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Coed Advisories Offered to Class of ‘27

Students and faculty discuss plan for optional coed advisories for incoming freshmen class.

By Alia Sajjadian and Isabella Palacio

After a long week of classes, advisory time can be a welcome reprieve from structured curriculum and assessments. This block offers an opportunity to enjoy a mid-morning break of donuts, decompress with friends, and reconnect with the same group of students they’ve known since starting at Sage Hill. Prior to this fall, all advisories were single-gender.

Sage Hill administrators plan to introduce coed advisories for the incoming class of 2027, partly to promote a more inclusive experience for all students.

Students’ placement into coed advisories would be completely optional and single-gender advisories will still be available for students who are not as enthusiastic about this change. However, students would not be able to change their initial choice midway through their

Sage years.

“I strongly believe that offering a choice aligns with our values and makes us more inclusive, not only to our non-binary students but to all students who will join our community starting in 2023-24,” Dominic Campeau, dean of school life, said in an email.

Some students may prefer this mixed-gender environment over the traditional one simply to engage with a broad range of students. Junior Sofia Jacinto agrees with the thought that coed advisories would be a “great opportunity [for students] to bond with both girls and boys in their grade.” Yet, she believes that there are potential disadvantages as well. She speculates that some conversations may be more guarded in mixed-gender settings.

Other students said they are more open to the idea.

“It will be a fun and cool experience, definitely unique,” senior Jack Johnston said.

Math teacher Claire Cassidy said she does not believe that advisory time would benefit from this change. Cassidy, who currently has a junior advisory, explained that she has experienced mixed-gender advisories at a different school and knows that, “it becomes more of a social gathering.”

World Languages teacher Dr. Jeffrey Feland is optimistic about the opening for coed advisories.

“Students are in a mixed gender environment in classes; there’s nothing in advisory that involves content specifically for girls or boys,” Feland said. “I think that students have to learn to be respectful of other genders.”

Ahead of implementing mixed-gender advisories, Campeau spoke with

deans and advisory coordinators who offer similar programs at other independent schools. He was eager to learn more about how the programs operated but is not aiming to adopt anything identical.

“We cannot simply copy-paste something done elsewhere and expect that it will translate the same way here,” Campeau said. “Everything we do at Sage Hill is with purpose and must address the wants and needs of our community.”

The overall message and structure of the advisory will not be changing, Campeau emphasized.

“We will still promote character education, wellness, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and our advisors will still offer individual support and guidance to our students,” Campeau said.

David Kim | The Bolt

(Right) Lauren Popkowski, associate director of college counseling, with her advisory in 2022.

AP African American Studies Bending the Arc of History Toward Justice

By Phoebe Pan

Would nearly as many people know that the College Board was adding AP African American Studies to its course offerings if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hadn’t tried to cancel it before it was even a part of any curriculum? While many would celebrate the addition of the new area of study, the majority of attention toward AP African American Studies has likely stemmed from its undesired role in the latest conservative culture war. In his attempts to discredit the new course, DeSantis is instead unintentionally drawing attention to what is otherwise a welcomed new AP class.

The highly-anticipated course was officially introduced on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month. After consulting over 300 experts in the field and multiple years of development of the course, College Board officially announced the implementation of the new AP offering in the 2024-2025 school year. With a focus on essential events and figures in African American history and significant intellectual contributions of Black thought, the course is intended to introduce students to a more concentrated and indepth view of African American history and culture. Course developers added that the curriculum emphasizes the stories of African Americans of diverse backgrounds, highlighting individuals who may be overlooked in a standard American History class. The course is especially unique in its structure, as it includes a student project section which contributes to the student’s exam score.

While other specialized history and social studies courses exist, Dr. Nisha Kunte, who teaches Ethnic Studies at Sage Hill, explains

that an AP class specifically geared toward the study of African American history could have immense intellectual benefits for students. She added that while students are presumably exposed to some important elements of Black history through their history and English classes, a year-long course focused on this topic will provide students with opportunities to potentially practice critical analysis from new perspectives.

