March 2015 www.lightningboltonline.com
20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, CA 92657 www.issuu.com/shsbolt @theboltonline
Volume 15, Issue 6 www.facebook.com/sagehillschool
dancing dragons
Crowd-pleasing monsters. Chinese celebratory dragons enchant students and families at Multicultural Fair by coming down from the stage and mingling with the crowd to give out treats.
Vale Lewis
Fairest of the Fair Fresh Faces Present Cultural Heritage to the Community By Kristin Saroyan executive editor
A tradition as old as Sage Hill itself, Multicultural Fair, which took place on March 21, combined the efforts of dedicated parents and enthusiastic students to bring the sights, sounds and flavors of the outside world to the local community. “Multicultural Fair is one of the big events that the Parent Association puts on every year. This was my fourth year being involved with the fair, and the planning really took all year. It was a full-time job, but it was so much fun,” Andria Strelow, Parent Association president, said. “It was all about bringing the whole community together and celebrating our heritage from all over the globe. Every year the fair is a great way to showcase your school spirit and cultural pride.”
Fresh faces built upon previous fair traditions including international food booths, live entertainment, an International Marketplace, a Public Purpose Marketplace and an Artisans’ Village to make the 14th annual Multicultural Fair their own. “The entertainment line-up is always different, and because we have different people graduating and new freshmen coming in every year, the assortment of families who are hosting the food booths is always different,” Strelow said. “So even though Mexico might be represented from one year to the next, it will always be represented by different families.” According to Strelow, student and parent volunteers comprised the backbone of the exhibits and attractions of the fair. “We had a couple of student photographers selling their prints in the Artisan Village, and we had a lot of students helping out with the World’s Playground, which is the kids’ area,” Strelow said. “The volunteers really worked hands-on with the younger members
of the community and the up-andcoming Sage Hill attendees.” While students volunteered, they simultaneously presented their cultural heritage to the community, whether
‘Every year the fair is a great way to showcase your school spirit and cultural pride.’ they were exploring the International Marketplace or performing on stage. “The fair is a good way to see a person’s background that might not be visible on the surface every day. It might come out when they wear a special traditional dress. You might
have a friend who you never knew was Portuguese, or you never knew that his mom is from Thailand. You get to see their true culture come out,” Strelow said. “About 80 percent of the stage schedule was all student bands and traditional performances.” Some of the many performances during the fair included a Barbershop Octet performance by Sage Hill’s Encore Singers, an ensemble performance by the winter musical’s cast, a Persian dance by students, a flamenco performance by guest dancer Susana Elena, an opera performance by junior Claire Dwyer and a folk song duet by junior Tess Hezlep and senior Jodie Horowitz. “I’ve never sung in front of the Sage community. I think Multicultural Fair is a good, safe place to take risks, so I decided I might as well try singing,” Hezlep said. “I know a lot of alumni came, and it was really fun. Multicultural Fair is such a community-based event. You just feel more open-minded when you’re there because you realize there is so much to the world.”
