THE BOLT

The BOLT

Sage Hill School 20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, CA 92657

A Week of Excitement

Sage Hill’s Homecoming Week is as spirited as ever

By Arya Rawal

The Sage Hill community definitely does not take Homecoming Week lightly, as students and staff showed off their creativity and Lightning pride throughout Spirit Week, which was coordinated by the hardworking Student Council.

From October 17 to 21, the school was introduced to various themes for each day to correspond their outfits with. The week started with a classic: Pajama Day. Students and faculty showed up to campus in everything from sweatpants to onesies, including the very popular green and white Sage Hill plaid pajama pants. Tuesday was Twin Day, which saw participants choose one or more people to match outfits with, coordinating head

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Oct. 22nd.

to toe even with accessories, like cowboy hats, pearl necklaces and sunglasses. On Wednesday, White Lie Day featured stu dents and faculty wearing white shirts with lies written on them. For example, many shirts expressed white lies of “I’m always on time” or “I’m never late.” On Thursday, which was Jersey Day, the school was filled with sports jerseys representing peo ple’s favorite sports teams. During lunch, the Parents Association served multiple flavors of gelato and offered a table filled with toppings. On Friday, which was Pep Rally Day, everyone wore their grade level T-shirts, representing different colors for each grade.

Later that Friday, the Sage Hill com munity gathered to support their football team during the annual Homecoming Tail gate. Multiple freshmen said the food was

I had an amazing time and it really felt like a tight-knit community.

delicious, provided by food trucks that served burgers, fried chicken, dumplings and more. There was also a photo booth, with props such as bright pink sunglass es, pink, blue, and black boas, and a variety of hats. Freshmen Isaac Alegria said “everyone was happy,” while others said they enjoyed the music. Another, Vera Yang, said, “the best part was how much enthusiasm people had.”

During the Homecoming football game, which was themed Pink Out, our Lightning football team played Chadwick and won 56 to 32. As it was also Senior Night, the Sage Hill community celebrat ed the seniors on the football team and Dance Teams by presenting them with flowers, pictures with family members, sashes, and more.

On Saturday night, the Homecoming

Dance featured space-themed decora tions in the science parking lot with a dig ital photo booth and miniature stages for students to gather and dance to the DJ’s music. One senior said that the “worst part was having to leave early,” while another, Sunny Sun, spoke about how her “favorite part was that they had snacks and water in the front.”

“I thought Homecoming was a successful event that brought our stu dent body together,” freshman co-chair Ella Wong said. “I really enjoyed seeing students letting loose and not thinking about the academic rigor of our school for a little bit.”

Overall, the week of the Homecoming Dance and football game was filled with school spirit, fun, and excitement.

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- Naomi Tran

Jianing Li | The Bolt

Students have fun at the Homecoming Dance on

Women, Life, Freedom

By Alia Sajjadian

The death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Ami ni was the spark that set fire to over 40 years of suppressed frustration experienced by the people of Iran. Following her death on Sept. 16, after she was detained by Iran’s morality police for inadequately veiling her hair as required by law, Iranian citizens have taken to the streets and risked their lives protesting against the oppression of women. The street protests with the battle cry, “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi” (Wom en, Life, Freedom), have become an arena to reject mandatory dress codes, restriction of free speech, limited educational opportunities and governmental corruption. Adding to this outrage is widespread unemployment, stifling inflation (which is nearly 40%), and economic stagnation resulting from international sanc tions.

Even with limited internet access, the pro testors have deftly used social media to broad cast their plight, even at great personal risk and the international community has taken notice. Iranian expatriates and advocates for women’s rights in the United States, Canada and Europe have joined in a collective protest, amplifying the call for women’s rights and re-invigorated the cry to end the Iranian regime.

