THE BOLTVOLUME 13, ISSUE 3

Arts Spotlightpage 4-5

Nov. 28, 2012SAGE HILL SCHOOL

2 SCHOOL LIFE

Seward: An Unsung Hero

Photo Courtesy of Chris Andras

AP US HiStory StUdentS (from left) Keewon Nam, Kimaya Gokhale, Tiana Lowe and Erin Maclean discuss Lincoln and Seward.

By Joelle NaNula‘14Staff Writer

Anyone who knows anything about American history has heard of Abraham Lincoln, but far fewer people know about his counterpart, William Seward. Best known for his purchase of Alaska, dubbed “Seward’s Folly” because of the apparent impracticality of buying a huge chunk of ice, he also served as the Secretary of State under Lincoln and ran against him for the presidency. History books give this man too little time in the spotlight. The night that John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln is a famous night, but few know that Booth also attempted to assassinate Seward, attacking him with a Bowie knife and slashing his face in three places, missing all the major arteries. Seward, a revelatory biography by Walter Starr, shines the spotlight on Seward and clarifies his role in Ameri-can history, and Sage Hill students had the opportunity to meet and talk with Starr when he visited campus. The avid biographer went over his writing pro-cess and explained why his book casts a whole new light on Seward’s life. By the end of the session, the students and faculty who attended knew that there was much more to Seward than his infamous purchase of Alaska. Like Lincoln, Seward made a strong case against slavery. However, unlike Lincoln, he spoke very publicly about his abolitionist views, alienating many Democratic-Republicans who

supported slavery and contributing to his loss of the presidential race. Seward’s ideas about racial equality were ahead of his time. Seward formed close bonds as a child with the slaves his family owned, and even preferred their company to his fami-ly’s. As twelfth governor of New York, Se-ward used his power to try to effect change and promote abolitionism. The Sewards even used their home in Auburn, New York, as a safehouse to slaves on the run. Though he lost the presidency, Seward’s progressiveness did not go unrewarded. When Lincoln triumphed over Seward in

the Election of 1860, he appointed the politician to be his Secretary of State. As for his inaptly named “folly,” Seward had the last laugh on this one. In 1867, when Secretary of State Seward made the choice to purchase Alaska from Russia, he was ridiculed by his con-temporaries for acquiring what appeared to be a useless hunk of ice. People called it “Seward’s Icebox” and “the polar bear garden.” Not until years and years later did the value of Alaska become apparent. Though Seward did not enjoy the praise he deserved for his purchase during his lifetime, he made the choice he believed

Mock Trial ExpositionBy Namita PrakaSh ‘16Staff Writer

The intersection of Skyline Drive and Grand Avenue was dark, with only one streetlight on. It was evident that the junction was dangerous, but only later would poor Adrian Vega (Joy Chang) and Toni de Luca (Maru Sefami) realize that one of them will be convicted for ruining the life of the victim, Cameron Douglas. Excited from their victorious night at Hidden Valley High School, de Luca and Vega quickly headed home to rest. Their school had just qualified for the state cham-pionships and it was a big night for both of them. Bombarded with emotions, one of them rammed right into Douglas, a passing biker. A few hours later, Vega is arrested by Officer Kelly Wright (Juliette Singarella) as the main suspect in the accident. She is charged with a felony hit-and-run. In order to prove Vega’s innocence, the defense bat-tled it out in court on Nov. 15 and 29. Alexandra Mowrey, with her con-fident, steady tone, delivered a spectacular opening statement, highlighting all facts that proved Vega’s innocence. Tanner Tremaine followed up with an astounding direct and cross-examination, coaxing the helpful hid-den hints out of the witnesses. Finally, Samir

