!"#$"%&'(()'(*+,-./0'111-2)'3.0'4

THEOctagonWant to avoid your parents? Get yourself a Twitter account

Bacon, steak and ribs can ! t compete with these seniors! ethics

!"#$%&&'!"#$%('

In the past few weeks, headmaster Stephen Repsher has been receiving emails from heads of schools around the

state, all asking the same thing. How can we improve our safety

plan and help protect students from terrible events such as the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Conn, on Dec. 14?

“They’ve been asking ‘What does your school do? Where can we go to get help?’” Repsher said.

The killings have caused schools around the country, including Country Day, to reevaluate their safety plans.

“When an emergency happens, it always gets you to rethink your plans,” Repsher said.

“Any organization has to constantly update their plans, or else they won’t be ready.”

According to Repsher, the administration started reviewing the plans and discussing possible changes on Dec. 18 and will continue meeting in the future.

“Emergency plans change with time as threats change,” said Evelyn

emergency manager at UC Davis until her retirement in 2005.

“If a shooting on campus is a more credible threat now than it was 10 years ago, the plan should

If a shooter or other violent individual were to come on campus Country Day’s plan is to issue a lockdown.

The lockdown is initiated by an announcement on the loudspeakers and phone system that an intruder

tions are given to enter the closest building, lock the door, pull down

Once administrators deem it safe to evacuate, the students follow a

pus staging area and await further instruction.

been ingrained within the minds of students from the constant practice

Administration reevaluates school emergency plan after Newtown shooting

December 14 seemed like just another normal Friday in AP Calculus BC.

Except it wasn’t.Amidst the utter silence of a quiz, stu

dents heard a scream followed by a wave of advancing roars.

“Yanni got into Stanford!”

Seconds later, the excited senior, followed by a group of congratulatory students, stormed into the room and celebrated his escape from the grueling college application process with his fellow seniors.

lege, as were 11 other seniors accepted through early decision, early action, athletic recruitment or rolling admission.

Early decision is a binding form of application in which the students must attend the college if ac

By Yanni DahmaniEditor-in-Chief

!"#!$"%&'$()"$*

Students looking forward to climbing Everest, guerilla gardening or composing music at the end of senior year had best give up now.

At least if they want school credit for it, that is.

Seventeen years of Country Day tradition are no more,

nally come to an end.Despite a number of stand

outs such as piano recitals and learning to race horses, “the quality as a whole just wasn’t what we wanted,” Sue Nellis, head of the high school, said.

“Some were great, but many seniors didn’t put in the time.”

Instead seniors will attend school for approximately four hours a day during the two weeks they would normally spend on senior projects.

They will attend three to four seminars and lectures a

At a faculty meeting last spring, the vote to eliminate the projects was unanimous.

The only question that remained was what to replace them with.

Originally, the College Board considered moving AP testing to the last two weeks

giving seniors more time to prepare for exams and eliminating the time between the end of APs and graduation.

But not enough schools signed on to the idea, so the school was forced to resume its discussion of how to replace senior projects.

“We wanted the seniors to

with academic skills, but with skills for college and life after it,” Nellis said.

Kellie Whited’s popular College Health and Nutrition class provided the basic idea.

“I think there are some really great opportunities for students to learn some skills that adults take for granted,” Nellis said.

The classes will be taught mostly by faculty and parent volunteers, with some outside experts, according to Nellis.

“There has been so much

young people, particularly when it comes to massive student loans that people often have no way of paying back,” Nellis said.

Students will likely be able

It’s out with senior projects and in with senior seminarsBy Jeffrey CavesEditor-in-Chief

See Campus Safety, page 3

Seniors Cori Locke, Alison Walter, Taylor Oeschger, Mary!Clare Bosco, Jacob Frankel, Elise De!

!Photo by Will Wright"

Accepted students withstand early-onset senioritis

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Recorded in a book every year were her age, number of teeth lost and what she wanted to be when she grew up. At 10 years old, Marion

Kerr wanted to be an actress. Kerr, ’97, grew up in Sacramento watching

Broadway shows at the Sacramento Community Center Theater and performances at the Music Circus.

duced her to Katharine Hepburn. At 11, Kerr

phia Story,” and has considered Hepburn her idol ever since.

phies on her and have seen all of her movies,” Kerr said.

world.”

Mess,” Kerr played an evangelical Christian.The pilot did not get picked up by ABC.

live studio audience, Kerr was very nervous. But for her that’s normal.

