When sophomore Micaela Ben

Band practice of the year, she

Johnson was missing.And when she learned that

he had quit, she couldn’t believe it.

“I was disappointed because he’s always been in band and jazz band, and I was really surprised since his whole family is musical,” she said.

really didn’t expect was three other musicians quitting

school.A total of four upperclass

men, who all had partici

at least two years, had quit, with three of them leaving their roles in Jazz Band as well.

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THEOctagon

Crashing networks, curriculum changes: 1-to-1 program hits CD

Find out what a year on

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EOf 62 juniors and seniors polled on Oct. 16, 25 drive

“It’s too far to drive, people’s cars have gotten bro

The school received no complaints about the change, solidifying Petchauer’s view that the lot is unnecessary.

no longer waiting in the mornings is only Petchauer’s

The next, he said, is possible termination of the

“Terminating the lot would allow us to save a lot

wait for the rainy season to see if that changes where

Congrelot sits empty as students park on streets, in driveways

uring history teacher Bruce Baird’s class, every student uses a

Across the quad in sophomore English, students are submitting online quizzes. A hundred feet to the left in the library, the students with that free period are on their laptops too.

And because of all these connec

been crashing.But this isn’t the only conse

to the freshmen and sophomores

With the institution of the new

teachers and students getting new

laptops, but certain teachers are changing their curricula as well.

Curriculum changesJane Bauman, freshman English

to teach her students how to create documents and use PowerPoint.

teacher, is integrating the laptops into his already existing Google

gram that allows his students to easily share documents.

“It really helps with editing essays,” Wells said. “It saves me about

Bauman’s English classes have

class essays.Physics teacher Glenn Mangold

said he hasn’t changed his curricu

“We’ve used laptops for freshmen

By Yanni DahmaniEditor-in-Chief

By Madeleine WrightEditor-in-Chief

Students leave band; Ratcli! not worriedBy Ryan HoPage Editor

Band

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Tteam had the opportunity to move to the national

the biggest and most impor

competitions in the nation.But it didn’t.

four schools in the county for the past four years, the team was eligible to compete in one of two national compe

tional hosts the best schools, “nationwide and internationally,” while the Providence

across the country, according to head coach Jeanine Boyers.

Winners from both often continue to compete on college teams or earn scholar

Mock Trial not going to invitational

Mock Trial, page 3

By Garrett KaighnCopy Editor

“The second I leave my

.”—Tom Wroten, director of

technology

Artists in residence: school comes together to create annual Chalk Mural

Parking, page 3

Laptops, page 3

Senior Jianna Gudebski and sophomore Melissa Vazquez work on the Chalk Mural !Oct. 19" in#

!Photo by Kelsi Thomas"

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Wendy Ross, director of institutional relations, enjoys some Bund!tinis at the faculty appreciation lunch, Oct. 11. Nothing Bundt Cakes catered the event’s dessert, showcasing some of their popular

!Photo by Will Wright"

Frosted Cake !undecorated"8 inches: $2110 inches: $31

Nothing Bundt Hugs and Kisses8 inches: $29.5010 inches: $39.50

There’s yet another niche eatery in our increasingly eclectic shopping center, Loehmann’s Plaza.

This time it isn’t another frozen yogurt place, nor a restaurant whose

based cuisines, but a bakery which focuses exclusively on bundt cakes.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is the latest in a chain with more than 50 lo

store was founded in 1997 in Las Vegas by two housewives who wanted to bring their recipes to the world.

fectionery nomenclature, a bundt is

a hole in its center that is often glazed or frosted.

Two weeks ago, I called to ask if their new location was open, and was met with a prompt “I’m not sure.” It was not until after the writing of this article that I found that it had been open since Oct. 4 and held an opening party on Oct. 19.

To get a preview of the bakery, I traveled to their nearest location in

When I entered, I was greeted by a bright cheery interior and the

Shelves upon shelves of Nothing Bundt Cakes memorabilia lined the walls; clearly they took every merchandising opportunity they could. In the center was a long glass case where the day’s cakes were dis

played proudly.Their cakes come in four sizes,

While there is certainly no lack of sizes to choose from, I found the

They have only four: lemon, red velvet, chocolate chip and vanilla.

My favorite was lemon, which

balance sweet and sour, making for

vanilla tasted as expected, the standard light and sweet cake.

However, the red velvet fell a

it lacked that heavy cream cheese

companion. The chocolate, while delicious,

was extremely rich. Believe me, they did not skimp on their chocolate chips; I recommend sharing.

However, the bakery’s most impressive item is their custom cake.

rounds can be fully made to order. In one corner of the bakery, they

plastic picture frames and other decorations.