Durrani sealed the case with a resounding and definite closing that left Vega in good hands. Not only did the defense’s impecca-ble skills shine, the prosecution also clashed magnificently with two other schools on Nov. 13 and 27 in order to effectively prove Vega guilty. Shahin Mohseni dominated with just his opening, taking care to enunciate the facts that clearly label Vega as the perpetrator. Mackenzie Sambuco scintillated during her directs and crosses, all the while making de Luca seem more and more innocent. Finally, Tiffany Silverstein startled the courtroom with her excellent closing. The Mock Trial competition is a phenomenal opportunity in which students meet a real judge and are critiqued by expe-rienced attorneys. It allows students to com-pete in an actual courtroom and understand the protocols of court. The case People v. Vega was an ex-ample of a hit-and-run case. Defense wit-nesses Dallas Decamp (McKenna Weinstein), Aubery Fox (Keivon Akbari), and Taylor Be-rard (Lara Steinwinter) vouched for Vega’s safety. Prosecution witnesses Kelly Wright, Toni de Luca, Cameron Douglas, and Quinn Liu (Sydney Lake) confirm the facts that point toward Vega as the felon. The ambiguity of the driver’s identity allow for either side to win the court case in the Mock Trial Compe-tition of 2012.

was right, in the face of heavy opposition. “Seward’s Folly” ended up being a great service to the country. Today, Alaska is not only a popular tourist attraction and an important research site, but a valuable and much-loved part of the spirit of the United States. Most historians and read-ers of Starr’s book alike would agree that “Seward’s Folly” was not a folly at all. Starr’s visit to Sage allowed students to delve deeper into the life of Seward. Starr also spoke about his writing process, shedding light on the often mys-terious art of writing a biography. Students are excited to apply the techniques they learned to their own research papers and appreciate the rare chance to hear from an expert. “I think it’s so important that Sage academics are supplemented by outside experts,” says junior Erika Lynn-Green. Following his moral compass, even when the laws and stigmas of his society contradicted it, was a defining theme of Seward’s life. He and his aboli-tionist wife, Frances, had the courage to take a stand against slavery, even when his political career made such a position risky and perhaps unwise. Starr’s biography illu-minates this heroic side of Seward; the side that his society didn’t see, and still goes underappreciated today. Thanks to Starr’s book, however, more and more people are learning about “the other Lincoln.” “It’s so awesome that we’re able to have speakers like Walter Starr come to our school and speak to us,” says junior Allie Mowrey. “Opportunities like this are very unique.”

Photos Courtesy ofChris Andras

Mock trial members Mackenzie Sambuco and Allie Mowrey (Left)get ready for a trial. Along with the rest of their team, Sambuco and Mowrey succeeded in proving the ir opponent guilty. Whether the team is successful or not, however, participating in a trial is always a fascinating experience, say team members.

Above, team members Joy Chang, Yoon Cha, Samir Durrani, Tanner Tremaine, Mackenzie Sambuco, Tiffany Silverstein, and McKenna Weinstein pose for a picture

EDITORIAL & OPINION 3

Season’s Origins

In Germania under the Roman Empire, a week-long festival called Saturnalia was the highlight of the year. During this week, the

courts closed and the Lord of Misrule reigned, and nude carolling and faux-cannibalism (what we now think of as gingerbread men) were encouraged. The concluding day of Saturnalia was December 25. Once the Roman Empire was Christianized, imperial officials in-corporated Saturnalia into Christian theology, proclaiming December 25 as Jesus Christ’s birthday. This savvy political move ensured popular support for Christian Rome, and in hindsight, contributed greatly to the popularity and tenacity of Catholicism and the Christian sects that sprung from it in the Protestant Reformation. When we think of Christmas now, we rarely think of human sacri-fice or political maneuvers. Instead, Santa Claus (a Turkish saint reinvented in Scandinavia in the 12th century as “Saint Nicholas” and popularized by “‘Twas the Night before Christmas” and Coca-Cola’s 1930s ad campaign), piles of presents (a practice of Roman emper-ors who commanded plebeians to ply them with presents at Saturnalia or suf-fer penalties, later popularized by “Saint Nicholas”), and Christmas trees (Celtic Druids worshipped trees, often bring-ing them into their houses and painting them; this pagan practice was absorbed by the Catholic Church) come to mind. Modern understanding and practices of Christmas are not diminished by the holiday’s history; rather, Christmas has come to represent the history of Christi-anity as well as the birth of Christ. Hanukkah, too, serves as a reminder of religious history. Judea (now part of Israel) was invaded by the

