-note melody playing.

The orchestral accompaniment works less well on some other tracks; the strings on “Over the Rainbow” are syrupy and over the top, while those on “I Put a Spell on You,” a straight R&B song and one of three vocal songs on the album, are painfully incongruous.

However, the few badly chosen orchestra arrangements cannot mar the real emphasis of Emotion & Commotion, which is Beck’s exquisite electric guitar playing. In contrast to the stereotypical virtuosic instrumental guitarist, Beck shuns seemingly endless barrages of 32nd notes in favor of tersely beautiful melodies.

“Over The Rainbow,” one of Beck’s live staples, is a par-ticularly good example of his sense of taste. There’s nothing flashy or overstated, just heart-rendingly beautiful guitar work performed flawlessly.

Most of the album’s songs are similarly mellow, but on a few, such as “Hammerhead,” Beck gives freer rein to his considerable technical ability. The song, a highlight of the album, centers around a driving central riff played massively by the bass, guitar, drums and orchestra, around which Beck intersperses some savage lead guitar.

One major complaint I have is the lack of thematic con-gruity in the album. Most of the songs fit together well, but there are some—particularly the ones in which English soul singer Joss Stone is featured—that seem like aberrations.

Although she does magnificent work in “I Put a Spell on You” and “There’s No Other Me,” neither seems to fit in with the general feel of the album, which is, if not laid-back, then certainly introspective.

The sense that Emotion & Commotion is more a collection of songs than a concrete album can be explained in part by the many covers of disparate artists, ranging from ‘50s rock and roll singer Screamin’ Jay Hawkins to 19th, century Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; the songs without excep-tion are good. But Emotion & Commotion can’t stand next to truly great albums such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller or the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.

So, is it worth buying? That question requires different answers for different people, as Jeff Beck appeals to a fairly select demographic.

If your tastes run more towards contemporary mainstream hip-hop or pop, or other music that depends on “hooks,” walk right past this in the record store. However, if you are inclined to really listen to the music for the emotional and melodic content, give it a shot.

Musicians, all musicians, should definitely have this album, if not Beck’s entire oeuvre. Every instrumentalist, regardless of style, can learn something from the artist’s taste and discretion. And for guitarists in particular, Jeff Beck is a legend. Why haven’t you bought this album already?

Review13June 1, 2010The Octagon

The concept may be unusual, but the execution is terrible. Cafeteria 15L (1116 15th St.) offers a menagerie of over-seasoned bites that gasp for air beneath their fried, salty shells.

Even the restaurant’s signature dish, the Chicken and Waffle (yes, that is their signature dish), is encrusted in an almost comical amount of frizzled batter.

Cafeteria 15L has tried passing itself off as a number of things—a haven for connoisseurs of “comfort food,” the number-one destination for those interested in “contemporary American cuisine.”

But, Cafeteria 15L is more like Jack’s Urban Eats on steroids. Except that Jack’s, which offers at least a few non-greasy entrees, does it right.

Too bad the prices are on steroids, as well. Expect to pay upwards of $20 per entree. For about $28, you can purchase both an entree and one of Cafeteria 15L’s “small plates.”

The Cheesy Crab Beignets, a centerpiece of the “small plate” menu, are described as “Dungeness crab and spicy aioli.”

But they’re more like fried dough-balls with a strange, underlying fish taste that rudely overstays its welcome.

Most of the appetizers are wrapped in faux newsprint tissue paper and placed in miniature aluminum washbasins.

While the washbasins add a touch of Americana to the table, I’m convinced that the tissue paper is there to absorb

the unnecessary oil that exudes from the seven of 10 appetizers that are fried.

Cafeteria 15L does have one small advantage, though. If you’re a real night owl, stop by during the wee hours of the morning for a bite to eat—Cafeteria 15L’s Late Night menu is served from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., Thursday through Saturday.

For less adventurous diners, Cafeteria 15L maintains regular hours—lunch hours run between 11:30 and 2 p.m.; the “Small Plate” menu is served from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The standard dinner menu is served between 5 and 9:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and between 5 and 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.

Otherwise, I’d say that Cafeteria 15L is a great place to observe the remnants of what was once a top-notch restaurant (Mason’s).

Cafeteria 15L traded Mason’s sleek halogen lights for imitation cow-milking machine fixtures. The modern highball glasses that once accompanied every Mason’s meal have since been replaced with jelly jars. The effects that such trade-offs may have on a restaurant are very apparent here.

My dad had the Chicken and Waffle. He described the salty, deep-fried lumps that had congealed on the outer surface of the chicken drumstick as “signs of an imminent heart attack.”

My sister brought a friend along for the unpleasant dining experience that was Cafeteria 15L. At the end of our meal, my mom turned to her friend and asked whether she was going to box up the leftovers of her Cafeteria Burger.

She replied, in a very matter-of-fact tone, “Not even for my dog.”

By Chris ThompsonPage Editor

Bring back Mason’s Restaurant

Latest Jeff Beck CD a must-listen for serious musicians, guitar fans

By Parker MurrayPage Editor

Cafeteria 15L a disappointing replacement

Cafeteria 15L’s interior decor sets it apart from other Sacra-mento restaurants—wire mesh bar stools, novelty jars full of

candy, hanging airplane replicas and exposed air ventilation ducts. (Photo by Parker Murray)

Community14 June 1, 2010 The Octagon

By Jeffrey CavesReporter

Seniors 40 hours closer to graduation

“I have always been interested

in abnormal psychology, and this

seemed like a good way to exhibit it,”

he said.

Xie got the idea from his research

on real serial killers and has been

looking for the right medium ever

since. The 31-page comic is in black

and white, and Xie’s presentation will

discuss his materials (ink and paper)

and the history of comics.

Max Xie is writing and

illustrating a comic book

about a psychologist in-

terviewing a convicted

serial killer.

Gourmet interestsAnne Fendick is cultivating her own tea plants

and then harvesting and drying the leaves to make

into tea.

Fendick plans to grow two Chinese tea plants,

from which she will then make black, green and

white teas.

She will also visit a tea factory in San Francisco

to see the commercial process of tea making.

The tea varieties differ in the method of drying

and whether or not they are fermented first, Fendick said.

