Staff
Mehdi Lacombe
Senior Mehdi Lacombe is a French-American-Tunisian who moved to Sacramento two years ago. He joined the Octagon due to his enjoyment of writing but continued to work hard up to his eventual editor-in-chief position due to his new-found passion for journalism. He enjoys running and playing the drums, though he barely does either enough to call them hobbies. Contact at mlacombe19@scdsstudent.org
Allison Zhang
When she has nothing else to do, senior Allison Zhang goes through her contacts and customizes text vibrations to vibrate the first letter of someone’s name in morse code, thus allowing her to tell who sent the text without touching her phone. She also arranged the apps on her phone by color (they used to be alphabetized), a result of being bored after finishing AP Physics C and AP U.S. History. Contact at azhang19@scdsstudent.org
Anna Frankel
Junior Anna Frankel is a third-year Octagon staffer and doesn't remember a time when she did not attend Country Day. When she isn’t scrambling to finish her homework (which takes up the majority of her time), Anna enjoys eating her favorite foods, traveling to far away countries, skiing, hiking, reading, watching her favorite TV shows and catching up on lost sleep. Contact at afrankel20@scdsstudent.org
Jack Christian
Senior Jack Christian has been at SCDS for 14 years. His favorite pastime - other than drinking coffee with Dr. Whited - is playing with his 1-year-old sister, Paige. Jack plans to work in pediatrics in the future, as he loves working with kids. In addition to being editor-in-chief of the paper, Jack is captain of the Mock Trial team and plays soccer and baseball. Contact at jchristian19@scdsstudent.org
Chardonnay Needler
Senior Chardonnay Needler is very simple. All she needs in life is a steady supply of memes, cheesy Chinese pop, anything in a double harmonic major key, bubble tea (especially with milk foam) and striped clothing. Her triggers include but are not limited to: hearing the cello being called a “big violin,” French indie films and misplaced apostrophes. You can help this list by expanding it. Contact at cneedler19@scdsstudent.org
David Situ
Junior David Situ has been at Country Day since kindergarten. This is his third year on staff. He is on the school’s golf team, and is also a violinist in the orchestra. In his free time, David enjoys reading, watching too much Netflix and sleeping as much as possible. David’s goal is to become more organized and stop procrastinating, although he plans on tackling this challenge later. Contact at dsitu20@scdsstudent.org
Emma Boersma
Emma Boersma is a second-year staffer—although she skipped Octagon in her sophomore year—who is a junior and has been attending Country Day for six years now. She enjoys good weather, stationary and fuzzy fabrics. She is currently obsessed with her Grandfather’s old film camera but doesn’t know how to use a darkroom, so if anyone seeing this does, PLEASE HELP HER OUT! Contact at eboersma20@scdsstudent.org
Harrison Moon
This is senior Harrison Moon’s third year at SCDS and second year on the Octagon media staff. Some of his favorite shows include "Game of Thrones," "This is Us," "The Crown," "Atlanta," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Better Call Saul" and "Westworld." His favorite films are "Whiplash," "No Country for Old Men," "Blade Runner," "A Woman Under the Influence," "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Her" and "La La Land. "
Héloïse Schep
This will be junior Héloïse (don’t forget the accents!) Schep’s fifth year at SCDS and third on the Octagon, but it’s her first year as an international student; her parents live in the Netherlands, where Schep was born and raised. She loves working on the Octagon, Glass Knife, Mock Trial, SCDS Ambassadors, Breakthrough and too many clubs. In her spare time, Schep codes and studies French and Dutch. Contact at hschep20@scdsstudent.org
Jackson Crawford
It’s junior Jackson Crawford’s eighth year at Country Day and first year on the Octagon. He has a younger brother, Peyton, and sister, Makena, who also attend Country Day. He enjoys playing sports, hanging out with friends and waiting until the last minute to finish that paper that was assigned three months ago (just in case someone dare finish it early). However, his patented technique is not for sale. Contact at jcrawford20@scdsstudent.org
Jackson Margolis
Jackson Margolis’ no stranger to Octagon / The junior’s been on it for two plus years / A full commitment's what he’s thinking of / You wouldn't get this from any other guy / He’s never gonna give you up / Never gonna let you down / Never gonna run around and desert you / Never gonna make you cry / Never gonna say goodbye / Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Contact at jmargolis20@scdsstudent.org
Jacqueline Chao
Senior Jacqueline Chao believes her addiction to caffeine is healthy, even though her friends disagree. Always looking for excuses to increase her daily coffee intake, she is taking five challenging classes this year - four of which are math or science. (She probably made that decision while high on caffeine.) You will often find her walking around campus carrying her beloved coffee mug. Contact at jchao19@scdsstudent.org
Larkin Barnard-Bahn
Junior Larkin Barnard-Bahn sings with the Sacramento Children’s Chorus and is a founder of the SCDS A Cappella Club. She has sung in almost every language you've heard - or never heard - of, including Zulu, Lithuanian, and Serbo-Croatian. When not singing, she is often binging “The Great British Baking Show” or concocting her own mini heart attacks to give to her peers. Contact at lbarnard-bahn20@scdsstudent.org
Mohini Rye
After four years of passion-hunting, senior Mohini Rye has ruled out basketball (lacked both arm and mental strength), track and field (signed up yet never attended practice) and photography (took some pictures once, and they sucked). While sports aren’t her thing, she can proudly say art, psychology and the Octagon are. But hey, maybe she’ll find her ideal sport soon. Synchronized swimming, anyone? Contact at mrye19@scdsstudent.org
Joe Mo
Joe Mo is a senior. He loves technology and design, and he joined Octagon this year to build a new website for the Online Edition. When he isn't busy with life, you'll probably find him playing around with Photoshop or fiddling with computers. TL;DR He’s that one guy with DuckDuckGo set as his default search engine and tape over his webcam. Contact at jmo19@scdsstudent.org