BOLTThe Bolt is published monthly as the official Sage Hill student-run newspaper. Since our founding year in 2000, we have served as a public forum for the Sage com-munity. Our goal is to uphold a high standard of quality journal-ism in a way that is both engag-ing and informative for the stu-dents and faculty. All issues are stored online in the archive at http://issuu.com/shsbolt. Please contact Jenna Shapiro at 13Sha-piroJ@sagehillschool.org if you have questions, or a desire to guest write or take photographs for The Bolt.

Editor-in-ChiefJenna Shapiro ‘13

Managing EditorCarlyn Kane ‘13

Assistant EditorsErika Lynn-Green ‘14Tiana Lowe ‘14

News EditorJoy Chang ‘13

School Life EditorJoelle Nanula ‘14

Opinion EditorJeremy Dorne ‘13

Features EditorCarlyn Kane ‘13

Arts and Lifestyle EditorSavannah Gardner ‘13

Sports EditorKavi Sakraney ‘14

Backpage EditorYoonseo Cha ‘13

StaffChris Andras ‘13Christian Liu ‘13Maddy Abbott ‘15Alexandra Bollman ‘14Celeste Broderick ‘14Maddi Bukaty ‘14John Cha ‘16Joy Chang ‘13Angel Chen ‘15Claire Goul ‘15Mallory Guylay ‘15Nellie Hamadani ‘15Jodie Horowitz ‘15Janis Jin ‘16Kiana Jodeiry ‘14Selin Karaoguz ‘15Jocelyn Marino ‘13Hawkin Miller ‘15Michelle Min ‘15Halland McKenna ‘15Nikki Parmar ‘15Namita Praleash ‘16Parker Reposa ‘15Kristin Saroyan ‘16Emily Shimano ‘14Doreen Yedwab ‘14

Pulbications AdviserKonnie Krislock

Sage Hill School20402 Newport Coast Dr.Newport Coast, CA 92657(949) 219- 0100

www.sagehillschool.org

Time to Rethink the Holidays

When the clock strikes midnight on Thanksgiv-ing Thursday, it seems

like the world changes. The neigh-borhood pumpkin patches quickly turn into a forest of pine and fir trees. The oranges and yellows of fall become inescapable brightly colored lights on every street corner. The tastes of turkey, stuff-ing and pecan pie change to that of peppermint, gingerbread and eggnog. The holidays are in the air, and I hate it. I do not hate the various superfluous things that make the

holidays fun and I don’t even mind celebrating them, but I cannot stand to see how a single date on a calen-dar changes a person. People just seem to become self-focused when the calendar flips to December. While some may focus on giving back to the community by volunteering at a soup kitchen or working at the Salvation Army, most will focus on themselves and their family. The intent to please those who are most important to us gives us tunnel vision when the holidays roll around. Events like Black Friday show that common courtesy goes out the window in the name of a perfect gift for a family member.

It is time to forget about trying to make the holidays perfect for those around you. Forget the hours spent at crowded and stress-ful malls and shopping centers, frantically trying to put together the perfect gift. Pause and ac-knowledge not only those imme-diately around you, but also your entire community; the holidays are meant to be enjoyed with every-one. This is not an indictment of consumerism, but it is a plea to be reasonable. The holidays are not worth the stress and pain that they put on most people and it is time for a fundamental change to our approach to this time of year.