She will mix the leaves with spices, herbs and

citrus and then serve samples to the faculty.

Illicit beautification is the aim of Will Banks’s project. Guerilla

gardeners travel to vacant or der-

elict lots, usually owned by the

city, to plant flowers and herbs in them overnight.

Banks has already found a small

plot on Capitol Avenue and will

go there at around 2 a.m., first to pick up trash and weeds and then

to plant flowers, herbs and other low-maintenance, drought-resis-

tant vegetation.

“It is about taking rundown lots

in derelict areas and making them

beautiful,” Banks said.

According to Banks, guerilla

gardening started during the

Great Depression as a way for

families without land to cultivate

vegetables within cities.

However, he said that now gue-

rilla gardeners plant mostly lower-

maintenance plants but they still

make a rundown area beautiful.

Guerilla gardening is techni-

cally illegal and is considered

vandalism because it is done to

city property, Banks said.

Banks will continue to main-

tain the plot, hopefully through

the summer, and said that if he

gets more people to join him he

will tackle a larger area.

Banks incorporated his project

into asking his girlfriend, senior

Jillian DePoy, to Prom, planting

flowers and arranging them to spell “Jill, Prom?”

He planted the flowers in front of the high-school office without permission, similar to the idea of

guerilla gardening. Later he rear-

ranged the flowers into a rect-angle.

Guerilla gardening

The most far-flung project by far is Charlie Martin’s: flying to Nepal and doing the seven-day hike to Everest base camp.

Martin and his family have been planning the trip for years, so he decided it

would make a good senior project.

At the camp, located at around 17,500 feet above sea level, (12 times the height

of the Empire State Building), Martin and his family will stay in shelters and explore

the area.

An important part of Martin’s project will be adjusting to the extreme altitude.

He did not do much to prepare other than skiing to build up his endurance.

“I guess I will just wing it,” he said.

Martin also plans to visit and film the local English school that the children of the Everest guides and porters attend.

It’s cold at the top

Gabby Vasquez is knitting 10

scarves in a variety of colors, which

she will donate to a local battered

women’s shelter.

She decided on her project be-

cause she has always enjoyed knitting

and, ”What better way to show that

you care [about people]?”

Vasquez will donate the “stylish

and colorful” scarves to Wellspring, an

organization for disadvantaged wom-

en, or WEAVE, a shelter for women

fleeing abusive homes.Each scarf takes 3-5 days to knit,

and Vasquez says that she is learning

new and interesting forms of knitting.

Knitting forthe needy

Alex Petlowany is also using the project to ex-

plore a lifelong interest: the Latin language.His project will help students to understand

grammar from Latin I and II through a computer

game.

According to Petlowany, the

game will have obstacles and tests

for students along the way. He is still

unsure of the final story and plot line.

Teaching Latin, one level at a time

While most students are struggling with finals, seniors are spending

the last three weeks of the school year exploring everything from the highest

mountains on the planet to their favor-ite cup of tea. Seniors will present their projects on Tuesday, June 8. Here are

some of the most intriguing.

15June 1, 2010

Specializing in all of yourReal Estate Needs

Lyon Real Estate

Cell: (916) 505-4242

E-mail: gina@golyon.com

Website: www.golyon.com

License #01397123

Your

Ad

Could

Be

HereCall us at (916) 481-8811

or email us at octagon@saccds.org

Crowd should be larger for Little Big Band

The lights dim at the JB Lounge in-side the Doubletree Hotel, leaving only the hazy red glow of feng shui ceiling fixtures.

An audience of 15 watches the stage in-tently as the 10-person band performs “Cap-tain Cheerio.”

A few of the members of the jazz band stand out.

First, there’s the trumpet player in the back.

His fingers race over the three keys of his in-strument. Behind the musical waves of the

ensemble, it’s easy to focus on his steady cre-scendos and musical complexities.

His red cheeks expand and deflate with the

music. The notes from his trumpet seamlessly

blend with those of the rest of the band.

Then there’s the cool piano player. He

has slightly unkempt hair and black-rimmed glasses resting on the tip of his nose.

His calm eyes glance over his glasses onto sheet music as his fingers glide across the

shiny white keys.

More onlookers trickle in.

Then attention is directed toward the saxo-phonist—the main man of the band.

His fingers dash up and down the gold keys

as his instrument sways, tracing an “S” in the

air.

Whispers of “Holy crap!” are heard among

couples seated in lounge seats.

Finally, there is the guitarist—the ultimate cool guy in the ensemble. He seems perfectly

fitted to the depths of the dark lounge.

He smiles, biting his lip, and nods his head and taps his feet to the rhythm. It seems as if

he has the entire piece memorized, note for note. When he gets up for his solo, he rocks

out.

His knees bend a little as he pulls his guitar away from one note and on to the next.

Slowly the band finishes the number, and

the red glow flashes across their faces.

On closer inspection, these four are famil-iar.

The trumpet player is Maurice Montgom-ery, a trumpet teacher at SCDS. The pianist is

Jay Johnson, senior Jamie’s father. The saxo-phonist is band teacher Bob Ratcliff. And the

guitarist is French teacher Richard Day.

These are four of the 10 members of the Bob Ratcliff Little Big Band.

At the end of the piece, Ratcliff pulls the microphone towards his lips.

“That was our warm-up, ‘Captain Chee-rio,’” Ratcliff said. Just a warm-up?

It’s amazing that these performances are

free—every third Tuesday of the month at JB (2001 Point West Way) and

every first Thursday at

the Odd Fellows Hall (415 Second St.) in

Davis.

What’s more amazing is the size of the audience. Twelve were from SCDS. People

should be crowding the entrances of the venues they grace with their musical tal-ent.

However, there are some devoted SCDS fans. Tom Wroten, ’99, and wife Tibby, ’01,

have attended all the performances at the JB Lounge.

“It’s really fun to go and they’re really

good. It’s not hard to switch schedules

around for one night per month,” Tibby

said.

“We wish more people would show up.”

Band students and French students alike would hardly recognize the serious teachers they see at school.

And jazz enthusiasts would love this group.

At the JB Lounge on May 18, the group played pieces by Stanley Turrentine, Miles Davis and others. Their numbers ranged from

slow-moving ballads to exciting jazzy songs

with multiple solos by each musician.