2
OPINION
NO NO Means
He controls her behavior, what she eats, who she is ‘allowed’ to interact with, cutting her off and isolatBy Julia Dupuis ing her from family and staff writer friends. Ana becomes insecure in herself as a person, constantly terrified she will make him angry. As high school stuHe belittles, threatens and dents, we deal with many manipulates her to reflect complicated things on a his idea of the ‘perfect’ partdaily basis. Math homener. In simpler terms, he work, handling the ups and uses a system of abuse and downs of friendships, even emotional manipulation just tackling the loomto create a meek and easing presence of upcoming ily impressionable woman, adulthood. You know what’s with which he can do as he not complicated? pleases. Worst of all, she Consent. doesn’t seem to realize this. It’s actually a pretty Instead their relationship is simple concept. When inidepicted as normal, or even tiating any kind of contact romantic. with someone, whether it Even though Fifty be a friend or a significant Shades of Grey is displayed other, make sure they are as a ‘daring’ or even ‘sexy’ really up for it before you story about love, the book take any action. includes several instances That’s it. Not hard, where Ana’s consent is duright? Yet the idea of conbious, as she is coerced or sent is one that continues sometimes even forced into to be argued about, even engaging in sexual activities today. With the recent suc- that make her uncomfortcess of the popular film and able. Her consent is vionovel Fifty Shades of Grey, lated in several instances the idea of consent, as well throughout both the movie as how it plays into healthy and the book. relationships, is something We, as a society, find that must be addressed. it pleasant to believe that With Fifty Shades of we are somehow separated Grey comes a link that is from fiction, that we are very often found in modern immune to the values the media, especially in sexumanifest themselves in ally explicit content: the damaging products of the encouragement of violence media. We label it as fictiagainst women. It isn’t just tious, cutting it off from our about romance or sex; it world. The truth is, everydisplays a deeply abusive thing created in the media relationship in which the is made with a purpose. protagonist is subjected to Each story has its own emotional manipulation point of view, one that is and physical violence. It heavily shaped by the ideals displays all the textbook of its creators, regardless signs of abuse. Christian, of whether this outlook the supposed love interis offensive or harmful. est, stalks Ana through her Likewise, these stories have phone, finding her place of the ability to change their work and stalking her when audiences too. Impressionshe is out with her friends. able audiences, particularly He even goes as far to say, those made up of younger “No place to run. I would viewers, absorb these find you. I can track your cell phone— remember?” Story continues on page 8
OPINION
SUPREME
3
On the
COURT
decisions
By Claire Dwyer Associate Editor
You may not think you care about politics. But you should. Because, like it or not, we live in a country called America, and in America, despite our capitalist, entrepreneurial values, our politicians and federal government make decisions on aspects of social policy that affect our everyday lives. Where we can afford to live. What we can say, where, and when. Who we can get married to. What kind of opportunities we have to access health care, affordable housing and schooling, and employment. And when we, as high school students, think about the government, we usually imagine the executive branch has the most power, congress collectively almost as much power, with the judiciary almost as an afterthought. We are sadly mistaken. In reality, the majority of the power in the United States government lies not in the executive or legislative branches, but in the judiciary, with nine Supreme Court justices who rule on the constitutionality of laws put forth by congress, with the power to accept or reject important legislation and set a precedent for rulings in federal, state, and local courts. And the court’s record is astounding…in a bad way. Despite the apparent progressiveness of the court in certain times of history such as the recent rulings in support of gay marriage and Roe
v. Wade (1973) in support of pro-choice legislation, in addition to the integration of schools in the ruling Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the court has largely ruled in favor of business or monetary interests, instead of in protection of the constitutional rights of the common man. A Supreme Court expert, constitutional lawyer and dean of the UCI law school, Erwin Chemerinsky speaks to some of these decisions of the Supreme Court of which many students aren’t even aware. “In a case I argued before the Supreme Court, Lockyr v. Andrade, I was defending a man who was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison
was enough” and the Dred Scott case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that African Americans born in our nation are not citizens (pre-Civil War). “High school students should care about the Supreme Court because its decisions affect all of us… [It determines our access to] contraceptives, abortion rights, as well as ruling on the constitutionality of affirmative action…The court can even regulate who they sleep with. For instance, there was a Texas law which made it illegal for same sex couples to have sex in their private homes…The state just shouldn’t be able to regulate private activity,” Chemerinsky said. For many students, believing laws like this can ‘In reality, the major- exist is hard. How can anyone deny a ity of the power in the couple equal protection unUnited States govern- der the law, including marrights, just because ment lies not in the riage they are the same sex? How could anyone deny executive or legislative a woman access to birth branches, but in the control, or force someone to get surgically sterilized, judiciary’ just because of their gender or because they don’t think for stealing materials worth they’re smart enough? $150…Under the California How can we still discrimi3 strikes law, you can be nate against people based sentenced to life in prison on race or socioeconomic for shoplifting…The Sustatus? preme Court upheld his conWe cannot accept an viction [as constitutional],” America which brazenly Chemerinsky said. violates the basic rights Further horrors which of many of its citizens. We Chemerinsky outlined in the as students must remain interview and in his recent aware of the activities of book The Case Against the the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court were when government because we are the court upheld the conthe ones taking over next, stitutionality of the forced who will inherit the social sterilization of Carrie Buck and environmental problems because she was “too stupid of the world and will have to have children” and “one to, in a very short time, fix generation of her genetic line them.
