October 2019 by Sage Hill School

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BOLT

October 2019 Volume 20, Issue 2 lightningboltonline.com Sage Hill School 20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, CA 92657

Curriculum Changes

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Spring at Sage and Service Learning Become Official Graduation Reqiurements

Jacob Gibbs As of the 2019-2020 school year, Spring and Sage and Service Learning are now part of Sage Hill curriculum and official four-year graduation requirements for all students. Even though these programs were always required, some student absences during these days have led to major adjustments for the future. Students must now attend all of their seminar activities and Service Learning days in order to receive credit on their transcript. On the note of Spring at Sage independent projects, there will be much more attention paid toward the students opting out of trips and seminars. While there has not yet been a major issue regarding

Editorial, Page 2

independent projects, there will be more scrutiny in order to establish earlier deadlines and stricter faculty guidance. AP Government and AP Psychology teacher Mrs. Bradshaw has run the independent projects under Spring at Sage for several years and has seen a multitude of impressive projects develop. “What is so special about the independent projects is the reflection of values that Sage is known for, which is the students taking control over their own learning,” Bradshaw said. The focus of independent projects have shifted along the years, since students began to apply their curriculum to their projects much more. “All of the seminars, trips, and projects have evolved since we’ve put param-

News, Page 3

Joey Cha | The Bolt

Faculty and staff members encourage students to join their Spring at Sage trips and seminars during the Spring at Sage fair on Sept. 17. eters on the students in order to focus on both service and academic components … the reflection of the Six Cs and banner values have made the projects more meaningful,” Bradshaw said. In addition to Spring at Sage, there is also a Service Learning graduation requirement that will be enforced. While previously there may have been some leeway granted to Service Learning projects, there will now be an imposed six-hour per month condition put into place in order to give more structure to the program. Students have noted that this change will affect their daily lives much less than

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other school rules or graduation requirements, but it is necessary in order to enforce existing customs at Sage. “It has always been known to not skip Service Learning days unless one is really sick … if students just schedule doctor appointments or sleep in then that will create a culture of not caring about one of our school’s main offerings,” senior Nicole Motherway said. This change is significant in respect to the guidelines of the School Handbook, but many students feel it is simply reinforcing an unspoken rule that has always been known in Sage history.

Opinion, Page 8

The Bolt October 2019 Sage Hill School

Editorial

Extra Extra! Why We Print

With the rise of technology, many of us have become dependent on social media and websites for news. With only a few clicks, we have a plethora of information at our fingertips. Digital news has become increasingly popular, but it can not compare to physical newspapers. Print journalism is a classic and powerful mean of publication. It is a conversation starter in classrooms and at the dinner table. It serves as a unifying factor for members of the community. At Sage Hill, our newspaper represents the voice of our students and is a common factor we all can connect to. Our mission as a student publication is to investigate deeper into the Sage Hill culture and livelihood. It is our duty to inform, engage, and inspire members of the community so they are better able to make informed decisions and actions in the future. “Without [journalists], nobody would know anything that [is] going on the world. Especially in today’s world, it has become more important—there is more going on politically, socially, and culturally. We rely on [journalists] to be our eyes and ears,” Publications advisor Kelly Abbate said. We hope our work empowers our readers to entertain a new perspective and discover more about the world around them. Furthermore, we stand protected under the California Education Code 48907, also known as the California Student Free Expression Law. This code states that high school journalists “shall have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press,’’ which grants us the same rights as professionals. Our work will not be censored, given it is accurate and not slanderous. Under this legislation, we can safely express our beliefs to the public. As a staff, we take our role seriously on campus. We hold ourselves accountable for our work and are committed to reporting the truth and standing up for people’s opinions. Sage Hill Publications remains independent from the influences of administration, faculty, students, and parents, and does not alter its portrayal of issues to appease any group. Our primary responsibility is to uncover the

Amanda Marshall | The Bolt

facts and make sure our readers have the full story. The newspaper is also a unifying factor for our community. It helps inform our members and ties into the major Sage Hill core value of cross-cultural competency. Publications not only reports on newsworthy events, but it also acts as a time cap-

THE BOLT

he Bolt, published seven times a year, 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 Lily Button or Yuna Baek and put in their mailboxes on campus. These letters may not exceed 150 words or they will be edited for inclusion. Editors-in-Chief Yuna Baek (Bolt), Lily Button (Bolt), Ian Grimm (Online), and Alicia Theologides Rodriguez (Storm) Editorial Board Jacob Gibbs, Polina Mogilevsky and Annie Tang Adviser Kelly Abbate

sule: “We preserve the memories of students for years to come,” Abbate said. With journalism, we are able to discover more about our surroundings. Our staff is passionate about the work we produce, and we hope this publication provokes thought and conversation during the rest of the school year and beyond.