Students should be excited to hear a piece

entitled “The Music Room” written by Ratcliff

himself in the music room at school.

“We play pretty much cut-ting edge [jazz]. Most of

our players are seasoned and just want to play in front of an audi-

ence, and a few want to play with good musi-cians,” Day said.

“We play because we love the music and the chance to challenge ourselves musically. I

also enjoy the friendships,” Ratcliff said.

The band evolved from what was once the Faculty Jazz Combo, consisting of four play-

French teacher Richard Day jams on his guitar. Bottom, the band plays at JB’s on May 18. (Pho-tos by Nicole Antoine)

By Jillian DePoyEditor-in-Chief

See Day, page 16

63

Remainder16 June 1, 2010 The Octagon

POLITICAL CONSULTING PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLIC AFFAIRS GRAPHIC DESIGN

mcnallytemple.com

COMMUNICATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH SOMETHING TO SAY

www.mcnallytemple.com

The power of ideas, clearly expressed.It’s what you’re learning at SCDS. It’s what we do every day.

Nannies: a strong influence

kind of nanny. Cindy Jones (not her real name), DePoy’s mid-twenties nanny, picked her up from school, tucked her in at night, and in between taught her everything a parent never wanted their child to know.

Jones would have DePoy’s friends over to her house for sleepovers, paint their nails, let them stay up late and eat all the ice cream they wanted.

However, Jones’s position as a role model was questionable, in retrospect.

“She treated me like an adult,” DePoy said. “She did not censor herself at all when she was around me—we’d go see R-rated mov-ies, and obviously there were a lot of things I didn’t understand so she would explain them to me.”

Jones told her grandmother that she needed $8,000-10,000 for a study abroad program in Australia. Her grandmother believed her and gave her the money, which Jones then used for plastic surgery.

“What I really remember was going to all the pre-surgery appointments with her, where she would strip down,” DePoy said.

“The doctors would draw on her, and she

would ask me what she should get done. It was all very weird.”

DePoy, then in the fifth grade, related some

of these funny stories to her mother.Her mom didn’t find them as funny, and the

stories, coupled with R-rated movie stubs and explicit CDs courtesy of Jones, led to the end of the nanny’s employment.

“I remember the day she was fired.” DePoy

said. “Instead of her picking me up in the car

line, I see my dad in his car, which was weird because it had been years and years since I’d ever seen my parents pick me up from school. I knew instantly something was wrong.

“When I got home, my mom was home. I can’t stress how weird that was. I asked her, ‘Where’s Cindy?’ And she said, ‘Honey, we had to let her go.’ I remember screaming and crying and throwing myself on the floor.”

Several weeks later DePoy, still distraught over the loss of her nanny, tried to call her from a school phone. When Jones answered, DePoy launched into an apology and told Jones how much she missed her.

Jones laughed and hung up.

(Continued from page 9)

orchestra of electric violins. The song was “Summer” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons—inci-dentally, the same song our quartet was work-ing on.

I had never realized how beautiful that piece was. When I returned home, I bought an Itzhak Perlman recording of the Four Seasons. It was my first classical music C.D.

It was considered normal—in orchestra class—to enjoy classical music. Mr. Ahlstrom often threw out names of famous musicians, always giving us a little historical background on each piece before we played it.

And he’d test our musical trivia every so often as well, asking questions about specific

terms, styles, periods, etc. Thus Mr. Ahlstrom instilled in me not only

a love of the viola—I am, oh, so glad that he assigned me the viola and not the violin or the cello—but an appreciation of classical music.

I wouldn’t have auditioned for the Sacra-mento Youth Symphony (SYS) if it hadn’t been for his encouragement.

There are currently four SYS members in our high-school orchestra alone. Considering the size of our school and our orchestra, that’s in-credible.

Actually, considering the size of our school, our music program as a whole is incredible. This year, five groups won Superior ratings at

Golden Empire Festival. What never ceases to amaze me, however,

is the number of celebrity musicians Mr. Ahl-strom convinces to work with us.

When I was in middle school, Sacramento Philharmonic Conductor Michael Morgan worked with us on a couple pieces. Morgan visited SCDS again this year when the school hosted the all-city honor orchestra in February. Mr. Ahlstrom procured Morgan as the guest conductor.

And Sacramento Philharmonic musicians—including violist Gay Currier and cellist Susan Lamb Cook—worked with the honor orchestra participants.

SCDS hosted the all-city honor orchestra last year too. And last year, Sacramento Youth Sym-phony artistic director Michael Neuman guest-conducted the honor orchestra.

Every year, Sacramento Philharmonic Con-certmaster Dan Flanagan listens to our mu-sic groups and offers constructive feedback. And just a couple weeks ago, famous violinist Rachel Barton Pine visited our school. How many other music programs offer these oppor-tunities?

I’ll admit it—I didn’t actually take advantage of all that our music program had to offer. I got caught up in schoolwork and sports and other extracurricular activities. I abandoned the or-chestra last year. And I’m sorry for it.

If I hadn’t, I might have been a part of our school’s phenomenal chamber music program. I, too, might have earned a Superior at Golden Empire and a Gold rating at All-State.

But I wasn’t part of it. I came back, of course. Mr. Ahlstrom’s (and

Mr. Ratcliff’s) music program isn’t exactly something you can abandon.

Mr. Ahlstrom doesn’t let you quit. Under his leadership, the music program

has grown and thrived. The chamber music program took off. The ensembles won awards and performed at locations from Anaheim to Idaho to Santa Clara. A music theory class was offered for the first time this year.

And the orchestra that this year participated in the ASTA Festival in Santa Clara, the Orches-tra that includes four Youth Symphony mem-bers and has garnered multiple Superior and Gold awards, didn’t even exist six years ago.

Mr. Ahlstrom created it. Mr. Ahlstrom, SCDS will miss you incred-

ibly. We wish you luck at the Tucson Hebrew Academy. And we hope—for your sake—that the students there know how to subdivide.

But it won’t really matter if they don’t. Be-cause you will teach them, just as you taught us.

Alhstrom: impact on school is meaningful(Continued from page 6)

ued into high school. Sue Nellis holds an all-

day study session and bar-becue at her house to help students prepare for the AP US History exam.

