The
BOLT
September 2025 Volume 24, Issue 1 lightningboltonline.com Sage Hill School 20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, CA 92657
Students Channel Inner ‘Men in Black’ at Back to School Dance A
Middle School Build Hits Milestones, pplication Open
By Kenzie Chang
Courtesy of STUCO
Freshmen Mikhaila Reyeah Cudia, Kenna Walters, Hadley Maynard, and Nancy Chang at the Back to School Dance on Aug. 23. By Suri Li
Less than a week into the school year, students sporting black sunglasses and neckties the parking lot of the Lisa Argyros and Family Science Center for the annual Back-to-School Dance on Aug. 23. The parking lot transformed into an otherworldly scene with lights and decorations, including an inflatable alien towering over the entrance. This year’s theme, Men in Black, inspired a copious amount of black-on-black outfits
Opinion, Page 2
with a futuristic edge. A DJ spinning a customized playlist of current hits mixed with nostalgia-inducing oldies kicked off the event, and students filled the dance floor showing off their moves. Throughout the evening, students enjoyed complimentary refreshments, ranging from pizza to boba. Students pilled into a photo booth to take home memories of friends with props and a shimmery gold background. Each flash of the camera contributed to
Athletics, Page 4
the pool of social media stories and posts throughout the night. However, the highlight of the night was the glambot camera, a first at any Sage Hill dance. Like an experience at the Oscars, the camera captured students in slow motion, posing, flipping their hair, or their jackets twirling while the camera panned side to side. “The glambot was a fun and unique experience to do with friends, and it really made us feel like celebrities,” sophomore Alison Wang said.
Community, Page 6
Student Life, Page 8
Sage Hill School is eagerly anticipating the launch of its middle school after opening applications for its inaugural seventh and eighth grade classes on Sept. 1. Meanwhile, the middle school and second gym building continues to take shape behind the green construction fence. In August, construction crews poured concrete for the third floor and topped out the building’s cinder block shell. An excavator also drove multiple steel beams into bedrock to shore up the hillside. Earlier this month, crews started installing the gym’s roof. When the three-story building is completed, Sage Hill’s enrollment capacity will increase from 600 to 750 students in grades 7-12. The administration plans to enroll 60 to 70 students in both seventh and eighth grade for the 2026-2027 school years. Middle school students will study five core subjects – math, science, English, history, and a world language of their choice. They will also choose two electives and participate in a required team sport that will fill each student’s X block. “The idea is that middle school is the time when students try a bit of everything and begin to see where their interests are,” Director of Middle School Dr. Joseph Moody said. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of clubs and academic teams, including Model UN, robotics, speech and debate, performing/visual arts and journalism. This diverse selection of opportunities allows students to gain experience in many different activities before entering high school. Many of the current Sage Hill students are anticipating the new 8:30 a.m. start time implemented in the high school to stagger arrivals with the middle school and reduce rush-hour traffic congestion. Sophomore class representative Ruby Wang shrugged off the change of having younger students on campus year round. “I honestly don’t think it will be much different, except that we’ll have another gym to use. But I’m hoping to not see middle schoolers in my Calc C class,” Ruby said. Sophomore Gisselle Barron expressed more enthusiasm for growing the school. “I am excited for the younger students on campus. I think that new students mean more diverse perspectives and attributes they can offer the school,” Gisselle said. While many students have noted their excitement to mentor younger students on campus, they have also expressed their desire to set boundaries as Sage Hill adds younger grade levels.
Middle School, see page 3