“The ruling on the constitutionality of the affordable care act affected me most. There are aspects that are undebatable and should stay, such as the provision which makes it illegal to deny coverage because of a pre-existing illness.” Jenna Corliss history teacher
“Roe v. Wade affected me because my sister had an abortion at 16.” Anonymous
“The decisions on gay marriage have most affected me, because everyone should have the opportunity to marry who they want.” Hannah Peck junior
LIFESTYLE
4
Build It By Lauren Fishman & Catharine Malzahn staff writers
It’s incredible how far a dream can go, especially when trust is involved. Trust in an idea, a philosophy, a mere statement of what can be. Trust in those around you and that their beliefs align with yours. “It’s not about ‘I’ did something. It’s about ‘we’ worked together,” Gordon
McNeill, Sage HIll president, explained. Even though the mission statement and school ideals haven’t changed since Sage Hill’s opening in 2000, the overall campus has certainly grown and evolved with the needs of today’s students. The buildings, whether they were built 15 years ago or just last summer, have all made an impact on the day-to-day lives of everyone at the school. However, the majority of the school’s buildings were created from the visions of a few people, and these few people in turn inspired others to believe in Sage.
Ueberroth Family
One of the major contributors to Sage Hill was the Ueberroth family. Vicki Booth, daughter of Peter Ueberroth, explained that her family was “attracted to the notion and dream of what Sage Hill could be [even] before it was a school.” The Ueberroths believed in the mission statement that would set Sage Hill apart from all other private and public institutions in
Orange County for years to come. “We inspire in our students a love of knowledge and the ability to use that knowledge creatively, compassionately and courageously throughout their lives,” Sage Hill’s mission statement expresses. The Peter V. Ueberroth Gymnasium, fondly known as the “Ube,” was named after Peter Ueberroth when some of the members of the Board of Trustees
approached him and wanted to thank him for his involvement with Sage Hill. Without the Ube, Sage Hill would not be the same; it represents the incredible impact he has had on the school’s sports development. “[The Board of Trustees thought] it made sense [to name the gym after him] because of his lifetime involvement in sports,”
Booth said. She also explained that the Ueberroths’ “hope is that Sage continues to educate students to become the best possible version of themselves. We want students to go out and make a positive change in the world.” The Ueberroth family’s involvement has undoubtedly helped transform Sage Hill into the school we know today.
LIFESTYLE
5
Argyros Family In addition to the initial Sage Hill buildings, the Lisa Argyros and Family Science Center was built in 2014. This innovative building has redefined the standards for science facilities in Orange County. The science center gives students incredible opportunities in all the sciences, as well as opportunities to collaborate on projects. “The Lisa Argyros and Family Science Center was built to enhance the programs at Sage Hill,” McNeill explained. “The collaborative classrooms in the hallways were built for service learning.” Each building at Sage Hill has been built with purpose to create the ultimate learning experience for students. Additionally, Lisa Argyros and her family all love Sage Hill, and they want students to have an exceptional high school experience that they will remember for years to come. “I love the school, the mission and the broader work of Sage Hill in the community. When I heard about the new science center, I wanted to help make that dream a reality,” Argyros said. The Argyros family was particularly interested in donating toward the science center because of their desire to inspire more students in the science and math fields. “As a nation, we’ve fallen behind in science and math. I was excited to see Sage Hill taking the lead in this area and I felt compelled to do my part,” Argyros explained.