Patricia Jacobsen is al-ways available to help with any problem a student has, academic or social.

Daniel Neukom takes time out of his history class to go over nutritional infor-mation, and Brooke Wells regularly approaches stu-

dents about extracurricular activities he thinks they may take an interest in.

Where else do teachers truly care about students to that extent?

Then there is newspaper advisor Patricia Fels, who stays at school until 11 p.m. and corrects an end-less amount of stories dur-ing her free time, just to give students the chance to explore the world of jour-nalism.

And thank goodness she did, because of all my ex-periences at Country Day, being editor-in-chief of the Octagon has been the most rewarding.

So back to my original question—how do you say goodbye?

The answer is, you don’t. I may be moving on to col-lege in the fall, but I will never forget my Country Day family.

Reflective: teachers make this school a special place(Continued from page 6)

Day: faculty jazz group plays for fun(continued from page 15)

ers, that Ratcliff started 10 years ago. The Bob Ratcliff Little Big Band was formed in 2007.

The other six members are professional musicians.

The band’s incentive is solely the mu-sic, as they are not paid to play at the JB Lounge. They have the option of playing for a free dinner or charging a cover at the door.

“The audiences are so small that if we charged a cover, we wouldn’t make enough money to pay the door man. Be-sides, people are less likely to come if we charge a cover,” Ratcliff said.

The band rehearses three times a month

on Sunday evenings in the music room at SCDS. They prepare 15 pieces per gig, about two hours worth of music.

“We can’t learn that much music during our rehearsal time, so we learn our parts at home and work out the details during the rehearsals,” he said.

And if they’re taking requests at their next performance, the “Salsa Canon” they ended the night with was delightful.

The audience couldn’t help but get up to dance.

After the final note of the “Salsa Canon”

resounded throughout the lounge, it was obvious that the Bob Ratcliff Little Big Band had gained a few more fans.

gence. “She is wonderful. She has

defined that job with an ac-tive role,” Wells said. “She helps me gather information to try to make the school bet-ter. Hopefully future assistants will follow the model that Stephanie has invented.”

Daniel Neukom, high-school dean of students, com-

mends Smith’s positive work ethic.

“She’s extremely able, ef-ficient, and knowledgeable.

I’ve really appreciated her can-do attitude and enthusi-asm,” he said.

Smith said taking on new projects comes naturally to her. She is also the school’s AP coordinator and a senior

advisor.Smith said she will really

miss her multi-faceted job.“This job is so interesting,

and every day is different. I hope to have that in the fu-ture,” she said.

Kristi Peoro, current athletic department adminis-trative assistant, will take over Smith’s job.

Smith: hopes for same diversity in new job(continued from page 5)

After working at the school for 12 years, Dan Ahlstrom, orchestra and choir teacher, is leaving to become a lower-school princi-

pal at the Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) in Arizona.

“It just worked out that way,” Ahlstrom said of leaving Country Day. He said a high-er salary was one factor in his decision.

Ahlstrom is most nervous about moving his family of six to a different state.

Two weeks ago he went to Arizona and

found a home. His children, except for eighth grader Alex, will be attending THA (Alex will be attending St. Augustine Catho-lic High School).

THA is a K-8 school; Ahlstrom will be the K-4 principal, responsible for 98 students.

According to Ahlstrom, THA is similar to Country Day because it has “interested students [and] caring faculty,” and a 9-to-1 student/teacher ratio. However, it is differ-ent because of its Jewish emphasis.

Although Ahlstrom is a Mormon, he is ex-cited to “contribute to the school in a posi-tive way.”

According to the school’s Website, THA

studies Orthodox, Conservative and Reform experiences. Its main goal is to teach Jewish values that students can apply to everyday life.

On Jewish holidays, the school is not in session. Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Rosh Ha-shana are all holidays.

Also, the school has special Passover Sed-ers, Holocaust Memorial Day assemblies, Friday Shabbat dinners and Purim carni-vals.

SCDS is still interviewing for a new choir and orchestra teacher.

“I hope the person who replaces me will continue to build a successful program—

s o m e o n e with pas-sion and their own v i s i o n , ” Ah l s t r om said.

By Mollie Berg

Reporter

Music teacher to move family of 6 to Arizona

I can still vividly recall the impression of Mouse Endi-cott I formed in kindergarten.

I was getting out of my car in the morning and she was yelling at cars to move on. She was the unofficial

queen of Lime Patrol, hurrying students to and from their cars at drop-off and pick-up. I was terrified, but it worked. The car line moved like an oiled machine every day.

My kindergarten impression of J.P. Eltorai was absolutely the opposite. She was the motherly figure at school, there at every event with cookies, cupcakes or brownies.

That was 11 years ago, a stitch in time compared to the 18 years Eltorai has been with the school and Endicott’s impres-sive 21.

Together, Eltorai and Endicott have become staples at Country Day from their long careers of helping the school.

Both will attend their final graduations this year, as their youngest children, Bill Endicott and Zach Eltorai, finish high school.

Eltorai has had three children attend Country Day; Adam, ’06, Omar, ’08, and Zach, ’10. Endicott has had four: Sam, ’02, Amy, ’04, Joe, ’08, and Bill, ’10.

With this graduate, Eltorai will wave a tentative goodbye to the school, while Endicott will remain on the Board of Trust-ees for another two years.

Between the two of them, Eltorai and Endicott have had an effect on SCDS as profound as any headmaster’s.

“They were two individuals that just sunk their teeth into the life of the school,” Wen-dy Ross, director of institutional relations, said.

“It didn’t matter what the task was—they would tackle it, command the people to help do it and do it themselves. Their energy was conta-gious.”

Both served on the Board of Trustees, c h a i r e d the auc-tion at least once, and h e a d e d , o r were ex-tremely in-volved in, the Parents’ Asso-ciation.

Endicott also started Lime Pa-trol, holiday gift making, the text-book exchange and the tradition of providing snacks during finals week.

Eltorai served as Sports Boosters’ head and organized Fall Family Festival. She was also in charge of countless Faculty Appreciation Lunches and the “Under the Lights” games. In addition, Eltorai cooked and served thousands of meals to students and faculty.