Arijit Trivedi
Freshman Arijit Trivedi has been at SCDS since third grade. He enjoys playing video games, eating candy and messing around with his friends. This is his first year on the Octagon. Arijit is also on the soccer team and plays flute in the concert band. He loves science and math but doesn’t always feel the same about writing. He has always been fascinated with space and hopes to eat a pineapple on Mars. Contact at arijtrivedi22@scdsstudent.org
Arikta Trivedi
Freshman Arikta Trivedi has attended SCDS since the third grade. Arikta is also a percussionist in the concert band and a pianist outside of school. She enjoys reading, and her favorite series are “Hunger Games” and “Harry Potter.” During her free time she likes to watch her favorite show, “Friends.” Arikta also loves dogs and has a 4-year-old golden retriever named Buddy. Contact at ariktrivedi22@scdsstudent.org
Arjin Claire
Freshman Arjin Claire has attended Country Day since kindergarten and is new to journalism. He is an avid soccer player and enjoys watching “Liverpool FC.” Arjin enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, videogames, celebrating Christmas (for the presents, of course!) and sleeping. Arjin is also allergic to dairy, eggs and nuts - a problem that has led to his fair share of ER visits. Contact at aclaire22@scdsstudent.org
Blake Lincoln
Senior Blake Lincoln has been at SCDS for 13 years, meaning he’s witnessed firsthand many of the changes that have occurred on campus over the last decade. Blake likes studying politics and electoral history. He has studied every election from 1980 to present, following trends and what they may mean for the future political demographics of the country; he’s glad to share his thoughts through the Octagon. Contact at blincoln19@scdsstudent.org
Dylan Margolis
His name is Dylan, in a freshman world / In Octagogon, it's fantastagogon / You can brush his hair; he hates eating pears / Imagination, life is his creation / Come on, Dylan - let's go party! / He’s a Margolis, and he’s a reporter / In Octagogon, it's fantastagogon / There’s nothing he won’t share, except for all his pears / Information, news is his occupation / Come on, Dylan - let's go writing! Contact at dmargolis22@scdsstudent.org
Ethan Monasa
Freshman Ethan Monasa has been at Country Day since kindergarten. He has three younger siblings (two brothers and a sister). He loves cats and has four of them. Outside of Octagon, Ethan is a member of the Concert Band and soccer team; he also plays club soccer outside of school. Ethan is a passionate “Star Wars” and “Hobbit” fan. He loves to write fantasy novels in his spare time. Contact at emonasa22@scdsstudent.org
Gabi Alvarado
Gabriela Alvarado is a senior and is co-captain of the Mock Trial team, co-literary editor of The Glass Knife and co-chair of the Chicanx-Latinx Student Union, which she started as a freshman. College applications will be keeping her busy in the fall, as well as writing poetry, reading, and watching way too much television - not to mention her classes. Contact at galvarado19@scdsstudent.org
Hailey Fesai
Hailey Fesai is a freshman who is very passionate about writing, loves extreme sports, and reads three to four books at the same time. She is also primarily a competitive swimmer and has been for seven years now. She’s already been at Country Day for three years and is excited for the adventure her fourth year has to offer her - and she especially can’t wait to write for the Octagon. Contact at hfesai22@scdsstudent.org
Miles Morrow
Freshman Miles enjoys not having to do homework on the weekends, eating good food and spending time with friends. He attempts to find ways to finish his homework at a decent hour; however, he’s a master procrastinator. He tries to keep in shape through soccer and crossfit schedules, and so far, he is enjoying his first year of high school after 11 years at Country Day. Contact at mmorrow22@scdsstudent.org
Ming Zhu
Sophomore Ming Zhu is just your average staffer. He writes stories - but not always efficiently. He doesn’t study too hard - but ends up with decent grades. He likes tennis - but isn’t so great at it. He’s not the best at journalism - but strives to improve. He plays the clarinet - but is only mediocre. He’s not at all perfect - but at least he is trying to be. Contact at mzhu21@scdsstudent.org
Rebecca Waterson
Junior Rebecca Waterson always has wet hair since she’s a year-round swimmer. Most of her days are spent at the pool, while the rest of her time is split between daydreaming, attempting to sing to her dogs and trying to find time to read her favorite books. She loves all food except seafood, her dislike blossoming from a traumatic experience involving clams. Plus, she could never eat her fish friends! Contact at rwaterson20@scdsstudent.org
Sanjana Anand
Freshman Sanjana Anand loves eating ice cream, rewatching her favorite show, “Grey’s Anatomy,” visiting amusement parks, traveling, baking and napping. More importantly, she is excited for her first year at Country Day. Outside of school, Sanjana plays competitive tennis and participates in Cognitive Exchange, a nonprofit organization. Her goals include attending medical school and owning a puppy. Contact at sanand22@scdsstudent.org
Sarina Rye
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night keeps sophomore Sarina Rye from wearing the same pair of discontinued black flip-flops each day. Her other habits include sitting in every way possible - except normally - and carrying way too much stuff; some may say her backpack is heavier than she is. Sarina loves cats but has never had the pleasure of being a cat owner, which is her life goal. Contact at srye21@scdsstudent.org
Shimin Zhang
This is junior Shimin Zhang’s second year on the Octagon as a photographer. She enjoys photography, reading and crafting during her free time outside of class. She also loves classical music and plays piano in the high school chamber group. Her favorite composers are Chopin and Shostakovich. She looks forward to contributing more photos to the print and online edition of Octagon this year. Contact at szhang20@scdsstudent.org