Currently, Sage Hill is not planning to offer AP African American Studies, Assistant Head of School for Academics Dr. Matt Balossi wrote in an email. He explains that Sage Hill’s course creation process is thorough and can take a considerable amount of time due to the necessary reviews undertaken by curriculum committees and in this case the History department. However, school officials may consider adding AP African American Studies in the near future, Balossi wrote.

Some may wonder how this controversy in Florida impacts us, students at a private school in California which isn’t even planning to offer this class in the near future. Though this issue may seem isolated and not directly relevant to our school routines, this question concerns policies behind not only what we are taught, but also how we are taught. After DeSantis’ initial attack against the new AP class, the College Board was put on the defensive and reportedly scaled back the course’s range of topics, removing subjects like the Black Lives Matter movement, slavery reparations, Black queer studies and intersectionality—how identity markers like race, class, and gender interact and inform perspectives—and from the course’s required topics. Now Florida’s threats to create bad publicity

for the College Board and pull funding for all AP tests have affected its testing curriculum—curriculum which could also affect us. While this concern may seem exclusive to AP African American Studies, similar challenges to AP curriculum could easily arise later on if DeSantis’ dispute with College Board sets such a precedence. What happens, if say, Texas takes issue with AP U.S. History or decides to stop offering AP World History?

Clearly, this development has dangerous implications for the future of educational standards and censorship. Additionally, DeSantis’ fight against AP African American Studies is problematic on various levels, as his rejection of this new course raises the issue of political hypocrisy. DeSantis, among other conservative leaders, claims to be a strong advocate for free speech and has condemned “cancel culture” on various occasions; however, his dispute with the College Board seems inconsistent with these stated beliefs. Likewise, his use of political power as leverage over College Board, a private nonprofit organization, seems to contradict his strong belief in small government and the independence of private entities.

DeSantis’ perspective towards the AP African American Studies course is faulty on multiple levels, as this platform is built upon assumptions toward the “standard” educational system and the nature of conventional history classes like AP U.S. History. DeSantis and his followers are attacking AP African American Studies as historically inaccurate and an instrument of indoctrination to “woke” culture, but this viewpoint assumes that “traditional” history classes are objective and eternal in their content, which we know to be untrue. History has

THE BOLT

The Bolt is a student newspaper and serves the public forum at Sage Hill School. Its content - news, editorial, opinion, and feature - is protected by Education Code 48907, the state student rights law and the California Constitution which guarantees all citizens the right of freedom of speech and of the press. The Bolt accepts signed letters to the editor from members of the Sage Hill Community which may be posted as comments to our website, lightningboltonline. com, or addressed to editor-in-chiefs Lauren Chung, Noe Lee, or Xinyi Xie and put in their mailboxes on campus. These letters may not exceed 150 words or they will be edited for inclusion.

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Grant Franey

always been told from a specific point of view, and new topics and discoveries can help us gain a more complete and comprehensive understanding.

This fear of the new AP course also suggests that AP African American Studies will replace other history courses, which is not true at all. Just as history electives like AP Psychology or AP Government require prerequisite courses, such as World History and U.S. History, AP African American Studies classes could require students to complete more standard courses before taking on this specialized course. In fact, contrary to DeSantis’ belief, some states could make such classes the standard in coming years. Dr. Kunte mentioned that California intends to add ethnic studies courses as a graduation requirement in 2030, indicating the future of standardized education.

While DeSantis’ attack on the College Board has obviously led to adverse effects, it has also, ironically, brought more attention to the very class that he wants to erase through this dispute. Unfortunately for the governor and those who share his view, such anti-”woke” perspectives will continue to be challenged in the coming years, as more states are implementing DEI requirements and welcoming the addition of more courses centered on the experiences of long overlooked groups. Though the College Board agreed to compromise to an extent, their resistance to political pressures could establish the AP African American Studies course as a milestone in inclusive education.

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Editors-in-Chief Lauren Chung (Bolt), Noelani Lee (Bolt), Xinyi Xie (Bolt), Phoebe Pan (Online)

Advisers Jennifer Kucera, Daniel Langhorne

Editorial Board Isabella De Leon, Yasmin Dennis, Alia Sajjadian, Roya Yaghmai, Grace Yan

Teacher SpoTlighT : “M aThTiMe” wiTh K elly M ay

By Riley Robinson

Kelly May has been teaching at Sage Hill for 13 years. She currently teaches Precalculus and Accelerated Precalculus. She’s previously taught Algebra and AP Calculus.