Lauren Avenatti Joey Cha Megan Chan Riya Chaturvedi Courtney Davis Param Desagami Isabel Gomez Riya Gupta Linda Hachim William Ho Adam Hung David Kim Sanjana Khurana

Julia Kwon Ethan Lee Valentina Lin Max Luer Amanda Marshall Alexander Orozco Anisha Punia Sasha Ronaghi Arielle Schultz Max Tu Reese Wensinger

News

The Bolt October 2019 Sage Hill School

A Midsummer’s Night at Sage

Black Box Theater Becomes Home to Shakespeare Polina Mogilevsky Come one, come all! This fall, the Black Box Theater will be opening its doors to one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It is a tale of love and mischief, and director Jeffrey Crockett and the students of Sage Hill have been working tirelessly to bring this epic tale to life. However, in sticking with the theme that runs throughout most Shakespearian plays, this production comes with a twist. While the play will be following the original plot line, it will be targeted toward a younger audience and bring in elements of the “Ballroom culture.” For those who may not be familiar with the term, Ballroom culture originated in New York City between the 1970s and 1990s. It ties into the LGBT+ community and provides a form of self expression for those who have long been suppressed by society and its norms. Much of the play revolves around four central characters and their adventures in a magical forest.

“In Shakespeare’s plays, the forest becomes a metaphor for the territory we have to go through in order to transform. The things that happen in the forest… are territory where we leave our coming way of living,” Crockett said. Setting up the forest in theater is interesting, he said. “We need to find a way theatrically for it to make sense that we are in another world,” Crockett said. “The forest needs to be a world in which [the main characters] feel completely out of their league. It’s a world that is odd, strange, unusual, and yet at the same time enticing.” Crockett thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to pay homage and be inspired by Ballroom culture. “I was interested in Ballroom culture. I wanted to help the students find a way for the situation between [king] Oberon and [queen] Titania to be real, and for us to make it come alive theatrically,” he said. “We are inspired by this culture. For me it needs to be that the audience can come in and have a felt experience of the story.”

Valentina Lin | The Bolt

Senior Dylan McCarthy, playing Oberon, rehearses with Jeffrey Crockett in the theater lab. The actors are also excited to put their own twists on these seasoned Shakespeare characters. Senior Selene Shankle will be playing Nick Bottom. “He is kind of the comic relief of the show,” Shankle said. When performing an older play, the portrayals of characters can get a bit repetitive, but with Nick Bottom, “it’s different every single time, so you have to make

new choices and adapt to the cast,” Shankle said. She said that she had been given free reign over the character by Crockett. Junior Reese Wensinger will be playing Queen Hippolita of the Amazons, who is being forced into a marriage. In the context of modern society, Hippolita’s character can be seen as problematic, so “I’m trying to balance being the

character between something that doesn’t sound too ye olden days with something that’s a little more nice,” Wensinger said. One of the things Wensinger is most excited about for the play is Hippolita’s costume, she said. “I am excited to see what Mr. Crockett pulls out for her,” she said. The play will premiere on November 1.

Are You Ready for Some SCRAM Madness? Disclaimer: You Don’t Have to Be in Latin to Attend Nov. 9 Event

SCRAM board members gather every X block with Dr. Jeffrey Feland to plan and prepare for SCRAM in early November. Lauren Avenatti Convenite, Amici! This year, Sage Hill School is hosting the highly anticipated Junior Classical League (JCL) convention known as Southern California Regional Amici Madness, or SCRAM. At SCRAM, students from all around the region come to participate in an action-packed day filled with countless activities, a majority of them being Latin-based.