This specific tragedy has united citizens of all classes to rally against the oppression of women in Iran. More broadly, these protests are a repudiation of the Islamic Republic of Iran by a generation of young citizens (60% of whom are under 30) who were born into this system and long for a free Iran known to their parents and grandparents prior to the Revolu tion of 1979. The viral song “Barye Azadi” (“For Freedom’’), written and performed by 25-yearold Shervin Hajiaghapour, encapsulates the movement’s fervor. It voices their grievances for taking to the streets: for their sisters, for the shame of poverty, for the imprisoned brilliant minds and for the young children rummaging through trash and for peace of mind.

Another defiant citizen and athlete, Elnaz Rekabi, competed without her headscarf at a recent international wall climbing competition inspiring revolutionary activists. Like others who have publicly dissented, both Hajiaghpour and Rebaki temporarily disappeared without explanation. Despite the danger, more public figures have joined the movement and have

magnified the cause on an international scale.

Although Iranians have mounted protests against their repressive government several times since 1979, this movement is different. Thus far, the unrelenting opposition is the strongest uprising in the regime’s history, which the Islamic Republic of Iran unwitting ly acknowledges. They have blamed foreign countries for allegedly sponsoring coup d’etat efforts, imprisoned student leaders, threatened the lives of their family members and fired live ammunition into crowds of protestors. With each passing week, the Revolutionary Guard (Iran’s paramilitary force) has staged increas ingly ruthless crackdowns and has so far killed

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 editors-in-chief 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.

over 300 people.

Despite the regime’s brutality, young Irani ans, particularly young women, have contin ued to lead the civil unrest. They have walked out of classrooms in unison, publicly cut their hair and burned their headscarves. While the stance against the mandatory dress code is a blatant rebuff of the government’s author ity over women, their actions have become symbolic of the broader rejection of the cur rent regime by Iranians from diverse socioeco nomic backgrounds. The bravery of the Iranian women is the underpinning of this movement and their historic leadership has awakened the broader call for freedom in Iran.

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

Lauren Chung

Noelani Lee

Xinyi Xie Phoebe Pan Grace Yan

Yasmin Dennis

Alia Sajjadian

Isabella De Leon Roya Yaghmai

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

Advisors Jennifer Kucera, Daniel Langhorne

Eric Luth (WMSE)

Protestors rally against the death of Mahsa Amini in Stockholm on Oct. 15.

Lights! Camera! aCtion!

By Fiori Lee

The Sage Hill School The atre Program presented its fall play, “Almost, Maine.” Theatre teacher and director Mary Kildare chose the play to em phasize the human connections we were unable to have during the pandemic.

The performance was a series of short interconnected stories about a diverse group of people and their unique situa tions involving love. From a girl telling a boy she loved him for the first time to a married couple falling out of love, everyone in the audience found something in these scenes they could relate to.

“Almost, Maine” was a rollercoaster that had audience members laughing, gasping and crying. They were kept on the edge of their seats, especially during a scene where a couple was looking for a boot they misplaced when it unexpectedly dropped from the theatrr ceiling. Each scene had the audience wondering what was next.

The playwright, John Cari ani, alternates between a variety of scenes. Some were sweet evocative exchanges and some dialogue were so awkward that they were comical, making the audience chuckle. Cariani incor porates idioms of love, making them literal. In one scenario,

actors evoke laughs when they fall to the ground as they “fall” in love with each other.

The rows of seats in the Studio at Sage Hill were put away and replaced with foldable chairs, creating a more intimate feel. A simple set consisting of Christmas fir trees and powdery snow set the winter tone for the show. The actors were decked out in full warm winter gear. A couple of them were even in ski outfits portraying a chilly Maine winter.

The stage crew did a fantas tic job using lighting to enhance the atmosphere throughout the play. The flickering colors of the northern lights on the stage back wall transported the audience to Maine. Additionally, carefully cu rated music also added another layer of depth to the show.

“I had an amazing time and it really felt like a tight-knit community. “Almost, Maine” allowed me to work with people I wouldn’t have normally,” sopho more Naomi Tran said.