Caillouette Family Like the Ueberroths, the Caillouette family supported the idea of Sage Hill and were extremely important to the development of the school. “We reached out for financial and ethnic diversity. It was a passion project for our family and was the most we ever gave to anything. We wanted a school where it was cool to be smart and kids were curious,” Dori (Caillouette) Koll explained. The Caillouettes’ children attended Harbor Day School and they did not want their children going to a high school where it was
more important to be cool than to be smart. They bravely took on the campaign to kickstart the building of Sage Hill and poured their hearts into the project. “Sage [Hill] was going to raise the bar for all the schools in the area. We were not trying to put the public schools out of business; we just wanted to set a new standard,” Koll said. The Caillouette Community Building gained its name due to the effort the family put into turning the dream of the school into a reality. Another family donated the
It is impossible to fully thank the donors for the effect they have on Sage Hill. Not only have they helped create a safe place to learn where everyone’s talents are embraced, but they have also created a welcoming community and a unique culture. “I am continually amazed at the donors’ generosity,” McNeill said. “They have joined and believed in the mission 100 percent. Without them, [Sage Hill] doesn’t exist. It’s a huge deal.”
money for the building, but they insisted that the building be named after the Caillouettes. Thus, the Caillouette Community Building was born. The photo above was taken of
parents preparing for the Multicultural Fair last week in the Gordon Community Room, one of the most used in the Caillouette Community Building, which houses most administrative offices and classrooms.
Without the dedication and effort of Sage Hill’s donors, the school we know and love today would not exist. There is no question that their generosity has been instrumental since the beginning of the school. “What Sage Hill has become has exceeded my expectations in so many ways,” McNeill said. “I feel fortunate to be part of something that has had such a big impact on our entire community.”
They Will Come
6
ARTS
Plot Twists, Ambiguous Endings By Tess Hezlep & Selin Karaoguz Arts Editor & Senior Editor
PAIGE OKEY Lobster Hands Up! Senior Bailey Super, sophomore Wyatt Manolakas, senior Milad Rohani, junior Tess Hezlep, junior Seth Eaton and senior Selin Karaoguz pose for an all-cast photo as members of “Per Chance.” “It was our last chance to make it great,” said director Eaton.
JODIE HOROWITZ Unable to find a private moment. Senior Bobby Cohen and junior Amanda Ong share an awkward encounter on stage as Amanda’s character, “the woman,” tells Bobby’s character that the woman he’s in love with, was her date.
JODIE HOROWITZ Awkward moment or sexual tension? In senior Jodie Horowitz’s one act “Boys Life (Scene 2),” sophomore Julia Blatz and senior Bobby Cohen act as their characters struggle to understand their feelings for each other.
PUBS STAFF Lynn Fong, Kristin Saroyan, Liam Murphy, Chloe Henson, adviser Konnie Krislock, Sahale Greenwood, Maddy Nadelman, Kellen Ochi, Kandis McGee, Vale Lewis, Claire Lin and Amanda Ong all won awards at the SCJEA On-the-Spot Competition Saturday in Long Beach.