In the fall Endicott and Eltorai were awarded the Headmas-ter’s Award for Oustanding Services to the School by head-master Stephen Repsher. The award was the first of its kind, created specifically to recognize Endicott and Eltorai for all their work.

But to students and faculty, Endicott and Eltorai were more than just a powerhouse duo ready to take on any task. They embodied the community.

Sue Nellis, head of high school, was close with both.“My memory of (Endicott) is her being pregnant all the

time,” Nellis said, laughing. “She had this big white station wagon. I remember her al-

ways having a kid on her arm and schlepping them around all the time in that big car. I don’t know how she managed to have four kids and do everything else she did.”

Nellis was fond of Eltorai as well. “She’s really good about sharing books,” Nellis said.

“She thought that I would love to read ‘Eat, Pray, Love,’ so she bought extra copies and gave them to me and some others. She was thoughtful like that. I’ll miss that connection too.”

Ross smiled as she described Eltorai and Endicott.“They were always just happy, upbeat, fun people to have

around,” Ross said.

Eltorai said that her best times at the school were those she spent with the students.

“My most favorite time was when I was driving the boys to a soccer game and one of the boys made a CD for me. All of us sang along the entire way up to Marysville.”

When asked how she managed to provide meals for hun-dreds of students, Eltorai’s reply was simple.

“Thank God for Costco.”Omar Eltorai, ’08, said he liked having such an involved

mother.“It was nice because I never had to explain things to her,

such as how Homecoming isn’t very formal,” Eltorai said. “She already knew.”Endicott knew the school inside and out as well.“I’m amazed to see the pre-school students Amy was vol-

unteering with now in high school,” Endicott said.“It’s a real motivator watching everyone grow up and being

part of the community.”Endicott called Eltorai the backbone of the school, always

ready to do anything, while she herself was more capricious.“Sometimes the school is fed up with me and sometimes

I’m short with the school,” Endicott said.“But it’s like a family relationship; when push comes to

shove, you want to go down life’s road with it.”But both Endicott’s and Eltorai’s attitudes can be epito-

mized by a single moment. When I approached for an inter-view, each told me the same thing: “You can’t write an article about me. I’m really not that important.”

Eltorai went on to tell me to write an article about Endicott. And Endicott told me to write only about Eltorai.

Supermoms run out of kidsSchool loses 2 volunteers along with class of ‘10

By Nicole Antoine

Design Editor

At left, J.P. Eltorai poses in leprechaun attire with parent

Jeanne Bovill, March 17, 2001. Bovill and Eltorai were the

auction chairs for the St. Patrick’s Day “An SCDS education...

worth its weight in gold!”-themed event. In middle, Mouse

Endicott and Eltorai (standing with parents Terry Petlowany

and Elizabeth Trussell behind them) prepare food for Fac-

ulty Appreciation Day in the spring of 2009. Eltorai even

has a monogrammed Country Day apron that she sports at

the events, such as the Sports Boosters’ “Under the Lights

Games,” for which she frequently volunteers. At right, Endi-

cott shows off the strawberries she brought for the Leonardo

Da Vinci-themed Grandparents’ Day, May 3, 2002. Endicott,

who was then the Parents’ Association president, organized

food to be prepared for the entire school—about 800 people.

“Her indefatigable energy, vision and organization have

propelled this day into reality,” reads the “Acknowledge-

ment” to Endicott in the event’s program. (Photos courtesy of Wendy Ross)

June 1, 2010

Three times a week, Calvin Fernandez, ‘09, files into a room to rehearse with a decidedly unusual group

of fellow Stanford students—the Stanford Mendicants, an on-cam-pus a cappella group.

A cappella (Italian for “in the manner of the church”) music is sung without instrumental ac-companiment. Examples include Gregorian chants and barbershop quartets, but the Mendicants bear little similarity to either.

Instead, they sing four-part ar-rangements, mostly of popular love songs such as Ernie Maresca and Dion DiMucci’s “Runaround Sue” and Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.”

Fernandez be-came involved after Stan-ford’s orien-tation.

“ T h e y have sign-up booths d u r i n g o r i e n t a -tion week-end, and there are a bunch of a cappella groups. I went to a few audi-tions, got called back, and reauditioned,” he said.

Fernandez picked Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” to sing at his first audition for the Mendicants. For the second, they gave him the music to Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl,” let him go home and learn it, and then had him perform the baritone part.

Fernandez was interested in joining because of a prior interest in singing coupled with a lack of experience.

“A cappella accepts people without any singing experience,” he said. “And when you see a cappella groups sing, they look like they’re having a lot of fun.”

Fernandez, who was a violist in the high-school orchestra, also considered auditioning for Stan-ford’s orchestra, but didn’t feel prepared enough.

He described the Mendicants’ arrangements as “just singing chords,” with the 13 members divided into bass, baritone, lead and top.

“The bass is responsible for the root of the chord, so they have fairly boring parts. Baritone is the second lowest, and we sing a fourth down from the melody. The leads sing the melody, and the tops sing around the soloist,” Fernandez said.

He said the Mendicants perform regularly on and off campus.

“We perform two or three times a month,” he said.

“We’ve done parties at a bar; we also sang ‘Yesterday’ for a big crowd at Parents’ Weekend. For Valentine’s Day, people paid us to serenade romantic interests or friends.”

The group charged $20 for each serenade, which included a rose and a picture, and $5 for each ad-ditional song.

The group also goes on tour; they traveled to Los Angeles to sing at a church, and during Spring Break they went to New Orleans.

As a combined “singing trip

and bonding trip,” the Mendicants divided their time evenly be-tween singing—mostly on street corners—and exploring New Or-leans.

They also visited Tulane Uni-versity, where Michael Lewis, ’09, gave them a tour and received a private concert.

A cappella groups have a strong presence at Stanford, as well as a “definite hierarchy” in terms of talent and popularity, but not a lot of rivalry.

“Each group carves out their own niche,” Fernandez said. “We’re love songs; Talisman (an-other a cappella group) is South African love songs, etc. Although we’re not the best, we’re not over-shadowed because we’re the only

ones who do what we do.”Fernandez estimated

that 98 percent of students know

who the Stan-ford Fleet

S t r e e t S i ng -

ers,

the b e s t

a n d most pop-

ular group according to

him, are, while 60 percent know of

the Mendicants.Francie Neukom, ’04, recalled

that a cappella was highly popu-lar during her time at Stanford.