The play offered opportuni ties for students from all grade levels to connect and work with one another, eventually showcasing their talents. The show sparked student interest in exploring Sage Hill’s theatre program and encouraged some to audition for the upcoming one act performances.

A Day of Remembrance

By Courtney Tetteh-Martey, Anyssa Dang, Alia Sajjadian, Navin Yogaratnam & Ralph Ho

Known as a time of gather ing to appreciate scrumptious food and the company of family, Thanksgiving traditionally com memorates the perseverance of the Pilgrims during their first winter. Based on that tradi tion, families gather to express gratitude for bountiful food and for the well-being of friends and family.

However, this holiday, as it is commonly celebrated, recognizes the history of white settlers and their grit in surviv ing as newcomers to Plymouth while overlooking the perspec tive of Native Americans. In 1620, British colonists sailed to Plymouth, Massachusetts on the Mayflower during the Age of Exploration to create a colony. Bombarded with the challenges of a tumultuous winter and dis ease outbreaks, half of the origi nal Pilgrims die. Glorified stories describe Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe, who later lived with the Wampanoags, played a crucial role in the survival of the unacclimated colonists.

With Squanto’s guidance, the colonists were able to adapt to the unfamiliar landscape, harvest local crops, avoid poi sonous plants, and even forge an integral alliance with a nearby tribe. This often repeated story

concludes with the newly settled Pilgrims and Wampanoags tribe harmoniously joining a great feast together that lasted several days. Historians recognize that this romanticized narrative is historically inaccurate at best –and fiction at worst –and is biased in favor of the colonist perspective.

Beyond this, from the standpoint of Native Americans, the Pilgrim’s presence and short-lived alliance is based on the exploitation of Indigenous resources to allow for colo nial expansion, and is marked by the spread of disease that obliterated their civilization. These factors created a shift in the balance of power to favor the colonists rather than the Wampanoag. This perspective is often overlooked beyond the Wampanoag who commemorate Thanksgiving as a National Day of Mourning and recognize the genocide that would occur in the years following the arrival of European settlers.

While the day after Thanks giving is commonly known as “Black Friday,” it is also Native American Heritage Day. As we gather with our families and enjoy a festive meal, we must also acknowledge the holiday’s complicated legacy and recog nize the experiences of Native Americans to have a complete view of this day.

Photo courtesy of Sage Hill School

The cast and crew of “Almost, Maine” on dress rehearsal day in The Studio at Sage Hill.

Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism A reenactor gardens in a recreated 17th-Century English Village at the Plimoth Patuxet Muse ums.

fall

Collaboration on the Court

Soccer Prepares to Strike!

By Madeleine Carroll and Ceyda Shamsai

As the fall season comes to a close, the excitement for both boys’ and girls’ soccer begins as they prepare for a busy season.

This year’s soccer players will be playing in a new, more competitive league full of challenges. However, the players have so far shown determination and grit while practicing for their upcoming games.

From the boys’ soccer team, sopho more Arman Ariaee says that his goal for the season is to, “work on improving my endurance. I think soccer is a great way to achieve this.”

During daily practices, the team works on speed, footwork and shooting drills. They will be focused on improving their technique and strategies for upcom ing games, while also having fun on the field.

Sophomore Jake Pirnazar exclaims his favorite part of soccer is the “team connection and shared feeling of wanting to win.”

The team pushes each other to col lectively improve, embody a competitive energy and remind one another to keep a positive mindset when playing.

The girls’ soccer team has also been working towards their goals. Going into a new season, the freshmen are enthu siastic about their first soccer season at Sage Hill.

Freshman Taite Nicholson says she’s looking forward to “becoming a better player” and “learning more about the sport.”

The seniors share the same feelings about their last season at Sage Hill. “I’m so pumped for the season. My main fo cus is to be a leader to these young girls’ and make our environment as supportive and fun as possible,” senior Eleni Engel brecht said.

Both soccer teams are training hard er than ever to face the competition in the new league and cannot wait for their first games of the year.

set, over the net, spike! The past few months have been a whirlwind of competitive fun for the girls’ volleyball team.

