DBQ Practice: Phillip and Sadie

Source: RHS official transcripts for Sadie DiNapoli for her 9th and 10th-grade years

DiNapoli, Sadie Weighted GPA: 4.45 Class Rank: 5/284

Courses Grade Honors Biology 93 AP Human Geography 94 Honors English I 97 Band 100 Yearbook I 100 Honors Geometry 95 Freshman Tennis 100

DiNapoli, Sadie Weighted GPA: 4.19 Class Rank: 19/284

Courses Grade AP Chemistry 87 AP World History 88 Honors English II 90 Band 100 Yearbook II 93 Honors Algebra II 92 JV Tennis 100

Source: DM between Phillip and his longtime friend and next-door neighbor, Danielle Nakamura. Occurred between 9:45-10:02 PM, October 18th, 2018. (Using FB messenger because Danielle’s mother more closely monitored the messaging features of other apps)

Dannie: How many TDs did you end up with? I lost count Phillip: 4 I think. Coulda been 5 but Kevin has no hands Dannie: You doing anything after the dance? Phillip: Sadie wants to watch a movie or something Dannie: Figured she’d be studying Phillip: If plans change hmu Chan David and Sam will be over here Dannie: Cool. See you in Mr. K’s class

Source: Remark overheard by Natasha between Ms. Harrington, sponsor of RHS Photography Club, and Mr. Clint, Yearbook Teacher, Circa February 2019

“Has Sadie been getting her assignments in Yearbook in? This is the second time in a row she’s been late on a project. She was supposed to show up to do pictures for the Little Paws Charity Event and showed up 30 minutes late. [inaudible response from Mr. Clint] Oh, I know. This isn’t like her at all. And it isn’t the leadership I need from Club President. What are the younger members supposed to think? [inaudible response from Mr. Clint] Yep, I think so, too. Spends more time on her phone with Mister All Star than doing her stuff. Maybe when he goes off to college next year she’ll be back to the Sadie I know. [inaudible response from Mr. Clint] Exactly. What is a National Merit Finalist doing dating a guy like that? If she was my daughter I’d have put a stop to that a long time ago.”

Email from Phillip Steinmann to NHS Sponsor, Mrs. Fuentes. March 2019

Mrs. Fuentes,

I need to come clean about what happened last week. I’m only taking English 4 AP because Sadie convinced me to. She made me feel like it would be dumb to take on-level, but I am not that good at English. I got in over my head and asked her to write an essay for me that I turned in as my own. That was completely on me. Sadie only wrote it because I told her I was just going to get an idea from it, but she didn’t think I would turn it in as my own. I know I deserved to be kicked out of NHS but she doesn’t. She is trying really hard to get into MIT and this will ruin that. This entire thing was my fault. I shouldn’t have taken that class just because she wanted me to, but I definitely shouldn’t have plagiarized either. Please reconsider her being kicked out, she NEVER would have written that essay if she thought I would turn it in as mine.

Sincerely, Phillip

Source: Testimonial from breakup eyewitness, Nathan Geller, 10th grader assigned to serve punch at RHS Prom, May 18th, 2019

“Since I’m in ASB I had to help with prom and Mr. Gentry made me be a punch server at Snack Table Four. Most of the night was super boring but this one thing that happened was wild. So, you know Phillip Steinmann and Sadie DiWhathersname? He’s got like a full ride to A&M for football and she’s like the president of 8 clubs and does debate and wants to work for Elon Musk or something. Yeah, so they had a crazy breakup like 10 feet away from me, no cap. He came up and got two cups of punch and said what’s up to me and then they stood behind this column thing where no one could see them. She was crying and her makeup looked all wild and he was like ‘Yo, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, why are you acting crazy?’ and she was like ‘You know why, I can’t believe you danced with that ---’ She used a not so nice word, you get the idea. He was like ‘Yeah so what, we have been best friends since like kindergarten’ and she was like ‘Yeah, whatever, that’s why she’s chasing you to A&M huh?’ and he was like ‘Dude that is so unfair. She’s wanted to go there since she was like a day old because her dad went there, and she likes their dance team or whatever, and she got into the Business School which is like really hard’ and she was like ‘Whatever, that isn’t that hard’ and he was like ‘Look, I totally got you back into NHS by emailing Fuentes’ and she said ‘Yeah but you lied to her, too. You told me to write you a good essay and you’d change some of it before you turned it in and you turned it in EXACTLY how I sent it to you and obviously, your teacher knew you’d never write like that’ and he was like ‘What’s that supposed to mean’ and she was like ‘Um you suck at writing’ and he was like ‘Yeah I know and who pressured me into an AP class?’ and she was like ‘whatever’ and he was like ‘It doesn’t have to end like this. I pictured us being together forever. Just because I’m going to A&M and you’re going to go to MIT or whatever doesn’t mean we couldn’t make it work’ and she said ‘Yeah you want to have a long-distance thing from across the country for four years while you’re playing football?’ and he was like ‘Yeah if that’s what it takes’ and she was like ‘Yeah and like Danielle isn’t going to be fangirling and tagging along everywhere you go’ and he was like ‘Bruh’ and she was like ‘Whatever’ and then they walked off in different directions. She left, I think, and he stayed there. He danced with that Danielle chick like two more times and he looked pretty sad and was like telling her what happened I think. I didn’t see what happened when prom ended because Mr. Gentry made me carry like every table.”

Source: Instagram post made by Danielle Nakamura, Dec 20th, 2018

DannieNak: Guess who was just named All-State QB? #RHSFootball #Quarterback #FutureAggie #FutureNFL

Source: Snapchat sent by Sadie DiNapoli to friend, Kaileigh Wainwright, approximately 30 minutes after leaving prom

Well that went from best night of my life to worst night of my life real quick. Can’t wait to be out of this place

Phillip Steinmann and Sadie DiNapoli had been a couple for over two and a half years when their breakup occurred in dramatic fashion at the 2019 Senior Prom. Sadie met Phillip two years previously when she was a freshman and he a sophomore at GHCHS. They met when his errant throw to a receiver flew onto the track and knocked her to the ground while she was taking pictures for Yearbook. He approached to apologize and helped her back to her feet and offered to pay to replace the cracked zoom lens. This moment initiated a romantic relationship which would define their high school experience.