All of these come with their own

Bundt Hugs and Kisses. Despite not being completely

blown away by the bakery, I feel it is a great place to stop in for an after

ing to gain some weight.

By Grant MinerReporter

Tiny cakes come to Loehmann’sDozen

Bundtinis$18.75

Bundtlet $3.99

Reviewer Grant Miner samples a lemon Bundtlet at the Loeh!mann’s Plaza location of Nothing Bundt Cakes. !Photo by Kelsi Thomas"

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since I started working here,” he said. “But now instead of one per table, it’s one per person.”

Students in Mangold’s classes access the In

Glitches in the system

“What if a student

students are also on the honor

with the wireless network.

the network.

connecting to the wireless.”

Wroten said he increased the bandwidth of the network to

“It’s a hardware issue,” he said. “Certain pieces of the wireless network need to be upgraded.”

Student hackers

And Wroten’s troubles don’t end there. Ac

do on a Macbook.

blocked website on the school’s wireless network.

ited, according to the Student

school student.

his restrictions when the

with the wireless network.

skirt Wroten’s blocked websites,

attributed this to long lines

rings waiting in line,” librarian Joanne Melinson said.

Melinson noted that Wroten

the congestion.

Because of these interruptions,

issues.According to Wroten, oth

is

pus.

Only for academics

According to Wroten, the decision was to

laptops.

Stephen Repsher said that

he said.

“It’s not that I didn’t get the lat

he said. “If the school wants to

teachers.”

the school.

Uniformity

“Macs are the worst piece of

he said.

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Laptops: technical problems plague new 1-to-1 program

pete.

looking forward to this and it’s a big disappoint

said.

Jackson shares her frustration.

and at least tried.”

said.

sons for skipping the

“Students are in

In addition, little student interest and the trip’s

spring.

Mock Trial: not ready to compete

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Parking: school could save by leaving Congrelot

said. “When I was using the Congrelot,

“I wished I had a place close where I

Bosco soon found a parking spot in

and the transition to the neighborhood was natural.”

students would be relegated to parking

the “neighborhood.”

there was no reason to park in the Con

trol how students get to school.

What if an accident occurs when a stu

“I doubt students will be disap

“We don’t even have any-one that has ever given a closing argument.”—Sydney Jackson, junior

Senior goalie Gerardo Vergara had six saves against Buckingham Charter, resulting in a 6-0 win. The team has had two straight shut-outs this season against Bucking-ham and Faith Christian.

The girls’ varsity volleyball team -

vitational Volleyball Tournament. They are 18-7 in overall league games and had a 3-0 victory against Faith Christian.

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Most seniors choose their colleges by May 1. Richard Walter, ‘11, did that, too. He decided on Chico

State, where he had been recruited for basketball.

But a month before he graduated high school, Walter started rowing to stay in shape. Within weeks coaches began recruiting him for crew. Three weeks after

ter was recruited by UC Berkeley’s number three rated rowing team.

A little over a year later Walter com

er for Cal. Early on at Cal, Walter described him

self as the guy who was good at the erg

and build allowed him to row harder than most new rowers.

But after practicing with the Cal team, Walter’s technique improved dramatically from his raw initial talent.

“I went from not even being in the second freshman boat to being one of the equally technically skilled guys in

pushed other guys to go harder when they ergged, and eventually I earned a

Walter described this position as a technical seat because those seats are responsible for making sure the boat is set.

dle four are the powerhouse, and the two in the back set the boat because they are

rowing you are facing the opposite direc

His lifestyle has also changed. Now Walter says he has better time management skills and he has become more responsible with his workouts school work.

“If I’m getting free time or time to do something other than crew I know

“In high school, I could do it after practice or after dinner, but now I have to do it whenever I can because I might not

Walter also works out every day, usually three hours in the morning, three in the afternoon and sometimes an ad

His mindset towards working out has

like sitting on the couch or something, I think about how I could be getting bet

ter or what the rowers up at Washington

Walter’s freshman eight boat at Cal also placed second at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association’s National Championship regatta in July in Cherryhill, NJ.

Although Walter was unhappy with his

placed third. And last summer Walter was one of the few selected to row for

Since CRC uses the same boathouse as Cal and other Cal rowers were on the CRC team, Walter joined over the summer to improve his technique.

Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Cath

the best amateurs in North America.“It was really cool to see guys who

were so good and knew what they were

day to be in these rowers’ shoes on the national team.

“I’d love to row at the Olympics in

And after talking to his coaches, Walter thinks this goal is achievable.

only slightly behind that of Olympians,

For now, though, Walter is just focusing on making the varsity boat.

By Mary-Clare BoscoPage Editor

Alumnus Richard Walter, ‘11 rows during crew practice at UC Berkeley in the midst of his fresh!man season. "Photo courtesy of Walter!