May attended Chapman University on a presidential scholarship where she played soccer and majored in physical therapy, a profession she believed she would end up pursuing. However, after spending many hours in training rooms and tending to many injuries, she began to rethink her future career choices and started to pursue teaching.

She transferred to California State University Long Beach after switching majors where she took high level math courses and graduated. The person who greatly inspired her to pursue what she loved while making math fun was her Precalculus and AP Calculus teacher, Mr. Cal. He incorporated competitions and games during classes to keep the students interested and competitive while forming relationships with their peers.

“Math in high school was always so much fun…It was like solving a puzzle,‘’ May said.

She had already started “teaching” during her middle school years when her friends would struggle with math problems and she would personally help them to understand the material better.

On the same day she resigned from her job at her previous school, May found out that Sage Hill was looking for a part-time math teacher.

After attending some interviews and sharing demos with classes, it was clear May would have an extraordinary effect on the Sage Hill community.

May says that her favorite thing to teach her Precalculus classes is trigonometry because it continues throughout the whole year, but truly, every unit is a joy to teach. When asked what aspect of math she wishes everyone could understand, she said it is the “skill set you get while taking math classes because it is so valuable throughout your whole life, even if you don’t do specific math problems ever again; the skill to solve complex problems is so important.”

May also loves that Sage Hill has such a caring student body since they are so engaged and interested to learn and make her classroom setting so much fun. Her favorite part about teaching math is when students realize that math doesn’t have to be a miserable process with complex formulas and complicated equations, and can be a fun process “where you collaborate with your ‘math families’ and make good relationships with the peers around you.” She has learned to “always be prepared” for her classes in case students ask questions from a completely different perspective than she has ever thought of.

In her free time, May coaches her daughter’s soccer team and is a big soccer fan herself. Her advice for seniors leaving for college is to “get to know who you are and be flexible as far as changing paths,” similarly to how she went from wanting to pur-

sue a career in physical therapy to becoming an educator. “Life can take you on different paths that change your life and you should be open to it. Just be willing to adjust to whatever comes to you,” May said. Another piece of advice she follows from her dad is to “never trust a blinker.” “Nev-

er assume you know what others or opportunities will end up doing, wait for them to follow through” May said.

club SpoTlighT : club r efaShionS a greener fu Ture , one ou TfiT aT a TiMe

By Isabella De Leon

Founded by sophomore Anna Yang last September, the Reimagined Club attempts to decrease unnecessary clothing and fabric waste through upcycling: the process of creatively transforming unused materials to have a new purpose.

In March 2022, Anna first created her own clothing label, Stars Forever, to sell hand-made masks and other clothing items. Seeing potential in her old clothes and developing her sewing skills, Anna decided to upcycle her clothes to give them a new life -like by adding rhinestones or ribbon. After creating her collection called “Reimagined,” Anna and Reimagined Vice President Sofia Jellen wanted to expand the outreach of Anna’s brand to the Sage Hill community by focusing on fashion sustainability.

“Fashion is self expression… I hope through my designs and my brand other girls can express themselves,” Anna said.

As a club, Reimagined hopes to prevent unnecessary waste by encouraging the donation of clothes that would otherwise be thrown out. Club members also host educational seminars, discussion forums and upcycling workshops during X-block to “give clothes a new life,” Anna said. “We hope to inform others about the negative environmental impact of

fashion waste.”

“By supporting anti-fast-fashion organizations, we are changing the lives of the women currently stuck and exploited in fast fashion factories,” Anna said.

“It’s understandable for some consumers to feel guilty, Anna said. She encourages her peers to be conscious to decrease “green guilt”—the feeling of not doing everything possible to shop and live sustainably—as no one is able to be perfectly sustainable all the time.

In terms of future aspirations, the club plans to hold a reimagined clothes fashion show at the end of the year and attend the Earth Day Summit in Los Angeles. The Earth Day Summit’s goal is to begin changing the culture of consumption through carbon sequestration and sustainable agriculture methods. At the summit, Reimagined will be a part of a marketplace where other attendees can shop sustainable products in addition to hearing from keynote speakers.