Staff EditorialBy Erika Lynn-Green

Kingdom of Syria in 200 BCE, and the Temple of Jerusalem was looted and des-ecrated. A successful Jewish revolt drove out the invaders and reclaimed their sacred space. One night’s worth of oil, meant to cleanse and re-consecrate the Temple, instead lasted for eight days--this miracle is commemorated in the eight days of the Hanukkah celebration. The holiday season is a time of joy and relaxation, of family and great food. Holidays represent centuries of hu-man celebration, a connection to everyone who is or has ever been joyful. Increasingly, though, holiday practices have moved away from religious or historical roots and towards commer-cialized festivities. Americans will spend an estimated $469 billion on this year’s

holiday season--for a little perspective, that’s 16 times the $30 billion which, added to the funds already allocated, would make clean, safe water accessible to every single person on the planet-- just counting the U.S. Historical sources aside, the holiday promotes reflection on life’s most important things, whatever those are to you. Giving back to those with less (or nothing) may not be in the histori-cal “spirit” of the holidays, as it doesn’t involve naked frolicking or revolution from oppression, but still! It benefits mankind and it feels really good. So this holiday season, maybe instead of buying that one pair of shoes, visit www.water4everyone.org. Happy Holidays!

By Jeremy Dorne

Illustration by Yoon Cha ‘13

Editorial & Opinion Editor

4 FEATURES

Instrumental Showby Michelle Min “I taught myself three instru-ments,” says sophomore Kellen Ochi. “Guitar, ukulele and clarinet.” He de-scribes himself as a music addict, ex-plaining, “Music is something I enjoy. It’s a big passion of mine.” He shows his enthusiasm by playing the clarinet in the wind, jazz and string ensembles. “I just love the diversity of music and people,” Ochi says. You can see all the diverse components work in harmony at the In-strumental Music Concert on November 30 in the Black Box Theater. “Expect to hear a broad range of music performed by very talented musicians,” says instru-mental music teacher Stan Steele, “and it’s free!”

Sage Hill Singersby Savannah Gardener Although I admit to being a biased critic of the Sage Hill Singers, I can honestly say that this group shows an incredible amount of exuberance and promise for this choral year. With Ms. Eddy by our side, and cultivating our group and our voices there is nothing that can stop us. We have withstood the pressure and the tough competition to be admitted into this talented and elite choir, and it is soon time to show Sage Hill what we can do on the December 7th Choral Con-cert. With literature involving vocal jazz, popular music, and au capella pieces we hope to impress the students and faculty with all of our hard work. Now we are not just your typical classical choir only singing group. We have Sydney Endi-cott- the destined Broadway Star, Kent Kawaguchi- the future President of the United States, and Lizzie Geocaris- the next dancer to win So You Think You Can Dance. We have members from the honor commit-tee, student ambassadors, dancers, actresses, co-chairs, presidents, athletes. We really have every type of Sage student coming together to sing clas-sics like “Ave Maria” and “My Funny Valentine.” Senior Paige Masonek notes how excited she is to be “apart of such a devoted and talented group of singers, and how amazing it is how incredibly diverse we are.” And among the diverse, busy group that makes up the Sage Hill Singers, they are also an extremely dedicated group who are willing to spend their lunches rehearsing so they can be the best they can be. As Ms. Eddy says, “It’s fun to be good,” so we have stepped up our game this year and only strive for excellence!

Arts Spotlight

FEATURES 5

Les Miserablesby Tiana Lowe At the beginning of 2013, over 10% of the student body, led by director Mary Robinson and musical director Mike Walker, will perform the legendary musical, Les Mi-sérables. After rounds of competitive auditions, the chosen cast began three-hour long practices, five days a week, at the beginning of November. For those of you musical the-ater virgins, forget every preconception you have about mu-sicals. Les Mis embodies the revolutionary spirit of youth, focusing on the ceaseless fight against the societal yoke of oppression all while featuring our students as soldiers, pros-titutes, peasants, and patricians. Whether you’re a musical aficionado or just like to see blood, gore, or a friend play a hooker, get fired up for Les Mis.