Alumnus completes 1st season rowing at Berkeley, sets sights on varsity boat

Boys make playo!s, beat Forest Lake at home

Team bests Faith Christian in tight rematch, 1-0

After losing to the Faith

soccer team redeemed itself in its Homecoming game on Oct.

Smith scored the team’s single goal on a penalty kick near the end of the game.

“Something about that team just

Smith said.

way to keep it close. In games like

Vargo said.“The guys never got discouraged

The defense was strong through

ald Hutchinson said.

“We have a lot of talent, and once

senior captain and goalie, said.

the season.

Although the team has been successful, their success has not come

“We have had some injuries that have taken a toll on our team, but people have stepped up and we

Hutchinson said.Sophomore Skovran Cunningham

out for most of the season due to a broken collarbone and a broken arm,

respectively.The boys are scheduled to play the

Lutheran Panthers on Thursday in

By Darby BoscoPage Editor

Sophomore Jake Haltom dribbles past a Buckingham defender on Oct. 16. Haltom and senior Donald Hutchinson combined for three goals in the team’s 6!0 victory. "Photo by Kelsi Thomas#

In September of 1995, I had just turned 1 year old. My brother Miles

ly a senior at Stanford, was 4. That September, 14 years be

fore I began high school, the boys’ varsity soccer team beat Forest Lake Christian on their

It would take 17 years to do it again.

cades after a goal by Matt Post,

ever away win against Forest

halftime last year, this year the

ing only the second win at Auburn in school history.

Over the years, no rivalry in

the rivalry with Forest Lake.It started with a loss in 1981,

faced each other.

trated and humiliated by their

ant tradition that made the few triumphs all the more sweet.

Head coach Matt Vargo re

against Forest Lake, at their

fans at Bear River College.

Successes, however, have

been few and far between.In 58 games, the Cavaliers

In those 58 games, the Falcons

the biggest in school history.The bitter feelings between

the schools don’t stem from lopsided play alone, however.

was knocked unconscious at the start of the second half.

accompanied by chants of “We got their MVP! We got their

retired last year.

coach, said.“You’d think he was playing

the seventh game of the World

For Cavs players, the Forest Lake game always held extra

“Winning the section title, winning the league championship, beating Forest Lake.

Central Valley Christian League

mento Metropolitan Athletic

No longer in Forest Lake’s league, the Cavs now play their foes just once a year. In the past, the games have alternated home and away.

This year, however, marked the second straight time that the game took place in Auburn.

In the last four years, Coun

that belies the disappointment that has been a cornerstone of the rivalry.

that Forest Lake used to own

“We hated them. Seeing them lose years later is still an

By Morgan Bennett-SmithPage Editor

Rare victory over Falcons unexpected & so sweet

4-03-20-44-13-19-02-02-05-46-01-25-11-06-0

WaldorfVacaville ChristianCapital Christian

Cristo ReyCornerstone

New Life ChristianForest Lake

Victory ChristianParadise AdventistFreedom Christian

Faith ChristianLutheran

Faith ChristianBuckingham

Season at a Glance

Aug. 24Aug. 28Aug. 29Aug. 30Sept. 6Sept. 11Sept. 13Sept. 17Sept. 19Sept. 21Sept. 25Oct. 9Oct. 12Oct. 16

Overall: 12-2League: 3-1

Today the girls’ varsity volley

athletic director Matt Vargo will coach the team.

this time.

.JV Volleyball

Varsity volleyball makes post-seasonBy Skovran Cunningham and Micaela Bennett-SmithPage Editors

Members of the boys’ team are stretched

With dwindling numbers, cross-country team now struggles to make it to stateBy Aishwarya Nadgauda Reporter

Mary!Clare Bosco, senior middle!front, jumps to spike the ball in a game against Faith Christian, Oct. 16. The Cavs went on to defeat the Lions in

Photo by Kelsi Thomas

Photo by Kelsi Thomas

3-03-02-30-33-03-03-23-11-33-0

Faith ChristianSac. Adventist

Buckingham CharterValley ChristianWilton Christian

LutheranValley ChristianSac. Adventist

Woodland ChristianFaith Christian

Varsity Season at a Glance

Sept. 11Sept. 12Sept. 19Sept. 24 Sept. 25 Sept. 27 Oct. 9 Oct. 11 Oct. 12 Oct. 16

Overall: 18-7League: 7-2

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Political battles never broke up high-school buddies

ByJeffrey Caves and Madeleine Wright

were in a state of war in high school.They battled in their classes, electives, lunches and free periods.