“While I don’t think we take our singing groups as seriously as East Coast schools do, concerts are seen as a fun, silly way to spend an evening before parties start,” she said in an e-mail. “They are especially popular amongst freshmen, who will often attend concerts to see their dormmates perform.”

Besides being a place where he can enjoy singing, the group also fills a social function.

“It’s kind of like being in a very small fraternity,” Fernandez said. “You become really good friends with people because you’re spend-ing so much time together. And singing with your best friends—when it’s fun, it’s really fun.

Fernandez isn’t the only alum who currently participates in col-lege-level a cappella. Meredith Bennett-Smith, ’06, has been part of an all-female a cappella group, After Eight, since her freshman year at Cornell University.

“I didn’t even know what [a cappella] was before I came to Cornell,” she said. “I had been re-ally involved in choral singing, so when I came I joined the chorus, singing classical music.”

Her interest in a cappella was stimulated by nighttime free con-certs called “arch sings” outside the freshman dorms.

After Eight is a subset of the chorus, so it was the natural choice for Bennett-Smith, who had developed friendships with members of After Eight while in the chorus. However, due to her inexperience, she didn’t audition until the second semester of her freshman year.

Because a cappella pop music is so different from the choral mu-sic Bennett-Smith was used to, the audition was far outside her com-fort zone.

“(It was) the scariest thing in my

entire life,” she said. “The pressure was so intense that I threw up before the audition.”

Key to her discom-fort was a cappella’s emphasis on the solo-ist.

“I’m not the best so-loist,” Bennett-Smith said. “I have a good voice that blends well with others. A cappella requires a bigger voice.”

Despite her mis-givings, Bennett-Smith performed Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman” and sight-read Tori Amos’s “Shorter Fairytale.” She was called back for another audi-tion, and then was accepted.

Since then, she has been a mem-ber of both the chorus and After Eight. Between rehearsals for the two groups, Bennett-Smith spends nine hours over four days each week singing.

As at Stan-ford, a cap-pella groups at Cornell focus on carving out niches.

“We sing a lot of pop songs—Kel ly Clarkson, Brit-ney Spears—and we sing some oldies like ‘Oh! Dar-ling’ and ‘Love Potion No. 9,’” Benne t t -Smi th said. “We’re the soft pop group, kind of.”

In After Eight, all the arrangements are stu-dent-written. There are four or five different parts that are split between the 19 members.

Bennett-Smith often does vocal percussion, or beat-boxing.

“I study the rhythms in the original recording, and then make up my own,” she said.

She said that After Eight is the most well known all-female group at Cornell, as well as the best.

They have a big con-cert every semester, and the chorus tours every Spring Break. This year, they went to North Carolina; p r e v i o u s l y, t h e y ’ v e gone as far away as Chi-na.

“It’s a really im-portant part of my life,” Bennett-Smith said.

Both the Mendicants performing “What I Got” by Sublime and After Eight performing “Criminal” by Fiona Apple are on YouTube.

Community June 1, 2010 The Octagon

A cappella positions open: friends provided, no experience required

By Chris ThompsonPage Editor

Meredith Bennett-Sm

ith, ‘06

Cal

vin Fe

rnandez, ‘09

June 1, 2010

Thank you to Go Moxie, an organization that

gives high-school newspapers free music

and records, for providing The Octagon

with three free pairs of tickets to Rihanna,

Warped Tour and Dave Matthews concerts.

The winners of the raffle will be announced tomorrow.

Rihanna (with Ke$ha) will be performing at Arco Arena, July 9

Warped Tour will be held at the Sleeptrain Amphitheatre, August 12

Dave Matthews will be performing at the Sleeptrain Amphitheatre, August 27

Senior captain Aaron Suits has been on the varsity baseball team for the past four years. While he has played second and third base, he was the starting pitcher this year. His pitching helped the team win their “Under the Lights” game. Suits was Honorable Mention All-League his sophomore and junior years.

Even though this is senior Angie Gonzalez’s first year playing soc-

cer, she is the starting goalie on the varsity team. Gonzalez has done a stellar job, helping the team with their many wins. She was even asked by the Bradshaw High School coach to play for her club soccer team.

JuneMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

SUMMER!

Anneke Pfister came to the school

Jan. 25 from Cloppenburg, Ger-many. Living here with her second

cousin until April 28, Pfister took

Ancient/Medieval History, Conceptual Phys-ics, English I, Latin IV, and Algebra II.

Q: What is the biggest difference between

Germany and America?

A: In Germany you normally don’t talk to people you don’t know; never.

Q: What surprised you the most about Cali-

fornia?

A: I didn’t expect to be that busy with sight-seeing and doing fun things! I discovered a young culture, which I didn’t know anything about.

Q: What did you like the most about Cali-

fornia?

A: I’m not even sure what I liked most! I re-ally loved Country Day and the music pro-gram of it! So going to the Reno Jazz Festival was awesome but also playing in the Concert Orchestra and meeting all the talented music students!

Q: What did you dislike?

A: The bad traffic, the long ways to every-where and the “wide open spaces.”

Q: What are German stereotypes about

Americans?

A: Typical stereotypes about Americans are that they are very friendly to new ones in the beginning, and they love to laugh a lot and to smile a lot. On top of that it’s a prejudice that Americans have a “special taste” of clothing and sometimes they wear clothes that are not fitting.

Q: What in California isn’t in Germany?

A: A lot of stuff! We have no school dances, no basecaps—and no baseball, no peanut butter, no brownies, no pie.

Q: What did you miss the most?

A: I missed my free time in the afternoon. In Germany you always come out of school be-tween 1:15 and 3:15 [p.m.] and there are no school activities after that. So I could plan my day as I wanted to do it.

Q: What do you miss about Country Day?

A: I miss math class—it was tougher than my German one—and English class. I don’t write literary essays in Germany. We don’t have the subject “Literature,” so we never really write essays about books.

Q: How has your stay changed your life?

A: I think I’m standing more on my own feet, and I feel more independent from my family

than before. My classmates got a shock be-cause I speak with American accent. I also try to introduce High Fives to the Germans; we don’t have them!

