Sophomore Harrison Moon fights Darth Vader with a light-saber on the roof of Roppongi Tower in Tokyo during the “Star Wars: Visions” exhibit in 2015.
In the “New Kids on the Block” series, new students were interviewed on their life outside of SCDS.
Harrison Moon, who attended Mater Dei High School in Orange Country for a year, is a new sophomore. Moon grew up and lived in Anaheim Hills in Orange County.
Q: Why did you and your family move to Sacramento?
A: My dad, who’s a veterinarian, purchased an animal hospital here.
Q: What are some differences between Southern California and Northern California?
A: It’s most likely the traffic, which (here) cuts commute time immensely.
With traffic, (my commute to school) was 40 minutes one way. If there was an accident, it would be an additional 20 minutes or something.
I think it’s 20 minutes now. It allows me to sleep in a little more.
Q: Why did you pick Country Day?
A: When I first came here, SCDS and Jesuit were the top contenders for schools. I decided to choose here because of the smaller class sizes and better class options.
SCDS offers higher course options in math, unlike Jesuit, whose highest class for sophomores is pre-calculus.
This was a big factor in choosing between the two, because I had heard the advantages of taking a higher math class that my college counselor told me about.
Q: What are some differences between SCDS and Mater Dei High School?
A: The difference in class sizes. One class there held about 600 students.
Q: What are your extracurriculars?
A: I’ve been playing golf since I was 6 (we used to go to the Anaheim Hills Golf Course, which was right near my house). I’m looking forward to joining the golf team here.
I started playing the oboe when I was 11 because no one else plays it. When I auditioned for the orchestra in Orange County, there were fewer spots and fewer people auditioning, so it’s a lot less competitive.
I’m (also) interested in film production, so I would definitely be interested in joining a club of that sort.
Q: What got you interested in film?
A: I think I became interested when I started watching the behind-the-scenes videos of movies.
After seeing what the crew did in the movies, I would try that with my friends in our own productions.
Q: What’s your favorite movie and why?
A: It’s a little cliché, but probably “Star Wars.” George Lucas had just made a special edition, and then he renamed it.
When you ask someone what their favorite movie is, you’re asking them about whatever movie really drew them to it.
For me with “Star Wars,” it was the new characters, the new fictional world. I just was drawn to it. (When I watched it as a 5-year-old, it) was just really entrancing.
Q: Have you made any movies?
A: My definition of movies makes me feel that I haven’t really tried yet, so, no, I’ve never really finished one.
I’ve made extremely stupid projects that I definitely would not like to share.
I need to focus more on screenwriting and editing before I feel that I’ve really made one.
Q: Have you ever tried making TV shows or other forms of media?
A: When I say “movies,” what I really mean is just using cameras to record more than movements – to tell stories. So TV shows, movies, even music videos, I’ve attempted those.
—By Chardonnay Needler