Sage Hill’s 2015 Theater Ensemble class chose and/or wrote pieces that had stronger political, social and artistic messages than ever before as the One Acts Festival this month succeeded in pushing the limits and forcing the community to think about issues that cannot be ignored. Senior Jodie Horowitz, who directed a piece, made a bold choice to change the gender and sexual orientation of her character, “the woman,” which resulted in a pro-LGBT message. “I loved sending the message of pushing boundaries on the heteronormative way of thinking,” junior Amanda Ong, who played “the woman,” explained. The audience continued to be surprised throughout the course of the night. In seniors Alexa Heuser’s and Kian Amini’s co-written and co-directed one act, two female actors broke high school theater norms with an audacious choice to kiss on stage. “I thought the two girls kissing made the environment, once again, seem safe for students,” sophomore Henry Ficcadenti, who also participated in the festival, said. Intrepid and droll political satire appeared in senior Molly Chase’s work
12 WIN AWARDS
Publications Staff won 12 separate awards at the Southern California Journalism Education Association (SCJEA) On-the-Spot Competition Saturday in Long Beach. Of the 30 schools that entered this statewide contest, Sage won the most individual awards. Winners included sophomore Lynn Fong for first place in cartooning; sophomores Claire Lin and Vale Lewis for third place in yearbook; senior Kellen Ochi for fourth place and sophomore Kandis McGee for second place in photography. Other winners included junior Amanda Ong in editorial writing; junior Kristin Saroyan in feature writing; junior Namita Prakash in news writing; and senior Liam Murphy in sports writing. Junior Maddy Nadelman, sophomore Chloe
as well as in junior Cameron Knollenburg’s. Their messages ranged from republican and democratic stereotypes to criticism of capitalism. This message was pertinent for students at Sage Hill because many have expressed interest in political science, law and economics. Surprise endings were also common occurrences in this year’s festival acts. The audience experienced waves of conflicting emotion that sent chills down people’s back or melted their hearts with nostalgia. In junior Tess Hezlep’s and senior Vincent Wetmore’s piece, the audience was shocked by the ambiguous and ominous ending. “It’s open to interpretation. Whatever you think happened is right,” Hezlep explained, when asked about the dark ending of the main character. Senior Selin Karaoguz’s and junior Seth Eaton’s piece made the audience laugh then cry, breaking their hearts at the end when the audience learned that their protagonist was dreaming the entire time. The directors wanted to relay the message of “taking every opportunity that comes your way because you never know what you could be missing,” Karaoguz said. “The ensemble students had an opportunity to have their voice and vision heard,” theater teacher Mary Robinson said.
Henson and sophomore Sahale Greenwood also placed in sports, news and feature photography, respectively. All submitted photos won an award, an achievement duplicated by no other schools in the competition. Sage was also the only school present without multiple journalism classes. Instead, its 46 staff members meet and produce three publications as an after school club. “It’s amazing what we can accomplish the two times we meet every week. I think it proves that you don’t need an official newspaper or yearbook class to make something great. Being a part of this staff has definitely helped me mature as a writer, leader and person,” said Saroyan, next year’s co-editor-in-chief. Publications Staff applications for next year will be emailed to every student on April 7.
SPORTS
7
Kandis McGee
Huddling up. The Sage Hill Soccer team groups up to prepare for the game. The successful year ended with a 16-11 record, an undefeated 9-0 record in league play and advancement to the regional playoffs.
A Historic Season For Soccer By Liam Murphy staff writer
The boys’ varsity soccer team finished the season with a 16-11 overall record, including a perfect 9-0 record against league opponents, and had a deep playoff run before losing 7-0 on March 12 to Coronado in the semifinals of the CIF Southern California Regional Division IV playoffs, Coronado, in fact, ended up defeating McFarland 5-1 in the finals. “We had opportunities to win the game, but unfortunately we couldn’t capitalize,” senior Milad Rohani said. “And without [senior Gordon Strelow] in our defensive line they were able to score goals at the last minute of each half.” Soccer coach Luis Cruz conceded in an interview with The Daily Pilot that it would have taken “a perfect game” to defeat Coronado, but that doesn’t take away from what was otherwise an exemplary debut season for Cruz. The team won its first undefeated Academy League title in eight years, and its semifinal appearance was the first in school history. In the wake of the team’s historic success, however, next year will represent something of a transition for the soccer program. There are a plethora of departing seniors next year: Rohani, Strelow Zach Burns, Nikolai Sadeghi, Anthony Gil, Juan Rodriguez, Dino Romeo, Amir Soleimany and Shayan Emtiaz. Of particular importance are Burns, Gil, Sadeghi and Strelow, as they have been on the varsity team for four years. “I’m going to miss the seniors, They were a good group. They gave me a good welcome. But I think we have a great group of young boys coming up. Next year should be hopefully as good or better.” Cruz said to The Daily Pilot. ““It’s been a great season. They’ve set the bar at Sage Hill for the upcoming players and teams. Now they have a lot more to play for.” “My years on varsity have been an overall fantastic experience,” Rohani said. “I’ve had so many memorable moments.” Cruz expressed confidence in players such as juniors such as Noah Koumas, Robbie Rosoff, Gabriel Gamboa, Jacob Rosenberg and sophomores such as Adrian Boulos and Nelson Kim to lead the next wave of talent into more
successful playoff runs in the coming years. “In the future, our team is looking pretty good. We have a good group of juniors, and our freshman class this year is probably the best since our class,” Rohani said. “If they all come back and we get some more freshmen [indicating the school’s increased focus on attracting good athletes], I’m confident those boys can win league and go far in CIF again.”