Anna said she hopes to “continue advocating for self love and self confidence, especially as a young woman,” and “upcycle clothes for fashion sustainability and to reimagine lives.”

Grace Yan | The Bolt

Mathematics teacher Kelly May in her classroom.

Anna Yang | The Bolt

Reimagined Club members Renna Hamoui and Sofia Jellen upcycling old jeans into fashionable pieces.

Sage Prosthetics Changes Lives With 3D Printed Limbs

By Brooke Thomassen

While the rest of Sage Hill students rush down the steps from the parking lot for their 8 a.m. classes, a dedicated group of students known as the Sage Prosthetics is just leaving the library after their zero period elective, 3D Design, Modeling and Fabrication.

These students are part of both the class taught by Tanya Lerch, science teacher and assistant director of the Sage Center for service learning and outreach, and the Sage Prosthetics Service Learning Group. Together, they use their morning class time and Sage Center Days to design 3D printed prosthetic limbs for children and adults all over the world with disabilities.

The service learning group partners with the nonprofit, e-NABLE, which is made up of 40,000 volunteers internationally that have provided over 10,000 recipients with free hand and arm prosthetic limbs. Lerch brought e-NABLE to Sage Hill School in 2016 by launching Sage Prosthetics. The group has already helped over 50 recipients with their prosthetics, shipping plastic hands internationally to Pakistan and Romania and domestically to Idaho, Massachusetts, and Florida.

“Making the prosthetics requires a lot of trial and error,” Senior Lio Balossi said about using the 3D printers. His favorite

part is “seeing the positive impact of our work on the recipients.”

Similarly, senior Annie Ta said “applying what I learn in the classroom with 3D printing to better the community around me” is the most rewarding part of Sage Prosthetics. Annie also said she was moved by the difference these devices can make in the recipients’ lives.

One such recipient is Tudor, a five year old boy from Romania. He received a hand made with his favorite superheroes’ colors from Sage Hill students Lorelei Jorden, Ennika Carlson and Kevin Conway.

Seniors Arman Sajjadian, Anyssa Dang, Carson McNeill and Sarah Pacheco are currently printing and assembling the program’s first shoulder-powered device for a person with an arm amputated above the elbow.

In early January, the four seniors were honored as recipients of the Youth Leadership for Service-Learning Excellence Award, Sage Prosthetics will receive a $1,000 grant to support its program. The students were invited to present their project this April at the National Service-Learning Conference in Nashville, Tenn.

February Crossword

Tudor, a five-year-old Romanian, uses a hand fabricated by Sage Prosthetics.

Tanya Lerch

Megha Majumdar Inspires Sage Hill Storytellers

By Grace Yan

On Jan. 31, award-winning author Megha Majumdar visited Sage Hill to share her experiences and lessons learned while writing her debut novel, “A Burning.”

Sophomores read the novel as a part of Sage Hill’s English curriculum earlier this school year. Her visit was scheduled for two parts. The afternoon session was both exclusive and mandatory for Sage Hill sophomores, and it mainly addressed activities or topics that English II classes covered throughout the quarter.

Throughout her evening session for the Sage Center Speaker Series, she led the audience through a series of writing exercises aimed at inspiring their own story.

“Everyone in the room who writes or engages in any art form knows that it is hard. Why is it hard? It’s an act of confronting failure each day,” Majumdar said.

During the first session, four sophomore representatives chosen by each English II teacher presented a summary of the activities they did in their respective English classes, from writing alternative endings to general discussion on the novel’s themes and plot. For the novel, “A Burning,” the English classes focused on the core competency, character: which is to act mindfully, morally, and with awareness of one’s impact on others. Then another four sophomore

representatives stepped forward and asked Majumdar a question from their class. After the presentation was over, sophomores lined up for a book signing session and took individual photos with the bestselling author.

Sophomore Melody Yu describes the experience as “broadening and engaging. It was interesting to see the contrasts between the discussions in [the classroom] and what [Majumdar] personally felt about the writing and the story. It’s almost as if we’re peering ‘backstage.’”