Back in college, her hands would always shake when she auditioned or performed.

wasn’t nervous!” Kerr said.

Kerr has appeared in commercials for Hart

University. She also had a minor role in an epi

her biggest role so far: a guest

aired on Oct. 24.

what it was really like to work in television.”

The episode was about a mad doctor who amputated people’s legs and attached them to other people. Kerr was a woman kidnapped by the killer for one of his experiments.

She worked on the set for a week, anywhere

The biggest challenge for her was to get into character, she said.

rush, rush, rush, we have to get this shot in the

Kerr went to a friend’s house for a little party after the show aired. They all talked about it and laughed about how dramatic it was.

dramatic and comical.

vorced, causing her to stop going to class, fail her subjects and not care about school.

she said.But at 16, she transferred from Rio Ameri

could pull herself together and then return to Rio to graduate with her friends.

She never went back.The drama class was one of the reasons. As

a new student, Kerr wasn’t sure how she was

cess and had a great attitude,” Bawek, now a professor at Florida Southern College, said.

Kerr looked forward to drama class and the

insane woman’s imagination, the mistress of the woman’s husband.

things to her to torment her,” Kerr said.

received a bachelor’s degree in theater arts.

planning on going to either Los Angeles or

Her choice exposed her to a whole new world of stardom.

Swift walk by my car right now and it wouldn’t be weird.”

By Emma BrownReporter

TMehta’s jacket pocket. There’s one new tweet, ac

growing list of social networks that she

And she’s only one of many in the

of sophomores now have a Twitter account.

Twitter even seems to be slowly replacing Facebook as the social network

account, yet 12 of those are now using Twitter as well.

So why the sudden interest in Twitter?

For many sophomores the lack of parental presence on Twitter initially

attracted them to making the switch.

my parents won’t ask me about them,” said Mehta, whose parents are both friends with her on Facebook.

get a Facebook account to watch what her children were posting.

stay in touch with family and friends,”

fact, my children were the ones who encouraged me to get an account.”

more Lauren Larrabee’s mother, did consider her children when deciding to get a Facebook account in 2009.

swim meets and other college events,”

stay connected with him.”

By Emma WilliamsPage Editor

Sophomores !ock to Twitter

See Twitter, page 3

On the set of “Far,” !debuting at the Berlin Independent Film Festival in February" Marion Kerr rehearses with director Brian J. Crewe. Kerr, center, acts on the set of “Redesigning Your Life with Lainey Chase,” which won the New York Television Festival Critics Award. !Photos used with permission from marionkerr.com."

“On Twitter, I can post things and my parents won’t ask me about them.”

#Caroline Mehta

“I just decided to try something new.”

#Jaspreet Gill

“!Tweeting" is more of an individual thing, kind of like a journal.”

Alumna lands her biggest role in hit show ‘Criminal Minds’Break a leg—and lose it, too!

jokes or it’s rush, rush, rush, we have to get this shot in the next

#Marion Kerr, ’97

!"#$%&"'()*+,-. /+.0+12'334'3567 !

ent seminars, each about an hour in length.

Other classes will be required for all seniors, but the class will be split into smaller groups for the actual lesson.

Student reactions thus far have been mixed regarding the change.

“I’m interested in going into medicine, and I planned to shadow doc

senior Alison Walter said.“The seminar just won’t

be as interesting as an ac

But Nellis responds that students are welcome

on their own time.“I think it’s interest

ing that we get to learn

spending time coming up

anna Gudebski said.

I liked senior projects, but I think this

ful skills that aren’t necessarily aca

Other students say that seminars are a good idea, but life topics might not interest many students.

“The seminars should be on un

Gerardo Vergara said.

“They should be on random things that teachers are really interested in

Alumni opinions have also been mixed.

“It’s both good and bad. They were

“But at the same time, I got to college and I had to write a resume for a class and I had no idea what I was

“I really enjoyed the projects be

thing that we would usually

“But I guess it makes more sense to take a useful class instead of learning to

The classes will be in the library and in unoccupied classrooms, since they will have to work around the classes still in session.

The number of seminars and most of the topics remain undecided, and it is seniors who will decide them, according to Nellis.

“We want seniors to be involved, either casually or

Nellis said.“The idea is to make it like a con

classes you want to go to, but some

Alumnus Michael Male, right, saws a beam for his senior project, a bench. Teachers decided to elimi!nate the projects after a faculty meeting last spring."Photo courtesy of Maddie Galati!