They brought their family into their arguments, and, as Benjamin put it, “it could get ugly.”

other moderate. Politically, they were quintessentially incompatible.

through argument?

and social rights were regularly debated.Yet despite their obvious political divide, the three could not have

been more united as friends.“Kyle would usually instigate it,” Benjamin said. “He would inter

rupt me doing homework, and we would eventually just be cracking up.

sides of the country and the world. And their political views? Well, they might as well be on separate

planets.Kyle McNally

though looking back, he describes himself more as “apolitical” in high school.

nearly every day..

“Kyle was always the jokester,” history teacher Sue Nellis said. “Those three would get together, and they would just laugh and laugh

about everything.”In high school, McNally used his wit to draw cartoons for the Oc

tagon, which won him a second place in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle competition.

He acted as well, playing the lead role of a sarcastic and witty

freshman year.“Kyle was an amazing actor,” Octagon adviser Patricia Fels said.

“He was incredibly convincing, even though he was only 14 years old at the time.”

Though McNally strongly supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his next move was closer to the war front than his friends, or teachers, ever saw coming.

Upon graduating, he went on to liberal UC Santa Cruz, but withdrew after only two quarters to join the Marine Corps.

self enough to live up to what he might have been. For example, when his cartoon won second place, the comment said it would have

Benjamin agrees.

his persona and what he claimed his political perspectives were.”

ing home from the Marine Corp.

from boot camp. I was shocked,” she said. But McNally said joining the Marines was always a goal of his, one

that, unlike his political views, he kept quiet about..

rines after high school. Working as a combat correspondent for the Marines, however,

strengthen, he said.

threat out there,” he said.

him,but only to a degree.

ment and any restrictions on individual freedoms.“America has always been a place that celebrates individuality, and

hurt other people,” he said.

would pay the same percentage in taxes regardless of income.And he supports both less government involvement in health care

and reform of the welfare system.

McNally said. “Welfare is important, but a lot of people can take care of themselves.”

Social Security and Medicare, however, are two areas where he

his alone and not those of the Marine Corps.“We should still maintain our global watch, but we need to leave a

smaller footprint,” he said. “We can support other countries but we

Ian Benjamin

the political arena. He wrote reviews for the Octagon on topics like

“He was a very dapper dresser, too..”“His dad was in a rock band when Ian was in high school,” Nellis

said. “He had a wild side and you could see some of that in Ian.”

four years later with a B.S. in physiological science from UCLA, nothing has changed.

He supports gay marriage, less involvement overseas and strong regulations on pollution, climate change and corporate misconduct.

At UCLA he felt the pain of state budget cuts and believes that maintaining adequate funding for public schools and universities is of “paramount importance.”

nite presence in his political identity, set more of a foundation for his opinions rather than the opinions themselves.

think about whether it is objectively logical, and morally correct,” he said.

Benjamin now works in a cardiovascular research lab at his alma

And, just like McNally, he feels that being out in the real world has

Omar Eltorai

liberal nor very conservative.

would side more with Kyle,” he said. And as he got older, he found himself siding increasingly with the

spending and balancing the budget.“I was more moderate early in life,” Eltorai said. “But after college

I started to be more conservative.”Like Benjamin and McNally, Eltorai worked on the Octagon, even

“Omar was calm, determined and ambitious about getting the things he wanted,” Fels said. “He would set a goal for himself, and I had no doubt that he would achieve it.”

Fels describes Eltorai as strongly opinionated and unafraid to stand by his beliefs.

“He had a wry sense of humor, though, and he was always gentle and polite to everyone,” Fels said.

Eltorai attended American University in Washington, D.C., where

“It was a very liberal campus, but my peers never had the same level of pull that my parents had,” Eltorai said. “I was exposed to more arguments with my majors, and I started to weigh the measurable costs over what the social cost was.”

Eltorai describes himself as socially liberal, supporting gay mar

policy issues. However, he has nothing but disdain for the far right.

Unlike his friends, Eltorai is still unsure whom he will vote for.

sible.

Charlotte, N.C., advising clients on investment strategies and opportunities.

one of their political arguments since high school. And each admits

But, as McNally points out, their arguments meant more in the grand scheme of politics than they knew at the time.

“Nobody is willing to discuss anything or consider the beliefs of

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Political battles never broke up high-school buddies

ByJeffrey Caves and Madeleine Wright

were in a state of war in high school.They battled in their classes, electives, lunches and free periods.

They brought their family into their arguments, and, as Benjamin put it, “it could get ugly.”

other moderate. Politically, they were quintessentially incompatible.

through argument?

and social rights were regularly debated.Yet despite their obvious political divide, the three could not have

been more united as friends.“Kyle would usually instigate it,” Benjamin said. “He would inter

rupt me doing homework, and we would eventually just be cracking up.

sides of the country and the world. And their political views? Well, they might as well be on separate

planets.Kyle McNally

though looking back, he describes himself more as “apolitical” in high school.

nearly every day..

