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VOL.46 NO.2 • Sacramento Country Day School • 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, CA •www.scdsoctagon.com • October 25, 2022
LAST MAN SITTING In the first Country Day pep rally in two years, students, teachers and Baxter compete in a game of musical chairs. Freshman Jackson Whited claimed victory as the crowd cheered. PHOTO BY REHAN AFZAL
BY WILLIAM HOLZ & DANIEL HOLZ
S
cholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) testing sessions have become harder to find and the scheduling less reliable at a time when students are scrambling to get their hands on any open spots available before college applications are due. With the development of online SAT availability, there are fewer in-person testing sites available. The College Board’s website offers this warning: “Remember, test centers may close or make changes on short notice, including on test day, and they may even close for the scheduled makeup date. Test center data is updated every three hours—be sure to search any closings the night before and morning of your scheduled test.” Therefore, many students are experiencing scheduling conflicts. “The College Board is likely so focused on the fact that they’re going digital that they overlook these problems because they figure an online format will make them go away,” said Alicia Perla, Country Day’s college counselor. Another reason for the shortage of SAT testing sessions is that all public California universities have gone test-blind, resulting in fewer tests in the region. The lack of testing sessions has pushed some students to look for tests out of state. Senior Callister Misquitta took a last-second spot in Las Vegas on Aug. 7 after the availability of sessions in California dried up. Flying in the day before the test, Misquitta had to pay for his own plane ticket and was lucky that he could stay with an aunt.
“It was more stressful for me because I spent time and money on a plane ticket; it made me feel more pressure,” he said. Misquitta was able to attend a second test at Jesuit High School on Oct. 1 along with fellow classmate senior Ryan Paul, who was not as fortunate as Misquitta back in August. Paul, along with four other seniors, properly registered for an Aug. 27 test and landed a seat at Mira Loma High School. However, that test was canceled, and only one student was able to reschedule a test for the same date. Paul and the other seniors were forced to arrange sessions at later dates. “They didn’t even have the courtesy to send me an email,” Paul said. To ensure a smooth testing experience, Perla recommends starting early and avoiding schools with histories of canceling last minute. “If you’re really serious about having a particular score and that score is within your reach, it would make sense for you to start looking for tests in March of your junior year at the earliest,” Perla said. “Look to possibly take it again in August of your senior year.” Most testing preparation services recommend at least five weeks of studying in advance to be properly prepared, and free resources are available on Khan Academy. For seniors who have been unable to take the test, Country Day is providing an SAT session on Oct. 27. Juniors and sophomores take the PSAT on Oct. 25. For more information about standardized testing, contact Alicia Perla at aperla@saccds.org.
Heavy workloads lead to student burnout BY GARMAN XU & GARRETT XU
Amid school work, research projects and the college application season, many students are feeling the effects of burnout. Researchers who study high school students have described burnout as the result of too much stress, leading to exhaustion, a feeling of inadequacy and cynicism, which can have negative impacts on a student’s mental and physical health.
College application stress Although many high school seniors have had full schedules throughout high school, the upcoming deadlines for college essays and applications have impacted their workloads and stress levels. Seniors Savanna Karmue and Shakhzoda Khodajakhonova said they feel pressure to maintain their grades because of their significance in college
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Testing in a test-optional age
admissions. “People only see you for your grades,” Karmue said. “So, whenever I mess up, I feel like I am a mess-up. College is around the corner, and colleges just sees people as their grades.” In order to look good for college applications, some seniors are hesitant to drop activities or classes and prefer to hang on with the status quo even though the workload is stressful. Both Khodajakhonova and Karmue are the leaders of their own clubs and have other extracurricular commitments in addition to schoolwork. In addition to running the choir and philanthropy clubs, Khodajakhonova is a co-president for the philosophy club. She also plays girls varsity volleyball and does a lot of work as an attorney on Country Day’s Mock Trial team. Karmue is the president of her non-profit, Happy Heart Advice, and also serves on the Sacramento County Youth Advisory board of Mental Health. “I feel like I’m just grinding
Stichery club weaves into the club network Learn about how junior Mia Crowder discovered her passion for stichery and founded her own club. PHOTO BY ADAM AKINS
through, and it’s just another thing for me to put on my apps,” Karmue said. “It just sucks because I started these extracurriculars because I actually had a passion for it, but now I feel like I’m just trying to finish it for college.”
Tough balancing act In addition to balancing multiple academic courses, senior Amaya Anguiano’s experience with burnout left little room for socialization. “I found it hard to find the time to talk to my friends because I felt school was so important even though it was hard for me to get schoolwork done, “ Anguiano said. “I needed to get that out of the way first and then I could go and have fun with my friends, but it never really happened that way.” Burnout is not just a senior problem, however. Freshman Jaq Howes said he
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