“I know there’s some drill where you hide under desks,

junior Maya Kuppermann said.

Not required by law, the lockdown drill hasn’t been practiced in several years, Repsher said. But, additional drills will be held in the future.

ists will come to school to train the

According to Repsher, this training will become an annual event for

the weeks prior to the start of school.

Three hours af

necticut shooting, Repsher sent out an email to parents.

“These events are truly horrifying to us all, especially

These precautions come from the school’s Emergency Preparedness Guide that was created

from severe storms to nuclear attacks.

paredness Guide, there is a shortened version, a

Teachers and faculty are required to read this packet at least once. Its main purpose is as a refresher for

school and information about the campus, Repsher said.

she said. “Everyone ideally should know what to do if a

sonnel and constructed a campus plan.

dents pertaining to the plan and each individual’s role.

bility to be familiar with the plan and use their best judge

Preparedness Guide does not have student responsibility. “Students don’t necessarily need to know all the pro

they will follow the faculty and administration. But we are open to including student participation if they really

“People should know how to do what the plan

dents should evacuate, then they should be trained to do that, how to exit, where to assemble, etc.

should not take in an emergency is the purpose of

expected responsibilities during their orientations

also give training to incoming graduate students.At other high schools, such as St. Francis, stu

dents know what they’re expected to do.In fact, St. Francis’s dean is so careful about their

emergency policies that she instructed a student not to give out any information pertaining to them.

the instructions posted in the classroom once a year, said junior Alexa Griggs, who transferred to

year.“We had lockdown

drills once a semes

“We had enough of those drills that we knew what to do without the help of a

“I think most people know the general gist of the plan

Of course there’s only so much the administration can do to minimize damages in the case of a civil disturbance

“We recognize there is no way to guarantee absolute

Look no further than Sandy Hook Elementary. A new

those doors.

Campus safety: lockdown drills, all-school faculty training planned in future

have one or more parents on Facebook whereas no parents have a Twitter.

But for some, the attraction to Twitter had nothing to do with parental presence on Facebook.

For Mehta, another contributing factor was the vast number of friends who had joined Twitter as well as the prospect of a clean slate when it came to whom to follow.

Mehta uses Twitter to follow just 78 people.While Mehta now has a way to post what she wants without hav

ing her photos accessible to strangers, she never expected Twitter to become such a prominent part of her life.

For some, however, using Twitter is only an occasional pleasure.

who got her Twitter account two months ago. But, for Larrabee, Twitter is still a more prominent part of her

addition to a Twitter said they spend more time on Twitter. For Larrabee, her attraction to Twitter stems from its basic style.

rabee said.

post on Facebook, it’s one big thing. On Twitter, it’s more of an

And Twitter’s appeal means it has started to expand among all

Projects: seminars to focus on life skills Twitter: sophomores avoid Facebook due to style, parent involvement

“The most important part of a plan is communication. Everyone ideally should know what to do if a par-ticular situation arises”

“I think most people know the general gist of the plan but don’t know what to ac-tually do.”

“RIP Joe and Gavin Maloof ! The city of Sacramento, including myself, is coming to get you 2!Tom Lincoln,`11

“

“

“

“

S

Departing Kings players inspired, shaped CD athletes

!"#$%&'(

!)(()**+,-.*/

0$--)(*'%"

Boys struggle with injuries, irregular lineup

Senior Jack Lewis grabs a rebound in the Cavaliers’ defeat by the Valley Christian Lions, 77!34, on Jan. 10. "Photo by Will Wright!

!!"#$%& '()*+,%-.#/ 0-/1-$2*334*3567

By Micaela Bennett-SmithPage Editor

!"#$%&&#'()*+,%-.#/ 0)-1#/'2%//%,,34.5,+Sophomore Isabella Tochterman leads the girls’ basketball team in assists and steals. She has also scored in the double digits for the

Senior Morgan Bennett-Smith is the leading scorer on the boys’ basketball team. He scored 38 points in his last game against Lu-theran, Jan. 11.

Ski & SnowboardOnly three members of the ski and snow-

board team—senior snowboarders Bran-don Mysicka, Brandon Pe!erle and Donald Hutchinson—competed in the team’s race at Boreal on Jan. 18. Results were not available at press time.