“Kyle was always the jokester,” history teacher Sue Nellis said. “Those three would get together, and they would just laugh and laugh

about everything.”In high school, McNally used his wit to draw cartoons for the Oc

tagon, which won him a second place in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle competition.

He acted as well, playing the lead role of a sarcastic and witty

freshman year.“Kyle was an amazing actor,” Octagon adviser Patricia Fels said.

“He was incredibly convincing, even though he was only 14 years old at the time.”

Though McNally strongly supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his next move was closer to the war front than his friends, or teachers, ever saw coming.

Upon graduating, he went on to liberal UC Santa Cruz, but withdrew after only two quarters to join the Marine Corps.

self enough to live up to what he might have been. For example, when his cartoon won second place, the comment said it would have

Benjamin agrees.

his persona and what he claimed his political perspectives were.”

ing home from the Marine Corp.

from boot camp. I was shocked,” she said. But McNally said joining the Marines was always a goal of his, one

that, unlike his political views, he kept quiet about..

rines after high school. Working as a combat correspondent for the Marines, however,

strengthen, he said.

threat out there,” he said.

him,but only to a degree.

ment and any restrictions on individual freedoms.“America has always been a place that celebrates individuality, and

hurt other people,” he said.

would pay the same percentage in taxes regardless of income.And he supports both less government involvement in health care

and reform of the welfare system.

McNally said. “Welfare is important, but a lot of people can take care of themselves.”

Social Security and Medicare, however, are two areas where he

his alone and not those of the Marine Corps.“We should still maintain our global watch, but we need to leave a

smaller footprint,” he said. “We can support other countries but we

Ian Benjamin

the political arena. He wrote reviews for the Octagon on topics like

“He was a very dapper dresser, too..”“His dad was in a rock band when Ian was in high school,” Nellis

said. “He had a wild side and you could see some of that in Ian.”

four years later with a B.S. in physiological science from UCLA, nothing has changed.

He supports gay marriage, less involvement overseas and strong regulations on pollution, climate change and corporate misconduct.

At UCLA he felt the pain of state budget cuts and believes that maintaining adequate funding for public schools and universities is of “paramount importance.”

nite presence in his political identity, set more of a foundation for his opinions rather than the opinions themselves.

think about whether it is objectively logical, and morally correct,” he said.

Benjamin now works in a cardiovascular research lab at his alma

And, just like McNally, he feels that being out in the real world has

Omar Eltorai

liberal nor very conservative.

would side more with Kyle,” he said. And as he got older, he found himself siding increasingly with the

spending and balancing the budget.“I was more moderate early in life,” Eltorai said. “But after college

I started to be more conservative.”Like Benjamin and McNally, Eltorai worked on the Octagon, even

“Omar was calm, determined and ambitious about getting the things he wanted,” Fels said. “He would set a goal for himself, and I had no doubt that he would achieve it.”

Fels describes Eltorai as strongly opinionated and unafraid to stand by his beliefs.

“He had a wry sense of humor, though, and he was always gentle and polite to everyone,” Fels said.

Eltorai attended American University in Washington, D.C., where

“It was a very liberal campus, but my peers never had the same level of pull that my parents had,” Eltorai said. “I was exposed to more arguments with my majors, and I started to weigh the measurable costs over what the social cost was.”

Eltorai describes himself as socially liberal, supporting gay mar

policy issues. However, he has nothing but disdain for the far right.

Unlike his friends, Eltorai is still unsure whom he will vote for.

sible.

Charlotte, N.C., advising clients on investment strategies and opportunities.

one of their political arguments since high school. And each admits

But, as McNally points out, their arguments meant more in the grand scheme of politics than they knew at the time.

“Nobody is willing to discuss anything or consider the beliefs of

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The Octagon is published eight times a year by high-school journalism students of Sacramento Country Day School, 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, Calif. 95864. Phone: (916) 481-8811, ext. 347. Email: octagon@saccds.org, Web address: http://www.scdsoctagon.com.

The OctagonEditors-In-Chief

Jeffrey CavesYanni Dahmani

Madeleine WrightCopy Editor

Garrett KaighnBusiness Manager

Jeffrey CavesNews Editor

Mary-Clare BoscoEditorial Editor

Ryan HoCommunity Editor

Connor MartinSports Editors

Micaela Bennett-SmithMorgan Bennett-SmithSkovran Cunningham

Centerpoint EditorMadeleine Wright

Opinion EditorDarby Bosco

Feature EditorsYanni Dahmani

Kamira PatelOnline EditorDavid MyersPhoto EditorsKelsi ThomasWill WrightReportersAnnie Bell

Zoe BowlusEmma BrownElise DeCarliEric Hilton

Madison JuddGrant Miner

Aishwarya NadgaudaMax ShukuyaManson Tung

Anthony ValdezEmma Williams

Foreign CorrespondentMargaret Whitney

CartoonistShewetha Prasad

AdviserPatricia Fels

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Tom Wroten, director of technology, sits in his

and Barbara Johnson, assistant to the head of middle school, with technological issues.