Q: What do kids your age do in Germany

that kids in Sacramento didn’t?

A: In Germany it’s usual to take classical dancing lessons (for pairs) in ninth and tenth grade. Almost everyone does that and it’s really a great fun! And unfortunately I have to mention that they drink a lot of alcohol. Students start getting drunk when they’re 13 but many even earlier. But when we all be-came about 14 years old everybody had been drunk already at least once (exception me). It’s cool for them.

Q: Would you consider college in America?

A: I don’t think so because our German uni-versities are very good and very tough. So probably I’m going to study in Germany.

Anneke misses ‘basecaps,’ peanut butter, and pieBy Brianna Makishima

Page Editor

!"#$%&'%()&) *+$%,-./01#2$/."3$!"

!"#$%&'($)*+',-.+'/0'1"2'$'3%"124&*05'6$07/*%8'!*,0'1"2'/1'91/3"%:+'$1&'7*,0'1"2'#"%5/1;8''<$27*%+' 7*' /0' $' =6$02':*:>*%+?' /1' =6"029:*+?'

:$5/1;':$;/6$)':*:"%/*0'3"%'7/0'=@9*020?'A#/27'$'6$B/2$)'=@?CD/1'E/01*F'0B*$5+'27$2'/08'G1&'$0')"1;'$0'$1F'=@9*02?'6$1'0**'7/:+'($)*'

/0'="1'02$;*8?'H7$2':*$10'7*'7$0'2"'02$F'/1'67$%4$62*%D1"')*$1/1;+'0/22/1;'"%'*$2/1;'="1'02$;*+?'$)4#$F0'5**B/1;'6"1I*%0$2/"10'B"0/2/I*+'$1&'$)#$F0'B%"I/&/1;'27*'=E/01*F':$;/6?'/1'*I*%F';9*02'/142*%$62/"1D"%'%/05'I/")$2/1;'"1*'"3'27*'3"9%'6":4:$1&:*120' A=E/01*F' J*%I/6*' K$0/60?C' 2$9;72' 2"'6$02':*:>*%0'"1'27*/%'L%02'&$F'"3'#"%58''G)27"9;7'($)*'#/))' 1"2' %*6*/I*' 6"9%0*' 6%*&/2'

3"%'7/0'0*:*02*%'/1'27*'M$)2'E/01*F'M"%)&'N"))*;*'O%";%$:+'7*'/0'39)L))/1;'K"02"1'P1/I*%0/2F,0'=#"%5'*QB*%/*16*?'%*R9/%*:*128'($)*'#/))';%$&9$2*'3%":'KP'#/27'2#"'&*;%**0D

$'K8G8'/1'7"0B/2$)/2F'$&:/1/02%$2/"1'$1&'$'K8G8'/1'>90/1*00'$&:/1/02%$2/"1D/1'($F'S-TS8G0'"1*'"3'$BB%"Q/:$2*)F'U+---'029&*120'A1/1*'

"3'#7/67'$%*' 3%":'KPC'B$%2/6/B$2/1;' /1' 27*'B%"4;%$:'27/0'0*:*02*%+'($)*';*20'27*'02$1&$%&'E/01*F'*:B)"F**'>*1*L20+'/16)9&/1;'3%**'$&:/00/"1'2"'$))'27*'M$)2'E/01*F'M"%)&' B$%50' $1&' &/06"9120' "1'E/01*F'3""&'$1&':*%67$1&/0*8'''H7*' /12*%107/B' /0' B$/&+' $1&' B$%2/6/B$120' 2FB/4

6$))F'#"%5'VS4.W'7"9%0'$'#**5+'7*'0$/&8

($)*'/0'2%$/1*&'2"'#"%5'$0'$'3%"124&*05'6$07/*%'"%'$'=%911*%?'$2'$))'E/01*F'M"%)&'%*0"%20'A/1'E/041*F' 0B*$5+' =%*0"%20?' $%*' "1' 27*' X$02' N"$02' $1&'=7"2*)0?'$%*'"1'27*'M*02'N"$02C8'G0' $' 3%"124&*05' 6$07/*%+' ($)*,0' Y">' /16)9&*0'

67*65/1;' /1+' 67*65/1;' "92' $1&' $00/02/1;' ;9*020'#/27' $1F' B%">)*:08' !*' 6$1' B%"I/&*'@9*02' J*%4I/6*'<*6"I*%F' 2"'$1F'@9*02'#/27'$'1*;$2/I*'*Q4B*%/*16*8=G')"2'"3'6%$ZF'27/1;0'7$BB*1'$2'27*'3%"12'&*058'

M*,))' >*' /1' 27*' B%"6*00' "3' 67*65/1;' /1' @9*020+'$1&'09&&*1)F'27*'6":B92*%'06%**1'02$%20'[$07/1;'\]$:/)F'"3'27*'E$F+,?'($)*'0$/&8'=M*' 02"B' #7$2' #*,%*' &"/1;+' 7$1&' 27*:' >$)4

)""10+';/I*'$'2/$%$'$1&'$'#$1&'2"'27*/%'&$9;72*%'$1&'$'06*B2*%'$1&'\N$B2$/1'^$65,'7$2'2"'27*/%'0"18?'XI*%F"1*' /1' 27*' )">>F' 7"1"%0' 27*' =]$:/)F' "3'

27*'E$F+?'$1&'27*'E/01*F'=6$02':*:>*%0?'B%*0*12'27*:'#/27'$';/32D$'3$02'B$00+'6"9B"1+'*268'($)*'0$/&'=($;/6$)'(":*120?')/5*'27*0*'7$B4

B*1'$))'27*'2/:*'$2'M$)2'E/01*F'M"%)&8']"%' *Q$:B)*+' *I*%F' &$F' $2' U' B8:8+' $))' =6$02'

:*:>*%0?' /1' 27*' )">>F'&%"B'#7$2' 27*F,%*'&"/1;'$1&'&"'27*'!902)*8'=_3'F"9'6$1,2':$5*'$'3"")'"3'F"9%0*)3+'F"9'6$1,2'