Some examples of these include Ludi games, academic testing, Certamen, impromptu art, and informative workshops, just to name a few. “For me to explain to you how much there is to do at this convention, it would literally take hours,” Latin teacher Dr. Jeffrey Feland said. Every year, a new school hosts SCRAM, and Sage Hill was chosen to hold it this year on Saturday, November 9. “We’re expecting over 900

students this year to come out,” said senior Sarah Martin, a JCL board member and co-chair. Past events at SCRAM have included a Roman Gladiator competition, boat racing, Project Runway: Roman Edition, and Roman cooking classes. “There are so many fun events at SCRAM. My personal favorites include capture the flag and open certamen,” said senior and board member Kimi Reddy. Junior Anson Chen, another JCL board member, is very

passionate when discussing SCRAM. “Not only has it paired my love for the Classics with a wonderful and vibrant community, but it has also connected me with mentors, peers, and friends that I have bonded with for life,” he said. If you’re interested in SCRAM but hesitant because you don’t take Latin as your language course, you don’t have to be -- everyone is welcome to register.

Annie Tang | The Bolt “Even though I was worried that being a Spanish student meant that I would not be able to participate in anything, there were so many opportunities for me to get involved in different activities. I ended up having a really good time while learning a little more about culture and history,” senior Julia Yuen shared. This event is an especially great and enjoyable way to get more involved with the Sage community. The registration deadline is October 15.

Comm

The Bolt October 2019 Sage Hill School

Clubs Fair: There’s Som

By Adam Hung and

On Wednesday, September 25, Sage held its annual clubs fair during lunch in t clubs and academic teams such as Robotics, JCL, and ACEing Autism, as well a increase your involvement with the school and to develop new interests and hobb students who haven’t tried joining any clubs should definitely che

BARC The BARC (Boys Against Rape Culture) club, which is back for its second year at Sage, will host forums and feature speakers and experts to discuss rape culture and educate people on how to idenitify, prevent, and fight it, said senior and founder of the club, Ezugo

Ononye. “Rape culture is prevalent ... and normalized in the media and pop culture,” Enonye said. The club’s meetings seek to “build awareness and provide a platform for students” to discuss these issues. Joey Cha | The Bolt

Junior Brady Meehan is a member of the Sage Hill jazz band.

Hack Club

The Hack Club is another returning club, which focuses on computer programming. The club focuses on “build[ing] projects to help the community,” said senior and leader Jackie Ni. The club is currently working on developing an app to allow

seniors to quickly and easily leave campus without having to go to the front office to get a pass. They also prepare for and enter coding competitions such as VikeHacks and Triton Hack, and are hosting a competition this year called SageHack.

Joey Cha | The Bolt

Seniors Jackie Ni and Tim Guo talk to students about their club, Hack Club.

Grub Club The Grub Club, whose announcements students likely remember hearing at the weekly Town Meetings, is a returning club. It was founded by seniors Jake Stewart, Peyton Carroll, and junior Caitlin Callin, and prides itself on being a club

that “...brings the community together through a common love of food.” Meetings, where club members will be preparing and enjoying dishes, are scheduled once a month and will have a different and delicious food theme every time.

Joey Cha | The Bolt

Senior Yuna Baek represents the Photography Club at the Clubs Fair on September 25.

munity

The Bolt October 2019 Sage Hill School

mething For Everyone

d Alexander Orozco

the Wilkins Town Square. This year, the fair featured the return of many popular as some notable new additions. Clubs are a great resource and opportunity to bies outside of what you’re exposed to in normal classes, and any freshmen or eck them out. Here are just a few of the many options available:

Garden Club The Garden Club, overseen by AP Biology teacher Todd Haney, grows a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including some pretty unusual ones such as dragon fruit and stevia. They also maintain a chicken

coop and are working on exhibits to demonstrate agricultural methods and scientific and engineering principles such as a hydroponics wall, aquaculture, smart irrigation, and solar panels.

Kelly Abate | The Bolt

Senior Shreya Chitoori and Olivia Kaneko are members of the Garden Club, which tells students to “Get some fresh air. Get your hands dirty.”

CASA

Kelly Abbate | The Bolt

Spirit Commissioner Arnav Chokshi shows off his Sage spirit swag at the Spirit Club table.