"e lack of participation of snowboarders and no skiers attending the race cost the team a large number of points and eliminated any chance they had at placing this season.

"e remaining 10 team members were un-able to compete because of upcoming #nal exams.

Coach Jason Kreps said that the ski and snowboard team will have more members at the rest of the races and, despite this setback, the team is ready to start the season. "eir next race is Friday, Jan. 25.

—Eric Hilton

!"#$%&#'()!&*+

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The girls’ basketball team is rolling over teams that dominated them in past years, start

namic has changed

to bring the ball,

and, according to Vargo, has been key to

Valley the night before,

Girls’ basketball o! to hottest start in decade

2012-13*2011-122010-112009-102008-092007-082006-072005-062004-05

*Through 13 games

Girls’ basketball records since 2004

8-56-133-167-155-157-144-15

6-17

7-14

.615

.315

.157

.318

.250

.333

.210

.260

.333

Year Record Win %

By Skovran Cunningham

Page Editor

Freshman Emily Berke leads a fast break against Valley Christian on Jan. 10. The girls !Photo by Will Wright"

“Our team dynamic has changed so that we can play as a team, not as individual players.”

–Mary-Clare Bosco, senior captain

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

!"#$%&'($$)&*$*'+#),

!!" the percentage of SCDS students who believe gay marriage should be legalized nationwide. #$" the percentage of SCDS

students who knew which sex they were attracted to before they were 10.

Connor Martin—juniorMartin came out to his family and friends this year, much to his relief.

Kerina Blue—juniorBlue came out last year but knew her sexual identity in second grade.

This morning junior Connor Martin chose to have eggs for breakfast.

He could have gone for the oatmeal, but he was just in an egg mood.

have to wear the sweatshirt, but he felt like it.

He decided to leave around 7 a.m. so he

wrong with green tea.But that morning, Martin did not

was just how it was.“I fought it,” Martin said.

would make me straight.”

sions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward

This thera

“convers ion”

based on the belief that sexual orientation can be changed, and that feelings of attraction for someone of the same sex are the result of childhood trauma.

After signing the bill, Brown issued a

Brown said.

injunction was issued on Dec. 4.Since then, no actions have been taken

to reach a conclusive decision.And while Martin feels a decision

unsure.

are being hurt, but this has been going on for a long time,” she said.

considered a disorder.Therefore, she said, it makes sense to

limit the treatment of it because medical

ders.

can be achieved through conversion

“But then the question of whether we

“But does that

tin said.

it to asking a straight man whether he

But writer Daniel Mendelsohn disagrees with the “innateness” of homosex

But Mendelsohn does agree with Mar

this is medieval thinking,” he said.

Therefore, Mendelsohn disagrees with

When Martin learned of all the contro

selves,” he said.

that being

And now

ing into that bad thing.”

ous calls for comment to convers ion

both California and Colorado were not returned.

work, although he believes adults should

sion for themselves.”But if sexual orientation can be such a

concern for adults, what about the kids

said.

The conversation that cleared things

was in fourth grade, when she was sitting next to a

working on a

were talking about how “gorgeous” one of the girls was, and Blue turned to them and

laugh,” he said.

ing.”

He was called “homo,” “queer,” and “faggot,” and was associated with count

ceased.

think I was,” he said.

ized, but I was

And after months

Blue and Martin

tional rush.

box, screaming to get out.”

one should ever, ever, be forced to live the

no harm.”

never work.

“But if I got a wish, and I could change

had.”M e n d e l s o h n

takes a more ex

the question.

do so,” he said.

$-'(#.#/)#$0%/1"*!"#$%&'#(')*#+,

! (Being gay) is not some-thing you can !ght; it’s just something you can deny.”

—Connor Martin, junior

! It was a lie, too; I felt like I was in a box, screaming to get out.”

—Connor Martin, junior

!Of course homosexual-ity isn’t a choice: this is medieval thinking.”

—Daniel Mendelsohn, writer

!0.#1.%2+334+3567

Illustration by Kamira Patel

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

!"#$%&'($$)&*$*'+#),

!!" the percentage of SCDS students who believe gay marriage should be legalized nationwide. #$" the percentage of SCDS

students who knew which sex they were attracted to before they were 10.

Connor Martin—juniorMartin came out to his family and friends this year, much to his relief.

Kerina Blue—juniorBlue came out last year but knew her sexual identity in second grade.