Kellen Ochi
Breaking away. Lexington Magliarditi breaks through the defense to help lead a successful season.
Kandis McGee
Trapping it. Gabe Gamboa positions himself to properly maintain possession of the ball as it falls.
Kandis McGee
Using fancy footwork. Senior Anthony Gill advances up the field for an offensive attack.
BACKPAGE
8 THE SHRUB
The Secret Side of AP Testing
Taken From The Colege Board
The Struggle is Real. The APs have been responsible for more than one million domestic headaches in 2013 alone.; while the statistics are hardly a surprise as the tests are notorious for their difficulty, they do not account for the many hidden struggles faced by examinees. Steven Du
The college process just seems like a huge scam. Students are expected to take a number of exams that just so happen to be really expensive. They are also difficult enough for students to spend even more money on tutoring for said exams. Of course there are some who may say that students don’t really have to take these exams if they are too much to afford, but who would be miserly enough to sabotage their college careers? The cost of these exams is just icing on the cake when compared to all of the accumulated student debt anyways. Just take a look at the AP program, which includes some of the most expensive tests from an already costly list of college prerequisites. This year, Sage students had to spend a whooping $96 per exam. From the perspective of a parent, this is a necessary sacrifice. “We want our kids to have advantages and for them have this, we have to do our part,” Sage Hill teacher and parent Sally Sefami said. “Yes [the college process] is expensive but we also know that it is part of our commitment to the success of our kids.” The $96 price per exam seems a little too much though. After investigating prices in Irvine School District schools, it was revealed that Irvine students faced lower costs ranging from $85 to $90. But why is there a difference in AP prices? It should be consistent across the board because the AP tests themselves are administered by one company— theCollege Board. Apparently it is. College Board website lists a single price of $96, an interesting $5 difference from the price Sage offers. While some may say this may be used to help cover some administrative costs such as exam proctoring, the
College Board already has a $9 rebate program for this exact purpose. Seems like Sage is taking in $14 extra per student. Not so fast says Head of School Patricia Merz, “Sage Hill School does not make any profits from the administrative fee.” So maybe this fee is used to help cover students needing financial aid? Wrong again. “Sage Hill charges an additional $5 to offset the cost of hiring proctors to administer the exams (which is permitted under the College Board procedures) due to the fact that the actual cost of hiring proctors exceeds the $9 rebate cost,” Merz explained. “We hire proctors from outside Sage Hill (not our current faculty) for the 10-day period, including proctors for students who need extended time.” Sounds a little suspicious. Information from an anonymous source claimed that proctors are only compensated $20 per hour. If this is the case, an average of five students alone would be able to cover one proctor (the time of each exam varies). At least students who really need the help receive it. “Students who receive financial aid follow a special procedure to receive a reduced rate on their AP exams,” Merz said. “Once these students are approved for the reduced fee, they pay $58 instead of the full price of $96. Students who receive financial aid also have an incidental allowance provided by Sage Hill as part of the financial aid program that they may use to pay for the test fee,” she said. In the end, this just seems to be an unfortunate situation for middle class students who do not qualify for financial aid but are not affluent enough to not care the price at all. But again, this list of first world problems could go on forever….