Majumdar shed more light on her experiences and writing process in the evening session at the Black Box Theater. She was born in Kolkata, India, and attended Harvard University as an undergraduate before working in the publishing industry for several years and interacting with authors from diverse backgrounds and working on their stories together. Her work experience made her realize her own passion for writing, and helped her answer important questions she hoped to ask.

For Majumdar, writing is “an instrument for thinking about the real world. Stories are meant to ask deep, real-world questions.” Majumdar was partially inspired to write “A Burning” by reading newspapers about her home country about the rise of right-wing nationalism. She became interested in the story of the people beyond the news, who lived hidden lives, striving for their own goals.

With her vision in mind, she wrote the novel, originally titled “A Train Burns in Bengali.” Through her characters, she explored different themes such as power, morality, and justice. She encouraged everyone to write their own stories about the question they wish to ask about the

world.

To all aspiring authors, Majumdar said, “The greatest artistic commitment you can undertake is to believe in yourself, your vision, and devote yourself to pursue your vision with discipline.”

Megha Majumdar with sophomore students before a book signing.

Courtesy of Sage Hill School

Megha Majumdar speaking at the Sage Center Speaker Series on Jan. 31.

Courtesy of Sage Hill School

Valentine’s Day: Sold to Many, Tailored to Few

By Jesse Lew

Valentine’s Day is one of few holidays based around a single emotion, the experience of love in its case. The only other widely celebrated holiday in Western culture that could even compare would be the other candy-exchanging celebration, Halloween, which is based on the single emotion of fear. Valentine’s Day stretches the definition of candy to include heart-shaped antacids riddled with typos. Regardless, Valentine’s Day is still often mentioned in the same breath as Halloween, Christmas, the Fourth of July, and other big names in the world of Western tradition. Does Feb. 14 really deserve the prominent title of “holiday” in the collective American consciousness or are we as a society better off without it?

Let’s just rip the pink Band-Aid off now. The idea of commercializing love is weird. Everyone knows the common gripe about any holiday: that corpora-

tions are the real beneficiaries of national and international celebrations. While cynical and trite, this argument definitely has some merit, especially concerning Valentine’s Day, a day centered around the unifying human experience of love. This is not to say other holidays like Christmas don’t owe their identity to something significant, but it’s all the more jarring to see that corporations have no qualms about hijacking such a central human experience for a few extra zeros in their bottom line.

With the scent of that sweet legal tender reaching their nostrils, companies are willing to spend a fortune to ensure that not a soul is unaware of their Valentine’s Day deals. This includes those by their lonesome, voluntarily or otherwise. Herein lies the darker side of the Valentine’s season. Especially for those in happy romantic relationships, it can be quite easy to forget that Feb. 14 is not necessarily fun for everyone. The tradi-

tional view of Valentine’s Day as a day for lovers and lovers only caters to quite the exclusive demographic. It can be rather obnoxious to people not in romantic relationships; from the moment February begins, everyone can expect a great influx of media promoting the outmoded notion that romantic love is the only love worth celebrating. That sentiment is faulty. While romantic love is a wonderful aspect of life and is worth celebrating, it represents only one facet of love, which is frankly too abstract of an idea to pigeonhole in that way. This message hides behind a facade of frilly pink hearts and flying babies, but its effects can be far less charming. By limiting the scope of love deemed to be important, people who lack this particular form of love may feel invalidated even if their lives are teeming with other forms of love such as with their family, friends, or themselves.

Valentine’s Day should be one of the most revered and joyfully celebrated hol-

Pison Jaujip | Creative Commons

idays in the course of a year. In a world rife with sentiments of hate, worth celebrating a holiday wherein love is placed front and center. But for many, all this day reminds them of is the gross commodification of love and the one-size-fits-all meaning it seems to have taken up. This is not the 95 Theses of Valentine’s Day and there will be no Valentine’s Reformation. However, there are some things that ought to change if Valentine’s ever were to be a genuine celebration of love; a complex and multifaceted wonder. This column does not have the ability to change how an entire holiday is celebrated. It won’t even meet paper until after Valentine’s Day has passed, but it’s really just about love and how it’s far more personal and variable than some would like to acknowledge. I encourage anyone reading to reflect on the love in their life in all its forms, whether or not the calendar says to.