Starting the season in late August and wrapping up in mid-October, each team made the most of every practice and game, competing with vigor and bonding with peers along the way. Every game was filled with an abundance of rallies, killer serves and team spirit. The bleachers roared with each point as devoted fans cheered on the players and their effort.

“There was always so much positivity on the court,” freshman Soraya Dennis said. “I was able to meet many new peo ple, and because of everyone’s effort, we had an amazing season. My teammates were always supportive and I’m thankful for a great season.”

Throughout the season, the girls’ volleyball team worked on improving aspects of their playing. They succeeded in doing so, enhancing both their techni cal skills in addition to their team spirit—a

critical aspect of the game.

Although strangers at first, the team grew close, cheering on one another’s victories and offering a supportive hand during more difficult games.

Playing their respective parts, the liberos and defensive specialists learned to dig difficult hits over the net, the set ters hustled to set their hitters and the hitters finished the rally with a swing and a kill.

“As a returner, I was excited to see what the JV team would bring in the up coming season,” junior Carisa Koh said. “While we had a rough start at the begin ning of the season, our team persisted and started to trust one another and build team chemistry. We started to have long-serving runs against the opposing teams which helped contribute to our successes.”

The girls’ volleyball team fondly re flects upon this past season, with learned skills and new yet lasting friendships.

Chloe Lee | The Bolt

Seniors Paige Hess, Sophie Wang and Brooke Thomassen cheer with Junior Lola Yeh in Varsity Volleyball’s Senior Night match in the Ube.

Chloe Lee | The Bolt

The girls’ soccer team practices drills for their next game on Ramer Field.

By Yasmin Dennis Bump,

sports

Sage Hill Recognizes Senior Athletes

By Carson Green

As the fall sports season comes to a close, each team has had the oppor tunity to honor their respective seniors.

On Oct. 21, Lightning Football defeated their league rival, Chadwick, 56-32, giving them their seventh win of the season. Senior quarterback Carson Green had 355 total yards and six touchdowns, two of which were thrown to senior wide receiver Steven Karahalios.

“Senior Night was the most import ant game of the season because we got to play our rivals from last season and it was our biggest test of the sea son. For us seniors, we really wanted to beat Chadwick and took care of business to continue our streak from last season,” Karahalios said.

The varsity girls’ tennis team faced Laguna Hills on their Senior Night. Seniors Ava Herin, Kana Byrd, Lauren Chung, Roya Yaghmai, Sunny Sun and Aryana Shamlou led their team to vic tory in their final regular season home game.

“It was both happy and sad and I’m really glad I got to spend my senior year with my friends. I will not be playing in college so it is sad to [leave] the sport I love…. It got really person

al when the underclassmen gave the seniors speeches for us, as it showed us how connected we were as a team,” Shamlou said.

Boys’ water polo won their Senior Night matchup against league oppo nent, Woodbridge, 11-7. Senior Boden Wagner led the team with six goals, alongside fellow senior teammates Sacha Baniassad, Aaron Li, Zach Miller and Carson McNeill, helping the team get a crucial win against their rivals.

The girls’ volleyball team faced San Juan Hills on their Senior Night, coming up just short of victory. This year, the team was led by seniors Paige Hess, Noe Lee, Sophie Wang and Brooke Thomassen.

“Ever since I was a freshman, I’ve looked up to each generation of vol leyball seniors. They were my biggest role models at Sage. To be like them, a senior that gets to lead and embody the team on and off the court, was a huge honor,” Thomassen said.

Sage Hill looks forward to rec ognizing the seniors in the upcoming winter season.

Sage Hill’s Fall Sports Highlights

By Roya Yaghmai

With end-of-season tournaments and CIFs wrapping up, fall sports have given their all to finish strong as the season closes. While entering the new league was challenging, each team persevered and exceeded athletes’ expectations. All this hard work was noticed as several made it to CIF, most notably, football, boys’ water polo, girls’ tennis, cross country, and girls’ golf. There was a common theme of unmatchable chemistry and spirit from the pool to the Ube.