Young America’s Foundation The “Young America’s Foundation Organization” is another new club at school with its roots in an already nationwide movement. Brought to Sage Hill by junior Jack Herin and sophomore Adam Hayek, Young America’s Foundation, or YAF for short, is a well-known bastion of con-

servative values and policy. Herin and Hayek said they hope to bring in more members and attend the organization’s free-attendance events. When asked about the possibility of hosting a YAF event in the future, Herin said, “I hope the club can be that successful one day.”

The CASA Club, or the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children in Orange County Club, is new at Sage, but CASA has been a well-established national organization since 1977. Club leader and junior Brandon Wong said he decided to bring CASA to Sage because of his appreciation for what the orga-

nization does. “CASA is a national organization dedicated to serving abused and neglected children in the foster care system,” said one of the fliers Wong handed out the fair. Members of the club hope to assist CASA by raising funds and awareness for their cause.

Joey Cha | The Bolt

Senior Alex Kwon encourages students to join his coding club.

Sports

The Bolt Ocotber 2019 Sage Hill School

RACKING UP THE WINS Girls’ Tennis is Back and Undefeated in League Sanjana Khurana

Arielle Schultz | The Bolt

Junior varsity player Ava Herin gets ready to serve the ball.

The girls’ varsity tennis team is ready to make a “racquet” on the court by having another amazing season. So far the girls are undefeated in league, and they are looking forward to many great matches ahead. Many players find the courts to be a place of friendship and community, and the team’s encouraging and positive attitude largely contributes to their overall game. “My experience is a good example of how we treat all of the members on the team, with kindness and support… We’re one big happy family, and I wouldn’t trade

this team for the world,” junior Lauren Avenatti said. The girls are committed, hardworking players and combined with the love shared by the team, they have a bright season ahead of them. “I’ve been on varsity since I was a freshman and each year, I learn new things. This year, being co-captains with Karina and Maddie has taught me how to communicate effectively and make sure to listen to everyone’s suggestions on the team,” senior captain Miya Stauss said. “Since we lost three seniors last year, it has definitely been an adjustment, but I’m super proud of our team for working really hard this season.”

MAKING A SPLASH IN OUR OWN POOL Water Polo Team Dives Into New Season With Fresh Team and a Lot of Fun William Ho In its third year of existence, the Sage Hill Aquatics Center supports many activities at Sage Hill. One of the teams that depend on the aquatics center is the water polo team. Sage Hill water polo boasts a strong but young team led by seniors Zack Decker and Ezugo Ononye as well as coach Pavle Filipovic, who is also in his third year coaching the team. The team’s record is 4-9 so far this season. “This is our rebuilding season after graduating some key senior players last year,” Filipovic said. “It’s a great opportu-

nity for the younger and less experienced players to gain experience this season.” The team has a competitive game schedule this year, Filipovic said. “We want to grow, learn, and improve in each game we play,” he said. Every day after school, the water polo team practices hard in the pool. At these practices, they run through rigorous drills and scrimmages. “I have a lot of fun playing water polo,” said Decker, the captain of the team. “Everyone should come out to the pool to watch us play.” They had a home game on Wednesday, Oct. 2 and another one on Garden Grove on Friday, Oct. 4.

Joey Cha | The Bolt

Junior Matthew Charles has control of the ball and looks to see what his next move will be during one of this fall’s home water polo matches.

SWINGING FOR GREATNESS After Last Year’s League Title, Girls’ Varsity Golf Looks to Repeat Winning Record Isabel Gomez

Photo Courtesy Alison Huang

The girls’ varsity golf team has gone 8-0 so far this season. They are led by seniors Jennifer Cai and Ashleigh Park.

Fore! Look out for the girls’ golf team this year! The Lightning capped off last year with an undefeated league title and finished the year with a winning record of 9-4. Their dominance shows no signs of slowing down this year. Currently, the Lightning are 8-0 and are shooting an average of under 200 strokes across five people, including star seniors Jennifer Cai and Ashleigh Park. Both have committed to play Division 1 golf in college. The future continues to shine bright for this young team. Only five of the cur-

rent varsity athletes are upperclassmen, leaving room for the current sophomores and freshmen to continue to bring their game to the next level. “We have a really good shot into advancing in CIF this year,” sophomore Grace Zhang said. “Everyone’s trying their best to improve their play.” But it’s not just the high level of play that has these girls excited; it’s the sense of comradery and community that they feel from the team. “It’s a really great community… you really get to know everyone,” sophomore Elizabeth Casey said. “During practice, we always get fries, and we always get to go to matches in minivans!”