His phone vibrates. It’s an email from chemistry

his new Macbook Air. Thirty seconds later, Spanish

laptop.This is what Wroten’s work day has turned into

ever since the school issued laptops to the freshmen, sophomores and high-school academic teachers in September.

Our world is modernizing and our school must modernize with it. That was the theme of our Feb. 14 editorial on the new “1-to-1” laptop program that will eventually pair every student in the high school with a laptop.

Now that promise is on the way to coming true. But when we advocated for this program in the

would prepare accordingly.Laptops do not always function perfectly. Neither

do iPads, wireless networks, printers or other tech-nologies.

We assumed that the school would prepare for the hundreds of new devices by hiring staff accordingly.

We were wrong.Right now we have 115 middle-school iPads, 68

high-school-issued student laptops, dozens of faculty laptops and printers, desktops in the lower school computer lab and library, lower school iPad carts and library laptops in the high school.

And how many tech staff does the school pay to

One.That’s right. Apart from summer worker Austin Wal-

ter and part-time helper Sarah Song, Wroten is the sole technology staffer at our school.

At Palo Alto’s Castilleja School—where a similar 1-to-1 program is in effect—425 students are served by an eight-person tech department.

Now we realize that our school has fewer students, but if the administration wants to put a laptop in the hands of every high-school student and an iPad in

-creases still need to happen.

Granted, Wroten has the budget to hire a part-time assistant, but as we explained in our front-page story, he said that the time required to train someone who would be there only part time is simply not worth it for him.

Wroten does an excellent job—no one is denying that—but he alone is simply not enough.

The administration found the money for laptops. They found the money for iPads. And now it is time

keep those devices working.

!/%*/'

!"#$%&'

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&

EDITORIAL: Get the tech guy some more help!

!!"#$%&"'(")*+$#,-. *+$-/"&)012)0340

Over an hour and a half had passed since the other students had stopped chopping wood. This was

water for her shower, and junior Sophie Baer was

went to a correctional institute.

When Midland was founded at the end of the Great De

aunt all attended.

one at SCDS who attended Midland for a part of high school.

said.

Chopping wood apart of curriculum at transfer’s school

Rlong piece of thread and holds it to her shoulder. She lets the spool fall

her teeth, she wraps the other end around the

her face. She focuses on weaving it around the hairs

her canvas.

continues with the process of winding and pulling the hairs.

Arden Fair Mall.

purple walls lined with shelves upon shelves of all kinds of jew

accent, followed

Threading, which originated in ancient India, is used

gaps of her teeth.

and dark pants.

their age and length of hair.

the thread around a long streak of hairs and pulls, and

rips out like weeds.

works.

thread. I was, ‘Oh, I want to go to school and

such a huge facet of Indian culture, it wasn’t a struc

each person had. There, she learned dif

ing one that didn’t involve using her two front

Ancient Indian hair removal weaves its way into Arden Fair

Junior Sophie Baer shows her piece in the ceramics room at Midland School. !Photo courtesy of Baer"

Reporter Kelsi Thomas has her eyebrows threaded at Beauty by Thread. According to an Octagon poll of 43 high!school girls, six have tried threading. !Photo by Annie Bell"

By Kelsi ThomasPhoto Editor

By Mary-Clare BoscoPage Editor

“The skin above the client’s

-

See Threading

!"#$%&'(

!reading: small shop in mall gives senior taste of ancient wedding tradition(Continued from page 9)

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ing made the de cision over the summer.“I’m taking three AP classes and I really

need to do well in school this year,” he said.Johnson has been involved in music since

he was little. He started playing the piano when he was around 4. He also began playing

Johnson was the second clarinetist in Con

Jazz Band.He especially

enjoyed playing

the music and style more interesting and challenging.

But Johnson said he doesn’t regret quitting.

cert Band has given

to work on homework, and quitting

early practices at 7:30 a.m.

clarinetist in Concert Band, quit to concentrate on academ ics.

Taking two AP classes and an honors class

such as volleyball and yearbook, Jackson said

“I thought I was Superman, but I’m not,” she said.

“It was clear that something had to go, and it just happened to be band.”

own will.Brown played guitar in Jazz Band and per

cussion in Concert Band.While Brown would have liked to con

tinue playing, his inability to attend morning

Granite Bay. His parents are unable to drive him to the practices due to their work sched

“It is disappointing not to be in Jazz Band,” Brown said. “It is a huge loss in terms

passion.”