One team just finished their season strong, making it to the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) Finals for the first time since 2011. Girls’ tennis faced a hard-fought battle against Northwood, finishing as the runners-up in the Divi sion 3 finals. Freshman Ella Wong says “it’s been such a blast as I got to work as a team with players from all different friend groups and grade levels.”

Football exhibited similar energy on Ramer Field as its season started early with intense summer training. The large roster and invested fans reflected massive growth of the program, ending with eight wins and two losses. While Sage lost in playoffs, Junior Danyel Khan states “we set out with one goal in mind, to be CIF champions, however, we knew the tribulations we would have to endure.”

“This season has set the founda tion for years to come and the work that went into this year will not go unnoticed,” he added.

The boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams worked on speed and pace as they prepared for CIF preliminaries. With the girls advancing to finals, sophomore Aashna Sharma said this “season continuously pushed us to the limits while building amazing friend ships.”

While cross country sped around the track, big things were happening in the pool as water polo trained hard, played tournaments and made it to round one of CIF. For most teams, the new league challenged players to adapt and motivate others. Senior Aaron Li says that “although our season didn’t end as we thought, it was fun and re warding to see our efforts pay off in our new league.”

In the Ube, volleyball kept up their trademark energy. With half the team composed of underclassmen, Captain Brooke Thomassen said, “us four se niors had an amazing time leading the team and watching all the younger girls grow as people and players.”

Girls’ golf represented Sage at our home course, Strawberry Farms. Alisa Ching and Anna Gao both competed in the CIF-SS Individual Regionals. Alisa then qualified for the CIF-SS Individual Finals.

Sophomore Yoyo Li said “golf sea son is always so much fun. We had a really competitive team this year, and I made lifelong memories with the girls.”

Aidan Chung | The Bolt

Juniors Danyel Khan (#2) and Jack Weisberg (#8) prepare a kickoff while their fellow Varsity Football teammates charge the opponents on their road to the CIF Championships.

Aidan Chung | The Bolt Carson Green ‘23, Ryyan Siddiqi ‘23, Jett Kerfoot ‘24, Dylan Kang ‘23 and Ty Mazakas ‘23 (L to R) line up for Varsity Football’s Senior Night.

Senior Captains Brooke Thomassen (#8) and Sophie Wang (#7) show off their incredible high jumps during Varsity Volleyball’s Senior Night.

Chloe Lee | The Bolt

Student Life

A Striking Rally

By Anne Chen

On an early Friday morning, en thusiastic students in face paint and class colors transformed the Ube Gym with streamers and banners for the annual Homecoming pep rally. To wrap up an exciting spirit week of pajamas, twinning, white lies, jerseys, and Gelato Day, each class decked out in over whelming class spirit as they packed the stands. The celebrations leading up to Homecoming are always high ly anticipated, and the rally certainly brings out the most spirit in the Sage community.

To kick off, class co-chairs led grade-level chants. Roaring cheers and loud stomps burst from each section of the stands as students demonstrated their spirit for the Sage Cup. Next, the Sage Hill Dance Team lit up the Ube with an upbeat performance to a bold mashup of “Gimme More”, “OMG” and “Only Girl”.

The fun continued with the tradi tional pep rally games. This year, eager participants represented their respec tive grades by starting off the relay with a human ring toss. The first player had to toss inflatable rings to their teammate before they could proceed with a basketball free-throw contest. Once a basket had been made, the player could sprint back and allow the other teammates to proceed with a three-legged race. The fiery relay race captivated people and brought them to the edge of their seats, invigorating the spirit of the fiery competition.

“I was glad to see everyone’s amazing school spirit,” said junior

co-chair Max Razmjoo. “Pep Rally is always an exciting time for students.”