Festival Features Student Written, Directed One Acts

By Noe Lee

All spotlights fired up during Sage Hill’s annual One Acts Festival last month, showcasing actors of all grades in a performance of Theatre Ensemble’s direction and script writing. Featuring nine pieces running mostly eight to 10 minutes long, the show beheld moments not only of laugh-out-loud lines, but also of thought-provoking loss and intellectual exploration.

Each act brought something new to the stage as the students’ stories were brought to life by the interpretation of each actor and director. Senior writer and director Alex Yoak’s work, “A Tale of Two Deities,” left the audience in silence as the stage explored the complex relationship of life and death.

Arushi Chokshi, senior director and student coordinator, said she enjoys working with fellow Sage Hill students because they always commit themselves to their roles.

“Directing and executing a performance took a lot of hard work as well [as] patience. Trusting the process is key

when putting together a production, because everything comes together [within] five days [of] the show, ” Chokshi said.

Theatre teacher Mary Kildare expanded on the depth of commitment each student invested in their performance.

“[I asked my students], ‘what do you want our community to be thinking about or to question?” Kildare said. “There was something in this year’s One Acts for everyone… I was really happy with [the directors’] work.,

Kildare added that she believes it’s really important to give students the opportunity to express themselves.

As the curtains close on the winter season’s One Acts Festival, the Sage Hill community continues to support student creation and foster a supportive environment of learning and sharing. While reflecting on this year’s One Acts, it is important to recognize the hours of hard work, practice and diligence each participating student put into this year’s show.

Sophomore Naomi Tran (left) and freshman Mia Ciuni in “The Manager. “

Turkey’s Earthquake is a Warning for California

By Mirablle Jiang

On Feb. 6, Turkey and Syria awoke to a 7.8 magnitude earthquake raining debris down upon their homes. The earthquake, striking heaviest in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, is the deadliest and most powerful earthquake that the two countries have seen in centuries. While countless buildings collapsed, the death toll has climbed past 50,000 as rescue teams continue search in the wreckage. On Feb. 7, glimmers of hope emerged from the despair when, nine survivors were dug out of the rubble. Still, pressure on relief organizations has continued to grow as the demand for shelters from almost a million homeless Turkish and Syrian refugees persists. To rally the spirits of his people, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to rebuild the homes now lying in ruins and overcome thee challenges — just as the country has countless times before.

While thousands of well wishers in America have come together to support those who lost their lives in the Earthquake, many have expressed concern for the possibility of a similar tragedy occurring on our side of the Atlantic. Both California’s

San Andreas Fault and Turkey’s East Anatolian Faults are examples of strike-slip faults, where tectonic plates slide horizontally across each other, Geophysicist David Oglsbey said. This similarity means that the San Andreas Fault is also capable of producing a magnitude 8 earthquake right here in Southern California, one even larger than the one that demolished hundreds of cities in Turkey and Syria. In fact, seismologists have continued to warn Californians about the possibility of the “Big One” striking anywhere from Los Angeles to San Francisco in the next 30 years.

When an earthquake hits, a crucial factor in minimizing destruction is the rigorous implementation of building codes. Though Turkey’s construction codes meet earthquake-safe engineering standards, endemic corruption is suspected in contractors rarely enforcing them when developing buildings. The Turkish government has arrested over 100 contractors who have been accused of corrupt building practices that resulted in the collapse of thousands of buildings. Though the construction code is enforced tighter in California, flaws still slip through and remain unnoticed. For example, many buildings use non-ductile concrete construc-

First responders search rubble for survivors after

earthquake in Turkey tion, known for their flaws in the face of strong earthquakes, and as many as 640 unenforced masonry buildings, deemed dangerous and likely to be severely damaged in a quake, still stand in more than a dozen cities. With the stark example of the Kah-

ramanmaras Earthquake in mind, it is crucial for danger zones, such as Southern California, to prepare itself for what will eventually come, and take measures to prevent such a tragedy from occurring yet again.