Dance Showby Celeste Broderick On Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17, the Sage Hill Dance Ensemble performed “Fall Selections,” which included chorography from both students and head of the dance department, Meki Blackwell. What made the show particu-larly interesting was that each dance revolved around a prop that the choreographers had chosen at random. The senior stu-dent chorographers had to create a piece that not only conveyed an emotion or thought, but they also had to somehow incor-porate the prop into the dance. The dancers performed to spoken word, with swords, and on top of boxes that with lights that changed colors.

Spirit Made Ready to Order

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAGE HILL

No-Shave, No-Shame November

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEREMY DORNE

At the start of November, Sage Hill welcomed the return of colder weather, the spirit of the holiday season, and an array of excitement amongst its males. No-Shave November, an annual month of “no shaving” for the male popula-tion, began with cleanly shaven faces which ended rather quickly. The rules stipulate that the man should shave his face at the first of the month, and let the hair grow wild and free until the last day of November. Sage Hill participants are getting increasingly bristly as the month goes on, and some full beards are already evident on campus. But not one man has outgrown alumni, Nate Paladino, who is famous at Sage for his full, thick beard. Challengers are always welcome and could possibly gain the honorable and respected title of “King of No-Shave Novem-ber.”

6 ARTS & LIFESTYLE

By Nikki Parmar ‘15Staff Writer

Before football, volleyball and basketball games, when it is requested that we all dress up in green, don’t we often find ourselves desperately scrambling to seek out any somewhat green piece of cloth-ing? Even when we do finally find something suitable, it is a mint or lime green. It is never that ideal “Sage Hill” color that we want it to be! In the past year, the Parent Asso-ciation has created the online school store where students can customize Sage Hill

gear, but few are willing to take the time to go online and peruse the website for what they want. Now, sophomore Nikki Parmar has teamed up with parents Andria Strelow and Shideh Soleimany to bring more affordable Sage Hill merchandise to school events in order to make merchandise readily available to online shoppers! At the Homecoming game, the staff sold $2,000 worth of sweaters, sweatshirts, sweatpants, hats, snapbacks, keychains and pompoms. New items to the collection became instant best-sellers including Sage Hill girls’ shorts with “Sage” written on the derrière. Forty minutes into the game, the supply was sold out, and the demand was

still high. Sage Hill plaid pants with “Sage Hill” written down the side, as well as Sage Hill coffee tumblers are also new on the Sage Store list. These newer items are not avail-able for purchase on the school website, so the staff will continue to have sales tables at future basketball games. The store staff promises to have new gear every time, so keep checking for more new arrivals. That way, next time you hear the words “wear green,” you’ll never have to stress again. You can find the school store at http://www.sagehillschool.org/store.

Dr. Peter Donovan and the

Future of Stem Cells

By aNya GarBuzov ‘13GueSt Writer

On Nov. 8, Sage inaugurated its Science Lecture Series by hosting Dr. Peter Donovan, the Director of UCI’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. Parents and students with a hanker-ing for the sciences, and those who wanted to receive some extra credit in their biol-ogy class filled the Black Box Theater and listened to Donovan’s lecture, “Stem Cells: Revolutionizing the Treatment of Human Disease.” Donovan serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max Plank Institute for Biomolecular Medicine in Mun-ster, Germany. He is also an affiliate of the inter-national Steering Committee of the Hinxton Group, a group which scrutinizes the ethical, moral and legal implications associated with the research of stem cells. Rather remarkably, the university that many members of the Sage community drive by on the way to school happens to be a leader in this scientific field very much still in its infancy. Dr. Donovan addressed the potential that stem cell research has to transform the medical field and states that “stem cell re-search will have a dramatic impact on medi-cine and change forever the way that human diseases are treated.” It is even plausible that stem cells may be able to treat seemingly incurable diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and spinal cord injuries in the future. Earlier this month, researchers at the institute have issued a press release regarding the feasibility of using embryonic brain cells to treat Alzheimer’s patients. Because stem cells have numerous cycles of cell division, scientists can grow and use them with ease in research. Progress in this revolutionary field is quite obvious, as this year, Sir John Gur-don and Dr. Shinya Yamanaka received a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for their work on stem cell reprogramming. Donovan’s lecture demonstrated the fast-paced nature of scientific research and its ability to engage adult and youth alike. Stem cell research is a constantly evolving field with opportunities for students to make a real difference in the lives of many. His visit served as an encouraging reminder of the incredible, as well as vital, role of science.