Then, it was time for the main attraction: class skits. Every year, each grade-level coordinates an entertain ing skit that incorporates Sage’s Six Core Competencies and the Honor Code. Whichever grade impresses the panel of judges— Head of School Ms. Patricia Merz, Dean of School Life Mr. Dominic Campeau, and Assistant Head of School for Academics Dr. Matt Balossi— takes first prize.

Firstly, the freshmen performed their skit, which started off with two students deciding what movie they should watch.

“Sascha and I were elected a cou ple weeks before homecoming, so we put a lot of time into Pep Rally planning right after we took our positions as co-chairs,” freshman Ella Wong said. “We worked together to write up a skit in a couple of days and got our grade’s input in the process.”

Next, Stryker made an appearance in both the sophomore and junior skits. The beloved lightning bolt guided the sophomores in their endeavors, and supported the juniors in a challenging year. At the end, students were rejoiced with Stryker’s reminder of the six C’s. Lastly, the seniors showcased a tran sition to college through a rendition of “Scooby Doo”, which took first place, followed by juniors in second, freshmen in third, and sophomores last.

As the skits came to a close, stu dents celebrated in the spirit of a suc cessful pep rally, one that was certainly more dynamic and lively than those of past years.

Gene Expression Taught by Gene Simmons

By Brooke Thomassen

This year, students and faculty went all out at our annual Halloween Costume Contest!

Soe highlights of the students’ cos tumes included an inflatable dinosaur, a group of FBI agents, a banana, and Waldo from the “Where’s Waldo?” book series. All around campus, students wore costumes reflecting their favorite TV shows, time periods, musical art ists, cultures and more.

However, the faculty outdid them selves this year with elaborate and well-thought-out group costumes — arguably some of the best the school has seen in years. The Athletics Department dressed up as the USA synchronized swimming team, with shower caps, nose plugs and American flag tank tops. They stretched a blue banner across two umbrella stands in Town Square as their “pool” and put on a lovely synchronized swim routine. Cheers roared from the crowds of stu dents lining the steps of Town Square when the Athletics Department went “underwater” and lifted their pointed

toes above the surface, twiddling their feet in unison.

The Sage Center team dressed up as the characters of Disney’s Hocus Pocus, with the three Sanderson Sisters, Binx the black cat and Billy Butcherson the zombie. The intricately designed costumes were very true to the movie, prompting many of the other faculty and staff to laugh. Their skit in cluded throwing candy to the students and acting out a scene from the movie with their magic spell book.

Lastly, coming in first place for faculty costumes, was the Science De partment as the famous American rock band KISS. With large black boots, black leather pants, shiny bedazzled vests, black and white face paint and shaggy black wigs, the science teach ers came out rocking to “Rock and Roll All Nite.” With science teacher Justin Johnson keeping time on a comically small drum set and the rest of the sci ence crew “shredding” guitars, the sci ence teachers got all of Town Square to sing the chorus: “I want to rock and roll all night, and party every day!”

Aidan Chung | The Bolt Lorelei Jorden and Brooke Thomassen pose in their senior crowd.

Courtesy of Sage Hill School Student contest winners pose together in Wilkins Town Square.

Aidan Chung | The Bolt

Students wore grade level sherts to the pep rally.

Courtesy of Sage Hill School

Mr. Ben Shapiro and Mrs. Megan Rutherford perform as rock band KISS at the Halloween Costume Contest.

Student Life

College App Season

How Seniors Balance Academics with College Applications

By Xinyi Xie

For high school seniors, the fall semester is commonly known as the “college application sea son.” As most college application due dates fall roughly in this time frame – except those of schools employing rolling admission –seniors spend hours deciding which colleges they want on their list, filling out the CommonApp portals, brainstorming and writ ing their personal statements and trying to present the best facets of themselves to their dream schools.

“You want to apply to schools you actually want to go to, so you can express your in terest in your application,” senior Eleni Engelbrecht said.

Some seniors actually began working on the applications as

early as in the summer to avert any potential struggle of bal ancing schoolwork with college applications.