Concert Band too, since he did Concert Band only in order to do Jazz Band. Plus, “percussion isn’t really my instrument,” he said.

Instead, he is now a chemistry TA to teacher Alan Beamer.

he came to the school in seventh grade, and

since then has participated in Concert Band

band has been dropping since middle school.

something I was sup posed to do,” he said. “But I didn’t actually want to be there.”

playing music once everything came togeth

competitions.But “it was more trouble than it was

worth.”

the other two juniors contributed to his decision.

who re main in the bands, the

There is even a sentiment that the bands had reached their personal best last year and would never be as good

“Last year, we had so many seri ous musi

much better. We lost them, and now several

Senior Ben Hernried shares her concern and is worried about the instrumentation in both bands.

“I was shocked and very unhappy because

said. “We needed every player that we could get.”

“Last year we called ourselves the giant killers,” he said. “We were small and mighty.”

Senior Jackson Dulla agrees.

“Last year, Jazz Band had the best year it has had in a while,” he said.

year’s band, Dulla described it as “becoming great within the

not as concerned as his students about the

leaves.

worry about losing last year’s seniors.“Every single year, I always have someone

that comes up to me and says, ‘What are you going to do without these seniors?’

“But the seniors are the best be cause

pect them to be.”

good” seniors this year.

Jazz Band being more noticeable in the past

that, I think it was put in the spotlight a lot,”

“I really pushed it to make sure everyone

we did.”

the Folsom Jazz Festival. It also earned a gold award at the Forum Music Festival in Vallejo.

it had always done well nevertheless. He re

other one on writ ing arrangements.

and even though the Jazz Band will not be as

vals, he said.

the bands are usually at their best at the end

leading them to worry about not being as

continue to get as the year progresses.Despite his assurance that the bands can

this year, especially because three were juniors.

“It’s always surprising when people leave, but it happens every year. So, it shouldn’t surprise me, yet it does,” he said. “Every time someone leaves, it has an impact on the band. Numbers matter.”

He added

had started “made things

Daniel Kong will be the only

cert Band. And there will be none in Jazz Band.

senior musicians, again,

“We started with a clean slate in September every year,” he said. “I’ll work with what I have and we’ll go

“There will always be someone who can step up to carry the torch,” he said.

Band: key players quit to focus on academics(Continued from page 1)

!Photo by Kelsi Thomas"

“Every single year I always have someone that comes up to me and says, ‘What are you going to do without these seniors?’”

–Bob Ratcliff, music director

“I thought I was Super-man, but I’m not.”

–Sydney Jackson, junior

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online sources. We have access to a “more

Now it’s my turn. I climb into the leather chair and tilt my head back. I close my eyes

or the easiest eyebrow tweaking ever. Balbir uses a cotton swab to clean the area

Mart.

against my skin repeatedly. For about two

away.

pull down on my eyelid as she continues on the hairs below the eyebrow, working her way to

Balbir polishes my eyebrows using a com

done.What? What else could you remove with

thread?

a job well done.

which ends up being a better idea. Nowadays,

was right.

I notice the shining silver store amongst the boring beige ones that are clustered around it.

On Sept. 23 I revisited Beauty By Thread, and much to my surprise the business had

sign in and said that the wait would be only

clients.

within the Arden Fair Mall.

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On the morning of Aug. 3, Adam Braver, ’80, was bombarded with at least 50 emails and phone calls from friends

This review, however, was special because it came from the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle.

imagining how Norma Jean/Marilyn had to live

views from publications such as The Boston

said he tries not to read them.According to Braver, receiving a good

review can even be very disheartening.“It can be disappointing when crit

ently than what you had intended, and then base their assessments on

roe was a challenge that was put

agent, he said, suggested that Braver try to write something

posed to be a short story, but

and pursued it further.Although Monroe was

an unfamiliar subject for Braver, he was no stranger to historical novels when he began writ

years ago.

assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

research on a possible subject.“I went through hundreds of newspaper articles

Much of Braver’s curiosity ultimately lay with

ing to have a meaningful life in which one sees oneself as an individual able to stand above the

up to Monroe’s death at the Cal Neva Lodge in

Braver considered setting the novel in the tunnels, but upon visiting them, Braver found that they were too small to host the entire novel, so he broadened the setting to the entire lodge.

laughed upon hearing that his former teachers, Pa

“He always seemed more adult than his class

Braver is currently researching a possible novel

By Connor MartinPage Editor

Oof icy water, and begin their search. The object: frogs, to be contestants in the frog

This was just one of the activities the sophomores had a

Calif.

into the water and grabbed them.