#"%5'$2'E/01*F+?'($)*'0$/&8'H7*'Y">'"3'27*'%911*%+'7"#*I*%+'/0'I*%F'&/33*%*12'

3%":'27$2'"3'27*'3%"124&*05'6$07/*%8'X00*12/$))F+'%911*%0'=%91'$%"91&'27*'%*0"%28?=_3'0":*"1*,0'5*F'02"B0'#"%5/1;+'_';"'$1&'&*4

)/I*%'1*#'5*F0'$1&'_'L;9%*'"92'#7F'27*')"65'/01,2'#"%5/1;+?'($)*'0$/&8'=J":*2/:*0'B*"B)*'#/))'&*46/&*'2"'02$F')"1;*%'/1'27*/%'%"":'27$1'$))"#*&'$1&'27*1' 27*' %911*%'#/))'7$I*' 2"';"'&*$62/I$2*' 27*/%')"658?=H7*'Y">'Y902'&*B*1&0'"1'#7$2,0'7$BB*1/1;8?`16*+'$';9*02'$2'$'%*0"%2'7$&'2"'>*'2%$10B"%2*&'

2"'E/01*F,0'N*)*>%$2/"1'!"0B/2$)8'G0'$'%911*%+'/2'#$0'($)*,0'Y">'2"'3"))"#'>*7/1&'

/1'$'I$1'2"'&%/I*'27*';9*02,0'3$:/)F'2"'27*'7"0B/2$)8'($)*';*20'3%**'$&:/00/"1'2"'$))'27*'M$)2'E/01*F'

M"%)&'B$%50'$1&'&/06"9120'"1'E/01*F' 3""&'$1&':*%67$1&/0*8=_' ;"' 2"' 27*' B$%50! "#$%%&' 3%*R9*12)F8' _' 6$1' ;"'

#7*1'_'51"#'27*%*'$%*1,2';"/1;'2"'>*')"1;')/1*0+'$1&'/3'27*')/1*0'$%*')"1;+'_'a6$1')*$I*'$1&b'51"#'

27$2'_'6$1'$)#$F0'6":*'>$65c?'($)*'0$/&8'K*0/&*0' 27*' 27%/))' "3' 27*' 27*:*' B$%50' $1&' 27*'

B*%50'"3'7$I/1;'*QB*%/*16*'$2'$']"%291*'W--'6":4B$1F'"1'7/0'%*09:*+'($)*'0$/&'#"%5/1;'3"%'E/041*F'6":*0'#/27':"%*'>*1*L208'=_' %*$))F' &"' 3**)' *:B"#*%*&' 2"' :$5*' :F'

@9*02,0'*QB*%/*16*'27*'>*02'/2'6$1'>*8'_,:';/I*1'$')"2'"3'2"")0'2"'%*62/3F'$1F'0/29$2/"10'27$2'$%*1,2'$0'27*F'07"9)&'>*8?']"%'*Q$:B)*+'($)*'0$/&'7*'&"*01,2'7$I*'2"'2$)5'

2"'$1F'=)*$&*%?'A27*'E/01*F'#"%&'3"%'=:$1$;*%?C'2"'0*2'9B'$'=(/65*F':**24$1&4;%**2'*QB*%/*16*?'3"%'$'@9*02,0'67/)&8''=(F':"02':*:"%$>)*'*QB*%/*16*0'$%*'#7*1'_'

;*2'2"'6%*$2*'$'>/2'"3'*Q2%$':$;/6'#7/67'_'51"#'$'@9*02'#/))'$BB%*6/$2*'$1&'%*$))F' %*:*:>*%+' )/5*'7*)B/1;'B*"B)*'3%":'"%;$1/Z$2/"10'0967'$0'($5*'G'M/078?'($)*' %*:*:>*%0' $' @9*02' 3%":' 27*' ($5*' G'

M/07' 3"91&$2/"1' #$12*&' $' B/629%*' "3' O%/16*00'H/$1$'$1&'O%/16*'d$I/&'A3%":'=H7*'O%/16*00'$1&'27*']%";?C8'K92'07*'#$0'>*&%/&&*1'27*'&$F'27$2'27*'O%/16*' $1&'O%/16*00'#*%*' 7$I/1;' $' 07"#'$2' 27*'($;/6'e/1;&":8'=_'2""5'27*';/%),0'2*&&F'>*$%'2"'27*'07"#+'$1&'27*'

>*$%'2""5'B/629%*0'#/27'27*'O%/16*'$1&'O%/16*008'M*'&*I*)"B*&'27*'B7"2"0'$1&';$I*'27*:'2"'27*';/%)'27$2'0$:*'&$F+?'($)*'0$/&8'($)*,0' *1Y"F*&' 7/0' 2/:*' $2' E/01*F'M"%)&' 0"'

:967'27$2'7*'*Q2*1&*&'7/0' /12*%107/B'912/)'G9;8'TV'A7*'#$0'09BB"0*&'2"'>*'&"1*'"1'($F'TWC8K92'B*%7$B0'($)*,0';"2'$' )/22)*' 2""':967'3$/%F'

&902'/1'7/0'*$%08M7*1'$05*&'/3'7*,&'*I*%'&%*00*&'9B'$0'$'67$%4

$62*%+'($)*'%*0B"1&*&+'=d">"&F'*I*%'&%*00*0'9B'$0'$'67$%$62*%+'*Q6*B2'2"'/:/2$2*'$0'$'3"%:'"3'[$242*%F8'H7*'67$%$62*%0'$1&'27*':$;/6'$%*'%*$)c=d">"&F'#/))'0$F+'\_'&%*00*&'9B'$0'@""3F+,'>*4

6$90*'27*%*,0'"1)F'"1*'@""3F8?M/))'($)*' %*29%1' 2"'#"%5' 3"%'E/01*F' $32*%' 7*'

;%$&9$2*0f=_'7$I*'1"'/&*$8'_2,0'$1'"B2/"1+?'7*'0$/&8]"%'1"#+'($)*'/0'6"12*12'2"'%/&*'27*'!"))F#""&'

!"2*)' H"#*%' "3' H*%%"%+' H*02' H%$65' $1&' (/00/"1'JB$6*g#7*1'7*,0'1"2' 2""'>90F'=:$5/1;':$;/6+?'"3'6"9%0*8

!