Prepared for new futures

Sage Hill graduate Stephen Comp will never forget the gruesome scene.

Not because it was so shocking, but because it was so educational.

When Comp walked in on his teacher snorting cocaine in a school bathroom earlier this year, the teacher shot the student, tried to hide the evidence and ran away. It wasn’t a true crime scene, just a mock one for Sage Hill’s inaugural forensics class.

As Comp and about 100 other graduating seniors waited to have their photos taken in caps and gowns, some of the teachers and students talked about how keenly the class — a pet project of the staff and students — represented the benefit a graduate gets from a Sage Hill education.

Comp, like many other graduates of the selective private school, knows exactly what he will do after he graduates. Along with being a Sage Hill graduate, Comp is also a Newport Beach Police Explorer and will become a cadet next year. He gave a lecture on driving under the influence of alcohol to his classmates as part of the innovative class during its first year, which is an opportunity not afforded to many high school seniors.

“Having a class on forensics made the most sense because it touches on a lot of subjects and shows students the analytical nature of science and problem solving,” said Dan Thomassen, the class’ young teacher.

This kind of unique instruction is representative of the spontaneous atmosphere at the school that students have to take tests and conduct interviews to join, graduate Daniel Harold said.

“Sage really fosters curiosity that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in public schools. There are no bells, which represents the way learning happens here,” Harold said. He plans on enrolling in the U.S. Air Force Academy next year and considers his acceptance as the highlight of his senior year.

After the photo, the graduates sat together with beaming confidence in their black caps and gowns in front of an audience of cheering parents and friends — confidence built by the camaraderie and responsibility that the small size and selectivity of the school breed in its students, said teacher Gerald Roy, who describes himself as “the oldest thing on campus, including the trees.”

“The students can relate well with adults. It’s not so much a teacher-student relationship, but a collaborative endeavor,” Roy said, adding that this year’s graduating class is one of the best he’s seen at interacting with older people.

Drawing references from ancient Greek philosophy and Judaism, Latin teacher Lance Novotny gave the faculty address, gesticulating wildly and speaking with a cadence and affectation that was a cross between that of a Mexican soap opera star and a Shakespearean actor.

The students who sat behind him looked at each other with wry smiles and giggles as he carried on, recounting his experience on a field trip with the seniors that year.

After a few more speeches, diplomas were handed out, caps were thrown in the air, and an unusually well-prepared group of graduates saw the end of their childhood days.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].