Show your School Spirit and buy Sage Hill sports shirts, dress shirts, sweats, polos, pants, and much more. There are even clothes for children!

By Joy ChaNG ‘13NeWS editor

Dash for the Stache Senior Tom Fenner still has some ways to go.

SPORTS 7

UPCOMING EVENTSGENTLEMEN’SSOCCER- FRIDAY 11/30 3:00 at Huntington Beach WEDNESDAY 12/5 5:00 vs. TVT FRIDAY 12/7 3:30 at Webb School GIRLS’ SOCCER- SATURDAY 9/13 7:00

BOYS’ BASKETBALL- MONDAY 12/3 5:00 Tournament

SCOREBOARDVOLLEYBALL- 11/8 Rosemead 25-23, 25-18, 25-11 W 11/10 La Sierra 25-13, 25-15, 15-25,14-25, 15-10 W 11/13 Ontario Christian 25-19, 19-25, 27-25, 18-25, 15-7 W 11/17 St. Margaret’s 20-25, 22-25, 25-11, 25-17, 8-15 L

Unexpectedly UndefeatedMaking it to the Finals. Girls varsity volleyball played St. Margaret’s in the CIF Finals last week losing a five-set match in a year in which, according to coach Dan Thomassen, they were not expected to make it this far in the playoffs. Senior Maggie Danner was one of the stars.

By Jenna Shapiro ‘13editor-in-Cheif

After four years of strong seasons, yet pivotal losses, girls’ varsity tennis co-captain Liana Korber and her team have finally aced every match in League. Korber, a four-year starter, had reason for lingering apprehension at the season’s onset. Varsity lost four starting seniors from last year and about two-thirds of its doubles teams, making for a fairly young group comprised mostly of fresh-men and sophomores. Additionally, in the past two years, varsity has experienced, in Korber’s words, “painfully close” losses to St. Mar-garet’s in CIF Finals during which a mere three games caused Sage Hill’s downfall both times. Korber says, “Of the four years

I’ve played, this was the last year I would have expected us to go undefeated.” Yet they did. This fall, they defied even their own expectations to have a perfect season in Academy League with a victory over St. Margaret’s for the first time in five years. Moreover, over the course of Korber’s high school career, the team has progressed from Division IV to finally achieving Division II status this year, facing tougher competition than ever before. Korber said that this adversity, however, is central to the nature of the game. “Tennis is a physical fight, but it’s just as equally a mental battle,” she said. “It’s so easy to beat yourself. It isn’t over until the very last point. It takes a lot of determi-nation and a willingness to fight in the face of adversity.” Not only did Korber, along with

co-captains Lauren Hsu and Kimberly Brown, lead a nearly unstoppable team, but Korber also personally had her best season. She was recognized as the Most Valuable Player at two major tournaments, beat #1 ranked players she had lost to in the past and won League individuals for singles. As her senior season wraps up, Korber will not pack away her racquet for good. She plans to compete in college, whether at a varsity or club level. “Even though tennis isreally an indi-vidual sport, high school and college make it a team sport,” Korber explained. “I definitely want to play next year because I think tennis would make my college experience that much better. For now, I am really proud of everything we’ve accomplished and have no regrets. I do feel like I have left everything on the court.”