Opinion What Do You Do When There is Too Much News and Too Many Ways to Read It? Sasha Ronaghi Does this scenario sound familiar to you? You see an interesting headline on your phone or a repost of an event on someone’s Instagram story. You think to yourself, “Wow, I am going to vote soon; I should be politically informed.” You find an article. You try to read the article, but you remember the recent statistics about fake news and you already question whether or not this is accurate information. You think to yourself “OK, I should have faith in this article, so I guess I’ll continue reading.” You read the first few sentences. “Wait who is this person? What did they do in 2014? What does this word mean?” You click on every hyperlink and Google a few words. You finally got through the article. It only took

seven other articles. By the time you are done, there is a new update and you are already behind. Was it even worth it? You are not alone. Know that one other person (me) also feels this way. As a member of Gen Z, I feel that younger generations are always getting slack for not staying on top of current events, especially because it theoretically so easy to stay updated. However, instead of watching TV news or reading a newspaper once a day, we are constantly bombarded with phone notifications. There is no break. You are either in or out. And many of us choose out. With many articles lacking context, news articles are mostly only accessible to people who are already well acclimated with current events, leading many to click off the article after a quick skim.

According to Forbes, the average visitor spends 15 seconds on an article and 10 seconds on a video. Furthermore, it’s hard to talk about current events since only a few people feel they are informed enough to hold a conversation. With the reporters focused on providing the fastest information instead of the most accurate or thorough, it puts an extra burden on readers to figure out how factual an article is. Even if an article is true, news has become so polarizing that we often choose to talk about something else. So what do we do? First, we have to stop pretending this system is working. We can acknowledge we don’t know everything, but want to stay informed in a sustainable way. Then, we could do what we do best: use the power of social media and the Internet to learn together.

IN THE SAME CORNER During LGBTQ+ History Month, Let’s Remember ONE Magazine Editor’s Note: “In the SAME Corner” is a new column written by various members of Sage Advocates of Multicultural Education (S.A.M.E.) throughout the year. Don’t forget to wear your rainbow sticker as a show of support to members of the LGBTQ+ community. Ask a SAME member for one if you didn’t receive one!

Devin Lavacude-Cola and Berenice Bernal In the 1950s, conversation relating to homosexuality was not only completely ignored but outlawed. However, protests, riots and the work of individuals like Jim Kepner, William Dorr Legg, and Dr. Thomas M. Merritt served as driving forces of change. The group met after a Mattachine Society, one of the earliest LGBTQ+ organizations in the United States, meeting in November of 1952. Legg, Kepner, and a few others, including Dale Jennings, founded One, Inc, which published a monthly magazine called ONE. They chose to name the group ONE after an aphorism from the Victorian writer Thomas Carlyle, which states, “A mystic bond of brotherhood makes all men one.” In January 1953, the first issue of ONE Magazine was published, featuring articles, editorials, short stories, book reviews, and letters to editors touching on aspects of the LGBTQ+ community. Laws prohibiting homosexual contact between consenting adults made being gay a criminal offense. As a result, writers for ONE Magazine often wrote under pseudonyms in order to evade unjust laws surrounding members of the LGBTQ+ community. Only a year after its inception, the U.S. Post Office Department declared the magazine obscene, refusing to distribute it. The Los Angeles Postmaster claimed the October 1954 issue to be “obscene, lewd, lascivious, and filthy.” In response, ONE, Inc. brought a lawsuit to federal court, which it won in the Supreme Court ruling One, Inc v Oleson. This ruling was revolutionary for members of the LGBTQ+ community because it established that they were equally protected under the 1st Amendment. Later, Kepner, Legg and Merritt formed the ONE Institute, which conducted seminars and published a journal. Kepner’s collection of LGBTQ+ materials, compiled years later, would merge with the ONE Institute and move to its present-day location provided by the University of Southern California. While ONE Magazine ended its publication in 1967, the Institution continued to spread awareness, advocate, and educate about LGBTQ+ issues.