“I think you should really start early, space out your work, and definitely don’t leave ev erything until the day before the deadline,” senior Helen Fu said. “Write a detailed description of all your activities beforehand, or you might forget the import ant parts when you fill out your application.”

The deadlines for Early De cision (a binding application plan where if the applicant is admitted to a school he or she must com mit) and Early Action (similar to Early Decision, but non-binding) passed in early November. Some seniors rolled back on their workload briefly before delving back into the lengthy process

of writing applications to meet the Regular Decision deadlines in December and January. Many planned to use Thanksgiving break and the winter break to finalize their applications and visit a final round of college campuses.

“I did a lot of early action applications, since it’s non-bind ing and in general it doesn’t hurt to apply earlier,” senior Johnny Xi said. “And when you apply to many schools, it’s very import ant to keep your files organized when you’re working.”

Early application decisions are projected for release in mid-December, and Regular application results in March and April.

Dr. Haney Brings Marine Biology Research to the Classroom

Haney hadn’t initially been interested in teaching at the secondary school level; in fact, he’d been on the path to be coming a professor and entering academia. Then, while he was studying at UCLA, he took a side job teaching AP Biology and Ecology. His first year at Sage Hill School sealed the deal. Now, Haney explains that his favorite aspect of teaching is building relationships with the students, teachers and staff. When asked about how he remembers all of his students’ names over time, he says it’s easier to associate the student with something such as a “remarkably novel take on a project,” or “one who had not yet discovered the art of personal hygiene.” He enjoys how kind and respectful the students are, along with how the faculty and staff act together as a family with a common purpose.

Freshmen Travel Around Orange County Helping the Community

By Isabella Palacio

Service learning is one of several unique opportunities that Sage Hill offers its students. Throughout the four-year service learning experience, students have the ability to expand their knowledge, develop their skills and learn how to positively impact the communities around them. Sophomores are part nered with fourth grade students to mentor, while upperclassmen work on independent or collabo rative projects. Freshmen partic ipate in a much more structured service learning experience. On each service learning day, students participate in rota tions and visit various locations across Orange County.

Orange County, working with, learning from and interacting with many different organiza tions and individuals.”

Because the rotations include locations ranging from Westminster to San Juan Cap istrano, students gain a more broadened understanding of Orange County outside of the Sage Hill community. “I love trying out new things because a lot of these rotations are new to me,” said freshman Diana Wu. “I think service learning is such a good opportunity for students to interact with the world around them.”

By Ava Eimani

Dr. Todd Haney has taught at Sage Hill School since 2005 and teaches AP Biology and AP Environmental Science, as well as Biology through Sum mer at Sage. Where did this love of biology and the environment stem from? Haney describes how he’s always loved the outdoors and spent his childhood fishing, camping and boating in Califor nia and Arizona. He attended high school in the small desert town of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., where he spent time exploring and enjoying the Colorado River. He knew a career in biology would entail studying nature in

the great outdoors, which he found more appealing than any desk job. This love of biology led Haney to spend his undergradu ate years on the coast of Mexico, where he collected organisms for a research lab. This lab drew him into the field of marine biology where he studied the evolution of parasites living off whales, dolphins and porpoises. He then pursued a doctorate in evolutionary biology and ecology from UCLA and spent time in fieldwork to collect and exam ine specimens that took him to Baja California and the Baha mas. He even joined deep-sea expeditions aboard the research submarine DSV Alvin.

Aside from his love of biology, Haney discusses how if he had to enroll in another class for a day, he would love to sit in one of Stephen Schumacher’s classes, where he envisions Schumacher “coaching students to see historical events through a broader lens, with meaningful connections to contemporary issues and to his and their own personal experiences.” Haney also loves classic rock music. When asked about what super lative he would’ve received in high school, he says he would’ve been called “the most likely to disappear into the wild.” Haney continues to be a favorite among the students for his sense of humor, passion for the sciences, and his constant kindness.