The Song of Resilience

By Kourtney Tetteh-Martey and Alia Sajjdian

Black History Month is a time to commemorate the contributions of Black individuals in the United States. Although this month for reflection originated in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland also recognize it. While it is important to acknowledge, learn about, and dissect the obstacles to equality and equity black people have faced, it is critical to celebrate and uplift their accomplishments as well. Many Americans have knowledge of the treacherous trans-Atlantic slave trade, Jim Crow laws, and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement like Martin Luther King, Jr. Information regarding Harriet Tubman’s underground railroad and Malcolm X’s advocacy of Black empowerment decorates school textbooks. However, the indelible impact Black musicians have had on American pop culture is often unheralded. From soulful blues to toe-tapping jazz, Black musicians have helped shape the lively, diverse musical world. This Black History Month, SAME aims to highlight the influence of many of these incredible voices.

Born in the Deep South amidst an atmosphere of institutionalized racism and hateful rhetoric, blues music made its first appearance in the U.S. in the late 19th century, and took root in the 20th century. Characterized by intense emotion,

this African-American-created music inspired countless individuals and influenced the creation of other genres like jazz, rock, and country music. Many notable blues songs such as “Uncle Sam Says” by Joshua White and Maggie Jones’s “Northbound Blues” discussed the adversity Black Americans faced because of oppression. Despite these turbulent challenges, Black artists did not shy away from utilizing music as a form of self-expression and transforming the music industry. Famed blues singer Etta James broke racial barriers and gained popularity through her hit songs. Despite constant discrimination, she persisted in her work and continued to become an indispensable figure in connecting the aforementioned genres of music with blues music. Like James, many other blues artists defied racial restrictions and defined their roles in American pop culture as trailblazers.

In addition to molding blues music, Black artists transformed the jazz world. One of the giants of American music in the 20th century was jazz musician Louis Armstrong. His trademark gravelly voice and masterful improvisations on trumpet made him an influential figure of the jazz movement. His songs, like “What a Wonderful World” and “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” are timeless classics and undisputed staples of American music. Duke Ellington, a pianist and composer, showcased the dynamic sounds of the American orchestra and defined big band music. Another exemplary figure is

Ella Fitzgerald, a singer often referred to as the “First Lady of Song.” She won fourteen Grammy awards in her 50-year-long career and sold over 40 million albums. Throughout American history, Black musicians have fought against acts of prejudice that pervade American society to emerge as significant figures in the music industry. The influence of iconic African American artists is not one of the past; Black

singers continue to help create America’s musical identity. Individuals like Beyoncé and Drake bring new ideas to music while paving the way for future Black artists. Historically, Black singers have used music as a crucial mode of activism, expression, and a way to bring people together. While they have produced a range of noteworthy songs, there is one theme that unites them all: the song of resilience

Insani Yardim | Creative Commons

the February

Courtesy of Sage Hill School Blues singer and spoken-word artist Shy but Flyy share a spoken word performance on February 8th.

Whale: A Tale of Struggle

By Isabella Palacio

Making its debut in theaters in December of 2022, A24’s The Whale racked up just over $10 million. The independent film company is renowned for creating complex characters and tackling challenging narratives while producing massive hits like HBO’s Euphoria, horror films like Hereditary and X, and comingof-age tales like Lady Bird. Naturally, The Whale garnered much attention amongst film critics and moviegoers alike, but also faced controversy following its initial debut.

The Whale stars Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a 600-pound gay college English professor who is on the verge of death but refuses to seek medical treatment. His dying wish is to reconnect with his teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink) whom he hasn’t seen for eight years. Throughout the film, viewers are placed in the center of Charlie’s living room, forced to wallow through his weakening vitality found in each crunch of a chocolate candy bar, and every groan echoed through the apartment walls, as he attempts to lift himself from the depths of the sofa.

The film contains a graphic

nature, as viewers stand by Charlie’s binge-eating episodes, self-isolation, and struggle to connect with Ellie. She is on the verge of flunking, bullies others online for self-fulfillment, and blames Charlie for leaving her due to his secret affair with another man. Rather than attempting to change Ellie’s outlook on life, Charlie is compliant with her behavior. The most disturbing fact is that Charlie is aware that his life is coming to an end, yet he does not do anything to prevent it.