This morning junior Connor Martin chose to have eggs for breakfast.

He could have gone for the oatmeal, but he was just in an egg mood.

have to wear the sweatshirt, but he felt like it.

He decided to leave around 7 a.m. so he

wrong with green tea.But that morning, Martin did not

was just how it was.“I fought it,” Martin said.

would make me straight.”

sions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward

This thera

“convers ion”

based on the belief that sexual orientation can be changed, and that feelings of attraction for someone of the same sex are the result of childhood trauma.

After signing the bill, Brown issued a

Brown said.

injunction was issued on Dec. 4.Since then, no actions have been taken

to reach a conclusive decision.And while Martin feels a decision

unsure.

are being hurt, but this has been going on for a long time,” she said.

considered a disorder.Therefore, she said, it makes sense to

limit the treatment of it because medical

ders.

can be achieved through conversion

“But then the question of whether we

“But does that

tin said.

it to asking a straight man whether he

But writer Daniel Mendelsohn disagrees with the “innateness” of homosex

But Mendelsohn does agree with Mar

this is medieval thinking,” he said.

Therefore, Mendelsohn disagrees with

When Martin learned of all the contro

selves,” he said.

that being

And now

ing into that bad thing.”

ous calls for comment to convers ion

both California and Colorado were not returned.

work, although he believes adults should

sion for themselves.”But if sexual orientation can be such a

concern for adults, what about the kids

said.

The conversation that cleared things

was in fourth grade, when she was sitting next to a

working on a

were talking about how “gorgeous” one of the girls was, and Blue turned to them and

laugh,” he said.

ing.”

He was called “homo,” “queer,” and “faggot,” and was associated with count

ceased.

think I was,” he said.

ized, but I was

And after months

Blue and Martin

tional rush.

box, screaming to get out.”

one should ever, ever, be forced to live the

no harm.”

never work.

“But if I got a wish, and I could change

had.”M e n d e l s o h n

takes a more ex

the question.

do so,” he said.

$-'(#.#/)#$0%/1"*!"#$%&'#(')*#+,

! (Being gay) is not some-thing you can !ght; it’s just something you can deny.”

—Connor Martin, junior

! It was a lie, too; I felt like I was in a box, screaming to get out.”

—Connor Martin, junior

!Of course homosexual-ity isn’t a choice: this is medieval thinking.”

—Daniel Mendelsohn, writer

!0.#1.%2+334+3567

Illustration by Kamira Patel

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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

Yanni DahmaniEditorial Editor

Ryan HoCommunity Editor

Darby BoscoSports Editors

Micaela Bennett-SmithMorgan Bennett-SmithSkovran Cunningham

Centerpoint EditorMadeleine Wright

Feature EditorsConnor MartinKamira Patel

Opinion EditorEmma WilliamsOnline EditorDavid MyersPhoto EditorsKelsi ThomasWill WrightReportersAnnie Bell

Emma BrownElise DeCarliEric Hilton

Madison JuddGrant Miner

Aishwarya NadgaudaMax ShukuyaManson Tung

Foreign CorrespondentMargaret Whitney

CartoonistShewetha Prasad

AdviserPatricia Fels

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Three hours after the deadly shooting in New-town, Conn., headmaster Stephen Repsher sent an email to parents outlining the school’s emergency plans and assuring parents that

lockdown procedures were established.Yet as the staff of the Octagon read that letter, we

encountered a problem.Out of more than a dozen members of the editorial

board, not a single one could remember the last time the school had a lockdown drill.

Everyone knew that the procedures were inside ev-ery room, tacked to the wall in a plastic envelope, but few had ever actually looked at them.

As it turns out, it has been more than three years since a lockdown.

Yes, teachers theoretically know the proper proce-dure in case of a school shooter or other threat, but isn’t it a bit of a problem that students don’t know it too?

In an emergency situation, some students would have a teacher close by to guide them and tell them what to do.

But what of those caught in free period? In the gar-den? In the Cave?

We need to have not just one lockdown drill as planned, but drills every year, multiple times—no dif-

And what about the plan itself?Country Day has a very open campus. That’s one of

the things we love about it.The constant presence of alumni and former stu-

dents and teachers is a refreshing difference from oth-er schools, reinforcing the sense of community.

But what should students do if they spot someone on campus whom no one knows?