Answers: The Beverly Hillbillies The Addams Family Gilligan’s Island Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood Brady Bunch Sesame Street Laverne and Shirley WKRP in Cincinnati Dukes of Hazzard Cheers Golden Girls Married…with Children The Wonder Years Saved by the Bell Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Frasier Friends Dawson’s Creek That 70’s Show The Sopranos Spongebob Squarepants Malcolm in the Middle Firefly Veronica Mars Big Bang Theory

Staying Informed is Hard

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SMOKE-FILLED LUNGS

As Amazon Rainforest Burns, Humanity Faces a Climate Reckoning Ian Grimm The Amazon rainforest. If it were a country, its 5.5 million square kilometers of dense jungle would create the 6th largest nation in the world. Its population would number 24 million humans, 40,000 species of plants, 400 mammal species, 1,300 unique birds, and 2.5 million species of insects — a full 10% of the world’s biodiversity. The Amazon produces 20% of the world’s oxygen, and its plant species have enabled the creation of 13% of modern pharmaceuticals. But its greatest export? Rain. Evapotranspiration (water entering the atmosphere through a plant’s leaves) creates huge networks of rainfall above the forest and its surroundings, keeping the forest lush and verdant. The rain also serves a secondary purpose as a massive global air conditioning system, keeping global temperatures in check and holding climate change’s worst effects at bay. However, despite its massive global influence and robust ecosystem, the Amazon is under active dismantlement, and it’s already showing signs of degradation. Since 1970, humans have carved, slashed, and burned 700,000 square kilometers from the forest, a full fifth of its historic range. That’s an area larger than the state of California, all of it reduced to cow pasture. Since evapotranspiration amounts—and, by extension, rainfall in the Amazon—are dependent on the size of the forest, as the forest burns and withers, it steadily grows drier and drier. Already, more and more drought-tolerant species are appearing in the jungle, while water-loving plant populations are collapsing. Models suggest that if another fifth of the Amazon is destroyed—a very real, very terrifying outcome—the forest won’t be able to produce enough rain, and a chain reaction dry-off will spell the end of the entire forest. The 2018 election of Brazil-

“The Amazon is under active dismantlement, and it’s already showing signs of degredation.” ian president Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist who campaigned on a platform of further economically exploiting the Amazon, has led deforestation rates to spike almost 80% over a year. Bolsonaro fired the former director of Brazil’s Ministry of Environment. He stripped down regulation intended to prevent deforestation, heavily dulled both oversight and financial penalties for illegal slashing-and-burning, and all the while made legal land-grab efforts much easier. Ranchers have seized Bolsonaro’s initiative, leading to more aggressive claims and significantly more deforestation in the Amazon. While efforts by the other Latin American countries with a presence in the Amazon have helped curb the fires in their territories, because over 60% of the forest is on Brazilian land, the issue rages as hot as the fires consuming the jungle.

International political pressure, spearheaded by France’s President Macron and followed by European Union and discussion, has certainly helped push the issue, but Bolsonaro remains steadfastly focused on burning the forest. And perhaps, just maybe, he has a good reason to. In a country with unemployment at a staggering 13.6% and GDP per capita one sixth of the US and Western Europe, agribusiness and ranching is the one bright sector in an otherwise stagnant and stifled economy. The very Western countries that rightfully decry the flaming rainforest are the same nations whose appetite for beef requires Brazil to create new agricultural land, by any means necessary. There are tiny motes of hope among the darkness. After 50 years of flame, people are finally hearing about this. Figures like the Roman Catholic Pope

and Leonardo DiCaprio are speaking out and acting out. The G7 conference lit a metaphorical fire under Bolsonaro, forcing him to bring in Brazil’s military to douse the flames. But right now, it’s not enough. Thoughts and feelings, prayers, the meager $22 million G7 provided to put out the fires—it’s nowhere near enough. We need sweeping changes in attitudes across Brazil and the entirety of the world, because that’s who the Amazon belongs to. We need trade deals between Brazil and the world that bolster industry and manufacturing, not slashand-burn deforestation. We need people willing to look at the greater good, to put aside petty squabbles and make a difference. Climate change wasn’t ignited in a day, and it won’t be extinguished in a day either. For the sake of our world, every single one of us needs to fight for the Amazon’s very existence. But currently, all that exists are loud words and silent hands. Through it all, stoically confronting increasingly inevitable annihilation, the forest burns.