This year, freshmen tour the Heroes Hall museum to hear from a veteran, learn about Orange County’s land history and visit the Skyview School for children experiencing home lessness, the Orange County Superior Court in Westminster, OC Rescue Mission and Back Bay. Each rotation offers an en riching experience for students to explore community needs and collaborate with their peers to develop and work toward feasible solutions.

Organizing over 100 fresh men is not an easy task, and the service learning program could not operate without the faculty advisors who dedicate their time to create programs. Tanya Lerch, science teacher and assistant director of the Sage Center for Service Learning and Outreach oversees all service learning programs at Sage Hill.

“Orange County is a huge geographic entity, with a variety of diverse communities and community needs,” she said.

“The goal of ninth grade service learning is to get our students off campus, out all around

Besides the benefit of ex ploring the diversity of Orange County, the freshman expe rience prepares students for the rest of service learning in subsequent years. “The best part about working with under classmen is seeing them dis cover what they enjoy and how they want to use the knowledge and skills they are developing in class to serve the community,” history teacher Frank Gonzales said. By providing freshmen with opportunities to explore the community, Sage Hill provides them with a greater chance to develop a passion.

“I gained so much knowl edge of the things that I never had the opportunity to touch on,” said freshman Aurora Li.

At Sage Hill, students are empowered to become change makers within their communi ties. Service learning is one of many opportunities that pro vides students with a skill set to tackle their future at Sage Hill and beyond.

Courtesy of Sage Hill School Freshmen clean out invasive plants at the Newport Beach Back Bay Ecological Preserve.

Courtesy of Sage Hill School Science Teacher Dr. Todd Haney talks to parents at Sage Hill’s Open House.

Sports Industry Grapples With Crypto Decline

By Minha Oh

Last month, FTX, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, filed for bankruptcy sending shockwaves throughout the crypto startup and investment communities. The 30-year-old entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried, once hailed as a modern-day J.P. Morgan, watched his digital empire and the billions of his own fortune evaporate. Some industry experts claim the failure of FTX has shaken the foundations of the trillion-dollar crypto industry and has become its turning point. FTX has invested heavily in sports sponsorships, like other crypto companies, but is now in turmoil. FTX’s uncertain future raises new questions about its many sports deals.

Last year, FTX signed a $135 million, 19-year deal with Mi ami-Dade County to rename the home of the Miami Heat as FTX Arena. Last month, the NBA team released a joint statement with the County saying they are “im mediately taking action to termi nate our business relationship with FTX.” The cryptocurrency exchange also has a partnership with Major League Baseball, including the addition of FTX logo patches on umpires’ uniforms. The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team recently announced it suspended FTX’s sponsorship.

FTX has ties to college sports, too. UC Berkeley signed a 10-year naming rights deal for its football stadium in 2021 for $17.5 million. University officials said they sus pended the agreement in Novem ber, according to news reports.

In addition, FTX collaborates with some of the top athletes across sports, including partner ships with Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels and Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry and his foundation.

FTX is not the only crypto company that is involved with sports. In the last NBA season, crypto brands spent about $130 million on sponsorships, a signif icant increase from less than $2 million the year before. According to IEG, only five crypto companies were responsible for 92% of the sector spending.

In 2021, trading platform Coin base signed an agreement with the NBA to become the league’s only cryptocurrency partner, worth $192 million over four years. In

November, another crypto plat form Crypto.com purchased the naming rights for the Los Angeles Lakers’ arena, which was worth approximately $700 million. How ever, cryptocurrency services an nounced layoffs as rising inflation and broader market turbulence led to the sharp drop of market value.

Bankman-Fried has an nounced that his firm, Alameda Research, would stop trading and FTX would instead focus on emer gency fundraising. As reported by The New York Times, he stated in a memo that FTX had commu nicated with crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, who tweeted that he

Sage Hill Crossword

By Grant Franey

was working on “establishing a solution with FTX.”

Bloomberg reports that U.S. authorities, including the US De partment of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commis sion, are investigating FTX.

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