Bushberg said.

then released and encouraged to victory.

day after that, they spent time riding in a corral and on trails.

to halter and lead a horse and practiced maneuvering around obstacles such as barrels.

“I enjoyed getting to be around the horses and riding

vanced rides with more interaction between the rider and the

cards, volleyball or softball. “It was awesome because there were a lot of options of

Bushberg said that this trip was his favorite so far of all the

The students stayed on the ranch in two cabins, each with

the other class trips. The sophomores used to come home on Saturday instead of Friday because Friday and Saturday were the only days they could raft.

Frog races, karaoke: sophomores enjoy changes to class trip

Adam Braver

Books

Education

Sacramento State University

Norwich University

Profession

Family

son

Local Book Tour

San Francisco Ferry

6 p.m.

IMAGINING MARILYN MONROE’S LAST WEEKAlumnus sets novel at Tahoe’s Cal Neva Lodge

By Elise DeCarliReporter

Sophomores Dominic Stephen and Maxwell Shukuya !Photo

Sanjesh Prasad works alone, and mostly after dark. He is in a nightly struggle against time: a race to beat

es before midnight, and only after he has defeated

Prasad is a Country Day janitor, one of three cus

of vacuuming, dusting, mopping, wiping, sweeping and spraying every cleanable surface on campus.

Prasad’s assignment is cleaning the lower school building from top to bottom. Actually, according to

Twice I accompanied Prasad on his nightly rounds, once in May and then three months later.

Library. As he plugged in the vacuum, I asked him what his days were like.

“I start at 4 p.m. and end at 12:30 a.m. Every day is a crazy day,” he said, after a long sigh.

heard again.“I’m a night man, living in the building here.

I don’t have anybody to talk to. I think of Indian songs sometimes to pass the time,” he said.

mow down dirt with unrelenting strokes of the vacuum, I couldn’t help but assume things about the man.

“He probably didn’t go to college,” I thought.But I was wrong.A native Fijian, Prasad came to the United States

in 2009 after his wife was granted citizenship. Not

Prasad studied for six years at the Fiji Institute of Technology, earning a degree in graphic design.

He went on to work as a graphic designer at Pun

jas, a marketing company based in Lautoka, Fiji.

Years later, and some 6,710 miles away, Prasad sur

faint track marks were just visible on the carpet. As he dug around in his custodial cart, he said to

me, “This is the hardest work I’ve done. Back home

Designing, you know, billboards, magazines, you

million of stock at my hands.” He found what he was looking for, a feather

duster, and set upon the tops of bookshelves with a vengeance.

After a minute or so of silence, I had to ask it.

he said.“No, I mean here, as a jani

tor,” I said to him. It seemed like a rude thing to say, and I regretted asking.

“I was totally lost when I

I took it. I couldn’t be sitting

pondered the question more.“I’ve found myself

while. Sometimes you have to take it.”The kindergarten classrooms were next, so I

helped Prasad roll his cart into the hallway. It held several weapons of mass disinfection: spray bottles

of unknown contents and one jug of liquid which proclaimed “Eliminates 200 billion microorganisms per gallon!”

As he wiped table surfaces and emptied trash cans, I asked about his homeland.

“I lived on a very small island in Fiji. I lived there for 20, 25 years,” he said.

grade at Mary Tsukamoto Elementary School. I met his son several years ago when he attended Country Day summer camp, and the likeness was striking.

“I love to

Fiji some times we would say, ‘Hey, let’s forget

today!’ I used to go all the time,

good, but I still go every once in awhile.”

“People are very friendly. They always say hello to

have some. You know lots of people. Here it’s none of your business to talk to somebody else.”

It was time for the windows, so he picked up a rag and a spray bottle.

“It’s safer here, though. In Fiji, you couldn’t walk the streets at night. People come up, punch you, take the wallet from you,” he said as he wiped. I asked him if that had ever happened to him.

“Two, three, four times, maybe,” he said nonchalantly.

Prasad, his wife was studying to earn a degree in dental assistance from Anthem College in Sacramento.

Three months later, he told me that his wife had completed her degree. And then he asked if I knew any dentists.

“I know a couple, actually,” I told him.

time,” he said.

After the kindergarten rooms, Prasad donned a pair of latex gloves and disappeared into the bathroom, disinfectants close at hand. I waited until he

company him.

“No. Thank you,” he said.

joked.

As I headed out into the hallway towards the exit, he called after me, “And tell me if you meet any dentists!”

ByMorgan

Bennett-Smith

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Mopping instead of designing

“I was totally lost when I came here. Whatever job came, I took it. I couldn’t be sitting around, eh?”

—Sanjesh Prasad, janitor