There is no doubt that Fraser offers an emotional complexity to his character, portraying the challenges of navigating parenthood, sexuality, and grief. However, despite his captivating performance, many critics call out the film for being fatphobic. In the film, Fraser wears a 300-pound fat suit. Several argue that it would’ve been more appropriate to hire an obese actor, while others say that it would be difficult to find someone in the industry who matched Charlie’s physique. Additionally, Fraser identifies as heterosexual, while a core part of Charlie’s story is his identity as a gay man. The film adds to the ongoing debate of whether or not filmmakers should hire LGBTQ+ actors for such roles.

Such criticisms have left viewers wondering whether or not Fraser’s performance is dehumanizing towards people struggling with obesity, and whether or not it was right for him to have told a story so different from his own. Regardless of its criticism, it is no doubt that The Whale has sparked important conversations

about varying stories and how they can be more accurately portrayed in the media.

As for Fraser, his performance in The Whale was bone-chilling and truly captivating across all audiences. Some may refer to his performance as the best of the year.

Previously on The Real “Royals” of Montecito

According to a Newsweek poll, the couple lost points in American public opinion and likeability since the release of Netflix’s documentary and Harry’s autobiography “Spare.”

By Anne Chen

The public’s criticism of pop culture grows more and more each day. Everywhere we turn, there is a new Tweet slandering nepotism babies, low blows towards undeserving influencers, and as of late, criticisms of the royal couple who “just want a normal life”. It doesn’t help that Netflix’s documentary “Harry and Meghan” and Prince Harry’s recent memoir are discussed in the same trashy tabloid-like manner that is used surrounding the likes of “The

Real Housewives.”

Since the couple decided to step down from the royal family three years ago, the general perception of them has shifted from progressive modern royalty to Hollywood-style celebrities. Living in their picturesque mansion in Montecito, Calif., Harry and Meghan share their story through interviews, often in the comfort of their lavish living room. While telling one’s own narrative should always be respected, the couple’s approach in doing so spurred controversy and repelled many viewers.

In particular, viewers are angered by the couple’s hypocrisy. Voices in the media called them out for consistently putting themselves in the limelight and profiting from dragged-out discussions about the royal family, all while claiming their independence from it. Moreover, many are roused by Harry and Meghan’s seeming lack of self-awareness and sense of reality. Harry’s self-portrayal as a normal person who buys IKEA lamps and eats takeout, and Meghan’s initial “quirky” cluelessness about basic curtsy protocol annoyed viewers even more. Public disapproval grows with each interview, and the more Harry and Meghan say, the more it seems to backfire. After all, there is only so much sympathy the public can extend to modern royalty.

However, there is no doubt that influencers, talk show hosts, and podcasts in the media can be unnecessarily cruel. Regardless of the couple’s shortcomings that surfaced through recent features, their narrative should not be completely disparaged. As “Spare” reveals, the death of Princess Diana distorted Harry’s entire life, as it would with any person who loses their mother. More shockingly was his confession-

al vulnerability, as he shared about childhood panic attacks and a history of self-medicating with hallucinogenic drugs. Yet, his narrative was often comical as he revealed the wild interior behind his polished outward appearance. Despite the controversy, other viewers applauded the couple for speaking up and sharing personal stories.

Both the documentary and memoir explored the humanity of the couple and attempted to uncover the realities of the royal institution, yet they only scratched the surface of important issues. While the series directed some focus on the Commonwealth’s origins and the UK’s historic involvement in colonialism and the slave trade, the couple focused on the royal family’s treatment of themselves. Most notable was a past interview with Oprah Winfrey, where Meghan revealed royal discussions about the color of her baby’s skin tone, and underlying notes about her biracial identity. In “Spare”, Harry notes internal strife over family members, especially Prince William, and his relationship with the family since their parting.

With various opinions rampant all over the media, the frenzy surrounding Harry and Meghan is a testament to a change in the relationship between royalty and the public eye in the age of tabloids and Oprah.

Photo Courtesy of A24 Films

Brendan Fraser acting as the lead character Charlie in The Whale.

Mark Jones | Creative Commons

Prince Harry and Meghan