VolleyballSeason Ends

The Sage Hill girls’ volleyball made a strong run in CIF this year making it all the way to the finals for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, on the Saturday night at Cypress Col-lege, St. Margarets beat the Lightning in a long and hard-fought battle. Last season in 2011, the girls’ volleyball team won the championship of CIF, and senior Maggie Danner wrote that they were “looking for a repeat of last year” going into the game. This year, the stands were packed with Sage Hill students, teach-ers, and families all in support of the girls’ volleyball team. Sage got off to a slow start, losing the first game 25-20 and then the second 25-22. After losing the second game, Sage came out of the huddle for the next game with a new spark. Danner stepped up as senior captain and led her team to an 11-25 trouncing in the third set. Danner recorded a total of 23 kills as well as three blocks in the match. In the fourth set, Sage main-tained the momentum developed in the third set and won 17-25. Sophomore setter Maddy Abbott stood out, and she racked up 56 assists by the end of the match. Other standouts included junior middle Juliette Singarella who exhibited strong blocking. Sophomores Kekai Whitford and Halland McKenna helped the Lighting with some quality hitting, and junior captain Claudia Noto played great defense in the match. Sage could not quite complete the comeback after going down the tough deficit of two sets. In the last game, St. Margarets came out stronger and was able to win 15-8.

Soccer Season Begins With New CoachBy JaniS Jin ‘16Staff Writer

As winter rolls in, Sage Hill’s soc-cer teams are off to a great start. Since the week of November 5th, players have been training each day to sharpen their skills both individually and as teams to prepare for the Academy League season, which kicks off in January. This year, we have four teams that are diverse in many areas, but share one common goal: to represent Sage successfully on the soccer field. Catie Chase and Amy Ray are re-

turning to coach the girls’ varsity team this year. Both are very excited about this year’s team, which consists of twelve returning players and seven new ones. Chase notes, “The team’s new players have an abundance of spirit and are eager to take on the season. These new faces will fit flawlessly into place with the veteran players.” The team’s goals for this season include a successful run in the Academy League and CIF, and of course beating St. Margaret’s! On the boys’ side, Junior Kavi Sakraney describes his Varsity team as “quite young this year, but [they] definitely have some exceptional talent. And most

importantly, all of [them] are willing to work hard.” Last year, the team won seven of their nine league games, but have hopes of com-peting even more impressively this year. The boys’ team suffered a setback when returning head coach Ignacio Cid announced he would no longer be coaching. He is leaving for a non soccer-related job of-fer that he said he could not pass up. Coach Luis, the former J.V. coach, will be stepping in as the new varsity coach. The J.V. girls’ team is looking to defend their Academy League Champion-ship for the third year in a row. Along with returning coaches Gabe and Strauss, Physics

teacher Ms. Dunham will also be helping out with them this year, showing her ded-ication for soccer as well as her students. Boys’ J.V. player John Cha is “excited about getting a chance to represent Sage on the soccer field.” He and his seventeen other teammates will be using these next few weeks to prepare for their first game, scheduled this week. With new coaches, players, and objectives, the future of Sage Hill’s soccer teams is looking brighter than ever. In the words of Adam Ellingson, teams are “an-ticipating a successful 2012-2013 soccer campaign and hope everyone else is, too.”

By Kavi SaKraney ‘14SportS editor

Photo Courtesy of Emily Shimano

BACKPAGE 8

From Sage Advocates of Multiculturalism for Everyone:

November’s Native American Heri-tage Month: How is Sage Connected to Native American Culture?

Best Answer: “Sage was built on a Native American burial ground. At Sage’s 10th anniversary, we had a female priest from a tribe that once lived on this land come and per-form a good luck ritual.” - Emmanuel Zavaleta (‘11)

QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

Which Holidays do you celebrate?

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Graphs courtesy of Nicolle Bradshaw AP Government classes.