Story continued from page 2 messages and take in the idea of normality in these types of dynamics, whether they are aware of it or not. A healthy relationship constitutes of partners that consider themselves equals. They build each other up, rather than tear each other down. Senior Brian Slaughter wholeheartedly agrees with the idea of consent and how it plays into equality. He says, “Consent is important because it creates equity, and you need equity in any relationship for people to feel that they can confide in each other.” Consent is a process of establishing trust, and respecting boundaries. No means no. It doesn’t mean ‘prove yourself’ It doesn’t mean ‘try a different approach’ It doesn’t mean ‘be more aggressive’ It means no. Regardless of who you are dealing with, everybody is human And everybody deserves basic human respect. If you’re still struggling with the concept, maybe imagine it as a metaphor. Imagine you are with your friend, waiting for class to start. It’s getting late, the two of you are tired, and likely
then you don’t get them a cookie. Period. They don’t want a cookie. You didn’t do anything wrong, they didn’t do anything wrong. They just don’t want it. If they say they want a cookie, but later change their mind, this is not their fault. You can’t get angry with them because you went all the way to Sapphire, bought them a cookie, and then came all the way back. They have the right to change their mind. They don’t owe you anything. Lastly, and most importantly, if they are not able to consent in any way, don’t even bother. Whether this means they are unconscious, hindered by some substance, or even just tired and not in their right mind, do not try and get them to eat the cookie. They are not able to say “Yes, I would like this cookie.” You can’t say, “But you wanted this cookie before!” and cram it down their throat. They are unconscious, or in some other way unable to consent. They don’t want the cookie. This can apply to all aspects of any relationship. Communication is of the utmost importance. If your friend or significant other doesn’t want you touching them, then don’t. If they even express
by you. Not your friends, significant other, teachers, parents, or anyone else. You aren’t obligated to do things that make you uncomfortable. It’s okay to say no. You and you alone decide what you wear, or how you present yourself. No one else should have the right to make you feel ashamed of those decisions. It’s okay to explore and learn about your body, and its okay to do so with a partner of your choosing. But while your body belongs to you, their body also belongs to them, and you must remember this. Respect who they are and what they are not comfortable with. People aren’t always going to understand this. They may shame you, exploit you, even try and force you into doing things you don’t want to do. Please try and understand that these situations, and these people, in no way define you or your worth. If you do not consent, don’t be afraid to say it. Those are your words of power. Use them. Repeat them. Knowledge is power, and you deserve to have power over your own being. If a stranger thinks it’s acceptable to harass you, to touch you without your permission, let them see the shift beneath your skin, the ice in your veins and the steel in
very hungry. Then you ask, “Hey, do you want something from Sapphire?” If they say, “Of course, I would love a cookie from Sapphire. Thanks!” then you know they want a cookie. If they say, “Uh, I’m not really sure…” then you can go and get them a cookie, but remember that they may not eat it, and if they don’t, then you can’t make them eat it. This is the most important part. You can’t blame them for making you go off and getting a cookie on the off chance that they might eat it. If they say, “No thanks.”
doubt or uncertainty, trying to coerce them into doing something that makes them uncomfortable is manipulative and violates the personal space and consent of your partner. Senior Molly Chase agrees, saying, “It sets for a precedent within our society, within rape culture even, that everyone needs to have their own voice. If someone specifically states that they are not okay with something then you need to respect that. It sets a standard.” Remember that your body belongs to you. All decisions regarding your own body and boundaries should be made
your spine. Let them feel the anger that you may not even have realized you possessed until that very moment. They may try and turn it around on you, belittle you, cast you into the image of something that you don’t want to be. Do not let them. If you do not consent, make it clear. Your skin is yours. There is not a single person on this earth who has the right to touch it without your permission. Real consent is always black and white. If there are fifty shades of grey, you are doing it wrong.