According to the emergency plan: nothing.Our emergency plan—unlike those of UC Davis

and Christian Brothers—has no role for students.Now maybe that plan makes sense for lower school-

ers and middle schoolers, but it’s hard to believe that high-school students can’t be responsible for distin-guishing alumni from strangers.

Who could be better at telling who is familiar and who is not than the students at the school?

So our school’s emergency plan needs to be revised to include the students. But even more importantly than that, it needs to be known.

procedure.In light of recent school shootings, doesn’t it make

sense for lockdowns to be treated the same?

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EDITORIAL: Students must become more informed, involved in school’s emergency plan

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!e redcoats are coming! !e redcoats are coming!

By Annie BellReporter

Mary, Edith and Sybil.

Rose, Martha, and Donna.

M o l l y, Anderson, and Lestrade.

Are these names ringing any bells?

If not, then you have managed to avoid what many feel is akin to a second

“Doctor Who,” “Downton Abbey” and “Sherlock” are

shows which have migrated to households across the pond.

“Downton’s” third season

lion viewers in the States. And, with the rest of the seventh season of “Doctor Who” fast

are prepping for another season of Googling

So what is it? What is it that gives these shows that extra bump which pushes them to break ratings barriers and wedge their ways into American viewers’ hearts?

Although there’s never been a formal rais

viewers in and keeps them hooked.

canned laughter. You treat the audience like

can be more complex. You’re aiming at a higher intellect.”

phisticated people who are trying to hold onto something. It’s melting away to them. It’s a tragedy in its own right. It’s like the fall of Rome. In this case it’s the destruction of the upper class in the UK.”

premiered in 2010 to rave reviews. A modern take on Arthur

Doyle’s stories, Sherlock Holmes takes pride in being the only “consulting detective” in the world, a position he himself coined.

In the remake, Holmes assists Scot

of the show and the original stories.Fellow “Sherlockian,” junior Da

vid Myers also weighed in on the show’s success.

“Does nationality really have that much of an effect on television?” Myers asked. He paused to think it over.

subtle things. It really has

said.

sodes of “Sherlock” per season. Although each episode is an hour and a half long, fans can of

lem. With six seasons of the 2005 remake on

to watch them all.While “Downton” tends to appeal to audi

ences without being necessarily relatable to the

more personal level.“It either cheers me up or teaches me a les

son, and it’s always there for me when I need

comfort blanket.”Now that we know why the shows are popu

After all, “Doctor Who” has been around

However, since it started up again in 2005,

has never been as popular in the U.S. as he is now.

And although the lives of wealthy debutantes

Clara !Jenna"Louise Coleman# and Doctor Who !Matt Smith# discuss the prospect of traveling together in the seventh season 2012 winter special of “Doctor Who” entitled “The Snowmen.” !Photo used with permission of www.bbcamerica.com"

Lord Grantham !Hugh Bonneville# hears news from his lawyer !above left" and the Crawley family awaits the arrival of their Amer"ican relative !above bottom" in the season three premier of “Downton Abbey.” !Photos used with permission of www.itv.com" Doctor Watson !Martin Freeman# and Sherlock Holmes !Benedict Cumberbatch# in “Sherlock” !above right". !Photo used with permission of www.pbs.org" Doctor Who in “The Snowmen” !far left". !Photo used with permission of www.bbcamerica.com"

“Shirley MacLaine, a witty American, as the famously snarky Dowager Countess. ”

Dramas from across the pond invade American television

See British invasion, page 10

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British invasion: remakes !nd an American audience

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opportunity and the will to apply early.

Walter also wanted to study hard not just

May.

her top choice.

Senioritis: for students applying early, 2nd semester starts ahead of schedule

tinues in April.

these shows and their new episodes

(Continued from page 9)

(Continued from page 1)

“Dude, I was born with se-nioritis. Now that I’m set, I can go back to my inter-

ests, such as my banjo.”–Jacob Frankel, senior

“I’m going to study as much as I normally would. I know that the curriculum at Berkeley is tough, so I

have to be prepared.”–Alison Walter, senior

Alison WalterUC Berkeley

Annie BellSmith College

Cori LockeUniversity of Nevada, Reno

Elise DeCarliOccidental College

Jacob FrankelCarleton College

Taylor OeschgerMontana State

University

Mary-Clare BoscoPomona College

Jeffrey CavesGeorge Washington

University

Colorado School of Mines

!!!"##$%&'()*+,-.'/0"% 1/%$/2(,334,3567

Caught in the ACT: Students supplement the SAT with more curriculum-based test

Bacon.

“I wish it was a fruit,” senior Ben Hernried said about the popular breakfast food. “I try to keep away from it because it’s so tantalizing.”

ing for meat might seem like an insurmountable challenge.

ing meatless.

much protein and because he was fed up with the meat industry.

“It has become such a corrupt, dirty process. I refuse to support an industry that treats the animals and people the way they do,” he said.

While Hernried does occasionally struggle with his desire

this is no problem at all.

etarian is not hard.

said. Junior Madeline Mahla stopped eating meat when she was 8

my diet,” Mahla said.

rarely.

made.” She will also occasionally

eat small portions of meat

parents are insistent. “Sometimes I feel like

worried about me getting protein than my parents,” Mahla said.

that she often encounters parents at the other extreme, who will take meat

But she is quick to remind them that, for her, the only problem with meat is the taste.

Two other high schoolers

without a bite of meat, and are perfectly content keeping it that way.

eating meat because it made her sick when she was pregnant.

meat. Her family practices Hinduism, and while it does not spe

In Nadgauda’s case, both her parents and grandparents are

etarian because of religion, the lack of exposure to meat in her

ous about it.

Nadgauda said.

By Elise DeCarliReporter

Vegetarian seniors Ben Hernried and Jacob Frankel play around while demonstrat!ing their love for broccoli and carrots. Of 127 high!school students polled, 14 said they live the vegetarian lifestyle, although their reasons for doing so vary. !Photo by Kelsi Thomas"

Religion, distaste for meat lead to vegetarianism’s new popularity

What has three letters, is tak

year and is the most widely taken college entrance

Despite being newer and less famous, the SAT’s leading competitor, the ACT, was more popular with the national class of

ated last year took the ACT, although both

tionwide.This relationship does not apply to

or any other state on the East or West Coasts, where the SAT is still dominant.

But college counselor Brooke Wells has still noticed that the ACT is becoming more popular at SCDS.

take the ACT, but now it is rare for kids not to,” he said.

students took the ACT in the SCDS class

ers.

the middle of the country that people

percent.Teacher Chris Kuipers, a former admis

that colleges generally look at SAT and ACT scores the same. To be compared, scores are

And each point on the ACT corresponds

According to Kuipers, the ACT’s smaller

sions, as the SAT’s has additional gradations.

Kuipers said the ACT is becoming “more and more mainstream” among all colleges.

Independent college counselor Margaret

Since most people are now aware of the

Another reason is that some colleges will

And according to Amott, many high schools promote the ACT more than

omores, and nine states require the ACT for all high schools to assess their performance.

testing students on what they learned in the

similar to an IQ test.

and quality grades, although not necessarily a

ter on the ACT,” Amott said.“The ACT tends to reward readers, and

on the SAT.”

science and an optional essay. The SAT has

The science section in the ACT, absent

skills rather than knowledge. The test requires students to interpret data, research,

Senior Carter Brown liked this section.“I feel like the science part better mea

sures the ability of a student to analyze a dif

material,” he said.But senior Jianna Gudebski felt the mate

rial in the section was harder to understand.

chart, you had to completely guess,” she said.

look for the answers.”

utes in length.

utes.Brown preferred the ACT because each

you did it,” he said. “In the SAT, there was

to the math and back to the reading and to the grammar.

“In the ACT, they were each in their separate blocks.”

the SAT for this reason.“It’s a big problem to pace yourself,” he

Gudebski agrees.“The ACT was really fast paced, and

I didn’t feel like I had time to check my

said.But all three students still found their SAT

and ACT scores to be comparable.

do basically the same,” Wells said.Wells simply recommends the ACT to

those disappointed with their SAT scores.“I do recommend it, but I don’t say it’s go

ing to change your life,” he said. “The fact of the matter is most of us are either good at those things or not.”

By Garrett KaighnCopy Editor

2008

: 22"

Percentage of SCDS students who took the ACT

2007

: 43"

2006

: 48"

2005

: 33"

2012

: 71"

2011

: 41"

2010

: 35"

2009

: 21"

ACT-ing Up

ByDarby Bosco

!"!"#$%&" '(")*+$#,-. /#.%#&0)112)1345

“Once I had to take a whole

—Kamira Patel, junior

Lions and tigers and ferrets! Oh, my!